2024-2025 Classes begin mid-October

So…You’re Thinking About Becoming Catholic? Have a lot of questions?  

You can contact us at St. Peter Catholic Church via phone #503-538-4312 or web form and the parish office will inform RCIA coordinators, of your desire. OR feel free to show up to the RCIA classes that run from 9:20-10:20am on Sundays in the church, from October 1st until Easter.

RCIA class of 2014 with sponsors at the Portland Cathedral.

(RCIA) What is it?

Jesus considered the universal Church He founded on His Twelve Apostles to be his “bride”.  Jesus was the “bridegroom”.  Wedding imagery is found everywhere throughout the Catholic Church.  For example, every time Mass is celebrated, Jesus consummates his love for each member of his bride, the Church, by giving them His resurrected body, blood, soul and divinity in the Eucharist.

Another example of wedding imagery in the Church can be seen in the case of people who consider joining the Church.

Such individuals will participate in what is called the Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA).

During the RCIA they will be brought along liturgically (i.e. through celebrations of the Mass) and catechetically (by means of formal instruction) eventually coming into “full communion” with the Catholic Church.  At that time, they will receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and the Holy Eucharist, fully becoming Catholic Christians at Easter. This is celebrated with great joy at the Easter Vigil Mass –the highlight of the Church’s liturgical year.

The RCIA process involves a conversion of heart and proceeds through stages of increasing commitment. An analogy can be seen in the courtship process between a man and woman:

A man and woman decide to go on a “First Date”.  This is analogous to the RCIA Inquiry period.

– If things work out…the two may choose to “Go Steady”. This can be compared to the RCIA Catechumenate period

– If things work out further…the couple “Get Engaged”. This stage is analogous to the period of Purification & Enlightenment.

– If things work out beyond that…The couple “Get Married”. This can be compared to the Easter Vigil.

After the wedding, the newlyweds “go on a honeymoon. That can be compared to the period called Mystagogy.

The process of ‘joining’ the Catholic Church takes some time. It requires a period of discovery and inner conversion before a person makes a final decision to proceed into full communion with the Church. This process of incremental commitment leading to full communion has been a hallmark of the Catholic Church since the beginning.

An adult who has been baptized into another Christian faith community and wishes to join the Catholic Church, will follow a similar process.  This person’s journey depends on their spiritual readiness and religious formation.  The previously baptized person will be received into full communion with the Church and join fully in the celebration the Eucharist.

What do all these RCIA-related terms mean?

Definitions

Here is a list of RCIA definitions. We hope it helps in better understanding the process.

Candidate:

A person in the catechumenate who has been baptized, either in the Catholic Church or in another Christian Church, but who has not celebrated Confirmation and/or First Communion.
 

Catechumen:

A person in the catechumenate who has never been baptized.
 

Elect:

A catechumen or candidate who will receive the sacraments of initiation in a short time.
 

Election:

A liturgical celebration in which the bishop or one of his priests accepts the catechumen as ready and worthy to take part in the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at Easter.
 

Godparent:

A person selected by the person to be baptized or confirmed to be a friend and helper as s/he learns to become a Catholic.
 

Initiation:

The process by which a person enters the Church and becomes a member through celebrating Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
 

Inquirer:

A person who sincerely wants to ask questions and learn about the Catholic faith.
 

Mystagogy:

This refers to the time between Easter and Pentecost when the new Catholics share their faith with others in the community.
 

Neophyte:

A newly baptized person. The word means a “new shoot”.
 

Rite of Acceptance:

Marks the first step into the Catholic Church. The inquirers receive the sign of the Cross on the ears, eyes, lips, shoulders, heart, hands and feet, for they will now join in the joys and trials of the Christian mission.
 

Rite of Election:

Celebration of God’s call through the Catholic Church to the initiation sacraments celebrated at the Easter Vigil; the rite is used to accept the candidates for the sacraments by the bishop.
 

Sponsor:

A person chosen by the Catholic Church to be a friend and helper of the person interested in becoming Catholic.

 

Questions: [email protected]  |  (503) 538-4312