The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which a non-Christian joins the Catholic church. It is also used when non-Catholic Christians wish to become Catholic, and sometimes even when Catholics who have been away from the Church wish to come back. Depending on the specific situation all or part of the rite is used throughout (usually) a one-year journey in faith. The rite confers the three sacraments of initiation on an individual: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
One aspect of RCIA that is sometimes criticized is the length of the process. Why is it that the Catholic Church 'imposes' such a lengthy process whereas other denominations let you join pretty much immediately, or after a few introductory lessons? The rest of this blog post aims to provide a (brief) explanation of some of the rationale behind the process and its requirements.
First of all, one should approach RCIA from the perspective of its origin intent: initiating non-Christian people into the Christian faith. This is the very beginning of the faith journey of an individual. Typically, there is a spark that put one on the inquirer track. This may be something you read, or an observation you make about another person, or even a desire to join the faith of a loved one. Regardless of the reasons, the main point is that the person commences a stage of exploration of the faith where he or she learns about our faith and the Church (i.e. how we live that faith in community), in order to discern whether one truly believes. It is after all wrong to try to push someone towards Catholicism. The conversion is something that you go through - not something that someone does to you or for you. No one can convert anyone else - it comes from within.
In period of inquiry can be relatively short or long, depending on the situation of each and every individual person. If it is a matter of understanding Church doctrine in view of already holding a Christian believe, it may take less time for someone to essentially say: "Yes, I want to become Catholic."
At this point, rather than inquiring about the faith, it is time to learn about the faith. This is generally done through several months of group meetings where the Sunday Liturgy of the Word is discussed (similar to a bible study), and where doctrinal concepts are discussed. The format is usually truly more a group discussion rather than more formal teaching. The goal is to move further along the journey of faith by deepening one's understanding of the scriptures and the Church teachings. This is very important because when an individual expresses the definite desire to be baptised, to be confirmed and/or to receive the Eucharist in the Catholic Church, he or she obviously should be quite certain of their overall believes. Just "going through the motions" without true intent is pointless. And pretending to believe is certainly not a step towards salvation/
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, faith formation is a journey in faith. It does not happen overnight, and neither should it. Even from a purely intellectual point of view, everyone should make a truly informed decision rather than passionately embracing a faith without truly understanding it. As a Church we owe it to those who express an interest in becoming Catholic to ensure that they are able to get a well founded understanding about faith and doctrine. While it would be quite impressive (and very noticeable) to have large numbers of people becoming Catholic on short notice, it would be meaningless.
Of course, even a one-year program doesn't have the time to teach everything. There is a reason why deacon and priest formation takes easily 5-6 years. But in the end, we are all still on that faith journey through life. A year can be a long time, but it makes that faithful day (usually the Easter Vigil) so much more special - something to really look forward to, something to long for. And there is always comfort to be found in the knowledge that in the early Church, this process lasted three years.
As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, faith formation is a journey in faith. It does not happen overnight, and neither should it. Even from a purely intellectual point of view, everyone should make a truly informed decision rather than passionately embracing a faith without truly understanding it. As a Church we owe it to those who express an interest in becoming Catholic to ensure that they are able to get a well founded understanding about faith and doctrine. While it would be quite impressive (and very noticeable) to have large numbers of people becoming Catholic on short notice, it would be meaningless.
Of course, even a one-year program doesn't have the time to teach everything. There is a reason why deacon and priest formation takes easily 5-6 years. But in the end, we are all still on that faith journey through life. A year can be a long time, but it makes that faithful day (usually the Easter Vigil) so much more special - something to really look forward to, something to long for. And there is always comfort to be found in the knowledge that in the early Church, this process lasted three years.
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