Home >
Sacraments, Rites & Education >
Inquiry
The Parish offers an informal, small group gathering, called Inquiry, for persons with questions about Christ, faith and the Catholic Church. There is no commitment expected of the people in Inquiry. It is simply what its name implies: an opportunity for inquiry.
A catechist (teacher and fellow learner) leads these sessions, and people may drop in or out at their own pace.
Inquiry is held at St. Augustine Church on the 2nd Thursday of each month
from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the parish library. Information and forms are available through the church office. It is
best to begin the Inquiry stage of RCIA in the fall semester to fully
benefit from the RCIA experience.
Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is a
community process by which adults come to know and are initiated into Christ and his Church.
The RCIA assists three types of persons:
Adults who are not baptized and seek to be baptized,
confirmed in the Holy Spirit, and share in the Eucharist (Mass). These adults
are called catechumens ;
Adults who were baptized in a Protestant Church and
desire full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. They
are called candidates and they have the dignity of the baptized. They prepare in the RCIA to make a Profession of Faith in the Roman Catholic Church and to be confirmed and share in the Eucharist; and
Adults who were baptized as infants into the Catholic Church but who were never confirmed nor given first communion. They, too, are candidates for confirmation and sharing in the Eucharist.
The RCIA prepares these adults in the four
ways in which Catholic Christians together live the life of Christ and his Church:
Through conversion by hearing the Gospel and learning more about the Catholic way of following Christ.
Through participation in the Liturgy (the public worship of the Church).
Through spirituality , i.e., prayerfully learning how to follow Christ in the Spirit.
Through Christian service of others in the way of Christ’s justice and peace.
There are four stages of the RCIA journey:
The first stage is called Inquiry . This is an informal stage, with no commitment expected, in which adults can ask their questions about Christ, faith, and the Catholic Church.
It is best to begin the Inquiry stage of RCIA in the fall semester to fully
benefit from the RCIA program.
A catechist (teacher and fellow learned) leads inquiry, and people may drop in or out at their own pace.
Inquiry is held at St. Augustine’s on
Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. (every Thursday in the Fall and
Spring. During the Summer, Inquiry is only held once a month. Check the
parish bulletin or web calendar for Summer dates). Ask at the main
Church office for its location (usually in the parish library).
The second stage occurs when inquirers are ready, with
the guidance of the parish, to take the formal step of entering the
catechumenate to prepare for baptism, or to become
candidates for full communion .
They are welcomed into the parish
through a “Rite (celebration) of Welcoming.” For nine months or more (there is
no standard time), with their sponsors (Catholics who assist them in their journey of faith), these catechumens and candidates grow together in the four ways of Christian life described above.
They gather at the 5:30 Mass on Sundays, and are
dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word and the homily (the preaching) to
reflect with catechists in small groups upon the Sunday
Scripture. A second session follows when they are joined by their sponsors and together examine some aspect of Cathlic teaching and belief.
The Sunday sessions are concluded each week with
a dinner prepared by various groups in the parish.
The third stage of RCIA is the Period of
Purification and Enlightenment which occurs during
Lent . First the catechumens and candidates are sent to our bishop, Bishop John Snyder, for prayer, and encouragement and election (a call) to complete their preparations for initiation.
The Lenten season is an intense period of
final preparation for the catechumens and candidates. The
parish assist them through special prayers (called
scrutinies ) for their freedom and healing from all sin and injustice.
When Lent ends, the Church celebrates the Three Holy
Days (the Triduum) as one glorious celebration, which
includes Holy Thursday evening and Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and the Paschal
Vigil (the night before Easter Sunday), and the Sunday of Easter. On
Holy Thursday evening, the candidates make their Profession
of Faith in communion with the Catholic Church and are then confirmed and
share in the Eucharist. At the Paschal Vigil , the most solemn time of the entire Church year, the catechumens are baptized and confirmed, the parish renews its own baptismal commitment, and then all share in the Eucharist.
The final and fourth stage of the RCIA is called
Mystagogy , an ancient name for the time of joyful reflection upon what happened to the candidates and catechumens during the Triduum. The period of reflection lasts for seven weeks from Easter Sunday to Pentecost.
At St. Augustine’s, Mystagogy is celebrated on
Wednesday evenings during the seven week Easter Season with
Solemn Vespers at 7:15 p.m. This is a deeply beautiful celebration of prayer and all the parish is invited to attend.
If you desire more information about the RCIA or wish to
learn more about how you may be a part of this ministry, please contact
Connie Fitzgerald, Director of the RCIA, at
372-3533 (the Church office).
|
