How Do I Become a Catholic?

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

The Church initiates new members into the Church through a program called the RCIA. Usually this means a series of weekly instructional programs where people learn about the Catholic faith. In many instances, this group involves a mix of those adults already Catholic, fully initiated (having already received the sacraments of initiation -- Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation), those who wish to complete the sacraments of Initiation (perhaps having been baptized but not confirmed) or those interested in deepening their faith or curious about the faith.

For those who experience the call of God to become Catholic, the program culminates in the celebration of the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.

In most programs, there are a variety of people. Simply attending classes doesn't obligate one to continue. It is common that people might come into the program slowly, first learning what it means to be Catholic, then experiencing the community, and finally making the commitment being Catholic entails.

At St. Francis, the RCIA program occurs on Tuesday evenings at 7:00 P.M.>

I was Baptized but didn't make my First Communion -- What do I do?

Generally, for adults, the process would involved entering into the RCIA program described above. At the end of the process, one receives the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation.

I am an adult and haven't been confirmed -- Now what?

The process is similar to the RCIA. At the end of instruction, one would receive the sacrament of confirmation.

I've been away from the Church for awhile -- how do I come back?

It takes a lot of courage to come back to the Church. But the experience of many is that they feel so much better once they have taken the first step. Oftentimes, people begin by going to Mass. As they get comfortable, they might meet with a priest, to discuss their particular situation. The priest can provide helpful guidance as to what is available in the parish, and what might help the growth in spiritual life.

It can also be helpful to talk with people who go Church. They can talk about how their faith has grown with participation in Church life.

Lastly, there is a web site just for you. OnceCatholic.org is a site dedicated to helping people find what they need to come back into the Church.