ST. PETER
CATHOLIC CHURCH
THE RCIA PROCESS:
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hose who journey through the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults process, or RCIA, soon realize that it is about a whole lot more than just simple catechesis. It is also about Christ’s infinite mercy touching souls, His truth permeating minds, and His love reaching hearts. “When I was going through RCIA last year, my grandson was diagnosed with leukemia,” Holly Allen says. “One of the sponsors in our class, Bob Musolino, really helped me in dealing with the stressful situation, encouraging me to keep the faith. He gave me his prayer book that he always carries with him. Bob holds a special place in my heart. He had a cross made and gave it to me on the night of my Confirmation, as well.” Truly, our RCIA process is a beautiful expression of what it means to be a parish family with wide-open arms. “I loved the guidance and wisdom I received in RCIA,” Holly says. “I appreciated meeting the other RCIA members and having such great discussions with them. I also enjoyed learning all about the Mass.” Members such as Holly often come to the door of their first RCIA class after a long, difficult journey of soul searching. At times, the decision to become Catholic takes tremendous courage, and those who would like to enter the process need a parish to call “home” before they can make such a daring step in their lives. Being a welcoming, hospitable parish with a flourishing RCIA process helps them along the way. “I feel I fit in with the other women at St. Peter’s, and I don’t feel lonesome when I come here,” Holly says. Because Holly had been already been baptized, she only needed to receive the Sacraments of First Confession, First Communion, and Confirmation when she joined the Catholic Church last fall. “I went to a Protestant church as a kid,” she says. “I loved Sunday School but I thought the rest was so boring that I would fall asleep on my father’s lap. However, at one point, my parents
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Tony Rhodes and family — (from left) Abbey (daughter), Tony, Carter (son) and Katie (wife).
stopped going to church, but then they returned after my mom got cancer. After my Dad passed away in 2018, I started floating around to different churches, but none of them felt quite right, and I didn’t feel at home at any of them.” However, Divine Providence had amazing plans for Holly, and she wound up at a lifechanging Cursillo weekend in 2019. “All of my life, I had heard that Jesus loved me, but that weekend I finally, truly felt it,” she says. “I knew that God really loved me, and this
