Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
Sorting It All Out: Children and Adults in the Initiation Process
1. An unbaptized adult or older adolescent
Stanley, an unbaptized adult, inquires about becoming a Catholic. He has had no catechetical formation, but believes God may be calling him to the Church. After an appropriate period of inquiry, Stanley is admitted to the catechumenate.
Rite used: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens (RCIA #41-68). His name is entered in the Register of Catechumens which is kept in the parish.
Title: Catechumen
Definition: an unbaptized person, seeking full initiation in the Catholic Church.
Age: Older teen - adult
Process: After an appropriate pastoral formation in the parish catechumenate, including dismissals, prayers, anointings, and catechesis (RCIA #75), and lasting at least one full liturgical year (NS6), Stanley would be admitted to the sacraments of initiation, i.e., Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, normally celebrated at the Easter Vigil.
Minister: The parish priest is the presiding minister.
Faculty to Confirm: No delegation is required from the Chancellor's Office.
Record Keeping: The administration of the sacraments is entered in these parish registers: Catechumens (at the time of Acceptance), Baptism, Confirmation, First Communion, and a notation of Marriage.
References: RCIA Part 1; National Statutes 1-24
back to Sorting It All Out
