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Welcoming New Catholics into Our Parish Family with the Love of Christ
At St. Francis Xavier, the passion for bringing souls to the Heart of Christ runs deep in every ministry and outreach at our parish, especially the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) process.
“What I enjoy most about working with the RCIA process is being able to speak with people who are captivated by the beauty of the Church and want to learn more about it,” says Associate Pastor Fr. Robert Duck, who coordinates the RCIA process at our parish. “Fr. O’Brien and I both have such a passion for evangelization. This is the reason for being priests — so we can make disciples of Our Lord Jesus Christ! Even if I can’t physically be at each RCIA class, I still want to be as present as I can to those who are going through the process. I want to be there to answer their personal questions, and be as helpful as I can.”
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Through this beautiful rite, participants from all walks of life and stages of spiritual growth have the opportunity to prepare to be embraced by Mother Church forever. Currently, the Director of Evangelization and Formation Jessica Petter helps out with RCIA and plans to formally lead it in the near future.
This year’s RCIA group had 16 members, including three catechumens and several candidates and Catholics who were awaiting Confirmation or other Sacraments of Initiation. They were all fully initiated this spring. Most of the sessions were taught by Fr. O’Brien and Fr. Duck, with Jessica and a couple of other teachers teaching the rest of them. “This year’s group was really nice,” Fr. Duck says. “What was unique about the process this year is that Jessica opened the first session with an ice breaker to help people get to know one another. It really helped with the classroom dynamics, and people seemed more open to asking questions than usual.”
The enlightening sessions covered topics such as Catholic morality; the corporal and spiritual works of mercy; God’s plan for sexuality; Sacred Scripture and Tradition; the Four Last Things; traditions of prayer and spirituality in the Church; the Blessed Mother and the saints, and our relationship to them as children of God. The process also included the Rite of Acceptance, the Rite of Sending, the Rite of Election, and the Scrutinies. These rites are offered to RCIA members according to how many Sacraments of Initiation they have already received (for example, only catechumens receive the Rite of Acceptance).
The RCIA also featured a tour of our parish, a walk-through of the Mass, a retreat in March, and a period named Mystagogia, which wrapped up the process.
“During the Mystagogia, we walked along with the newly confirmed Catholics as they strive to live out their newfound faith,” Fr. Duck says. “My hope is that those who go through RCIA have a real encounter with Christ or a conversion that leads to their encounter with Christ, through the sacraments. St. John Henry Newman talked about how we are supposed to be leading people, helping them to properly prepare and be open to the grace that God will give them through these beautiful sacraments they are about to receive.”
