Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
Sorting It All Out: Children and Adults in the Initiation Process
4. An adult or older adolescent, baptized Catholic but uncatechized
José, aged 18, is a baptized Catholic, but has never received Confirmation or First Communion. He vaguely remembers attending a few CCD classes, but has no catechetical formation. José feels the lack of spiritual focus in his life, and wants to reclaim his roots as a practicing Roman Catholic. After an appropriate time of inquiry, José becomes a candidate.
Rite used: Rite of Welcoming the Candidates [#411-433]. If this rite takes place together with the acceptance of unbaptized people into the Order of Catechumens, the combined rite is used [#505-529].
Title: Candidate
Definition: a person baptized Catholic, usually as an infant, with little or no catechetical formation. This person has not celebrated either First Communion or Confirmation
Age: older teen - adult
Process: After an appropriate pastoral formation adapted to his needs and modeled on the catechumenate (perhaps as part of the parish catechumenate), Confirmation and Eucharist can be celebrated together at Pentecost. If José’s preparation takes place as part of the parish catechumenate, he may receive these sacraments at the Easter Vigil. Depending on circumstances, a third option is to celebrate Confirmation and First Communion whenever José is prepared to receive the sacraments.
Minister: The parish priest is the presiding minister.
Faculty to Confirm: Bishop *-
DiLorenzo grants priests the faculty to confirm adult Catholics.
Record Keeping: José’s name is entered in the parish registers of Confirmation and First Communion, with notification to the church of baptism.
References: RCIA Part II: 4; NS 25-29, 31back to Sorting It All Out
