The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which adults become members of the Catholic Church. The process includes prayer and reflection, study of the Catholic faith and way of life, and special rites and rituals along the way.
(RCIA) in the Office of Worship
Assisting Parishes in the Process
The Office of Worship assists parishes in this process through coordinator, team, and catechist training, consultation and resources, and the coordination of the annual Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion.The catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps, is to be restored and to be taken into use at the discretion of the local ordinary. By this means, the time of the catechumenate, which is intended as a period of suitable instruction, may be sanctified by sacred rites to be celebrated at successive intervals of time. (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM, 64)
Sacrament of Confirmation for Baptized Catholics
The purpose of the sacraments is to sanctify men, to build up the body of Christ, and, finally, to give worship to God; because they are signs they also instruct. They not only presuppose faith, but by words and objects they also nourish, strengthen, and express it; that is why they are called “sacraments of faith.” They do indeed impart grace, but, in addition, the very act of celebrating them most effectively disposes the faithful to receive this grace in a fruitful manner, to worship God duly, and to practice charity. It is therefore of the highest importance that the faithful should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should frequent with great eagerness those sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life. (SACROSANCTUM CONCILIUM, 59)
