Religious Education
RCIA RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION

The 2008-2009 Diocesan RCIA Steering Committee

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a gradual process welcoming new members into the Catholic Church.

  • The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is an invitation to:
  • Those who have never been baptized
  • Those baptized in other Christian traditions who desire to become Catholic
  • Those children of catchetical age (7 years and older) with the consent of parents/guardians
  • Those baptized Catholics who have received limited formal instruction in the faith and have not received the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist.


    DIOCESAN PARTICIPATION

    RITE OF ELECTION

    The Rite of Election is celebrated at St. Michael’s Cathedral on the First Sunday of Lent with Bishop McDonnell presiding. The parish communities present their catechemens and candidates calling each by name.

    In the ceremony the Church gives voice to God’s election and recognizes the readiness of those who are seeking baptism and full communion with the Church at the Easter Vigil.

RCIA LENTEN DAY OF REFLECTION
This time of spiritual enrichment is offered on a Sunday afternoon during the season of Lent. We welcome and encourage all preparing for baptism and full communion in the church with their godparents and sponsors, children and
parents, RCIA coordinators and team members to participate. The Lenten day of reflection is designed for adults, children and adolescents and is presented in both Spanish and English.
LEADERSHIP WORKSHOP 
Breaking Open the Gospel of…(Matthew, Mark or Luke)This workshop is primarily directed toward RCIA dismissal teams and is open for participants of small Christian community gatherings and bible study groups or any one interested in the scriptures. The focus of the Gospel is on the liturgical cycle readings of the year. It combines scripture scholarship with methods of reflection and sharing. This four hour workshop is generally offered on a Saturday in October.

 

 TRAINING COURSE
The RCIA training course is offered twice a year. This four session course provides for the practical implementation of the periods and the rites and teaches the skills necessary for directors, catechists (teachers) and team members. Required text: “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults – Study Edition”
Liturgical Training Publications.

A certificate of completion for a Level One Foundational Course will be given, which is a step toward Certification in Lay Ministry.


FURTHER ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Diocesan Catechetical Congress (held every November)

New England Catechetical Convocation

Pre-Convocation RCIA (held every other August)

New England Adult Faith Symposium (held in August every other year)

 

For these and other upcoming classes and enrichment opportunities see our CALENDAR OF EVENTS page.

For further information contact Sr. Carol Datz, SSND 413-542-0813 or by email CONTACT US.

For a list of available resources go to our
RESOURCE CENTERS/RESOURCES page.

Publisher Resources
Catechesis for RCIA Catechumenate:
“Association for Catechumenate Ministry” ACM Publications, www.acm.org
“Come and See” St. Anthony Messenger Press 2004, www.americancatholic.org
“Foundations in Faith” Resources for Christian Living (RCL), www.RCLWeb.com
“Growing Faith Project” TwentyThird Publications, www.twentythirdpublications.com
“How to Teach with the Lectionary” Philip J. McBrien Twenty Third Publications
“Journey of Faith” (3 levels-children/adolescents/adults) Liguori Publications 1993, www.liguori.org
“Making Disciples” Our Sunday Visitor, www.osv.com

Breaking Open the Gospel:
“Bringing Home the Word” 1-800-488-0488
“The Word Among Us” 1-800-775-9673
“Disciples in Prayer” Oregon Catholic Press, www.ocp.org
“Share the Word” Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association, www.pncea.org
“Sunday By Sunday” Good Ground Press, www.goodgroundpress.com
“Quest” Pastoral Dept. of Small Christian Communities, Hartford, Ct., www.nafscc.org
“Good News” Gr. 1-2 Pflaum Pub. Group/Peter Li Inc., www.pflaum.com
“Ventures” Gr. 4-5-6 Pflaum Pub. Group/Peter Li Inc.
“Visions” Gr. 7-8 Pflaum Pub. Group/Peter Li Inc.
Publications
“Catechumenate” A Journal of Christian Initiation (Monthly Publication) Liturgical Training Publications, www.@LTP.org

ORGANIZATIONS

www.naforum.org