The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is that personal journey of deepening one’s relationship with Christ through a supportive community of faith. Photo: Ron Tan.
By Natashya Fernandez
Those who believe, see; they see with a light that illumines their entire journey, for it comes from the Risen Christ, the Morning Star which never sets. Lumen Fidei, 2013.
Believing means to entrust oneself to the merciful love of God who has the power to make straight the crooked lines of our history. Faith consists in the willingness to let ourselves be constantly transformed and renewed by God’s call.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is that personal journey of deepening one’s relationship with Christ through a supportive community of faith.
Sitting down with RCIA Archdiocesan Director, Karen Hart, she speaks in depth about the RCIA, why more and more people are responding to Christ’s invitation, and says we are all on a conversion journey in our lives.
Regardless of our materialistic needs, people still have that innate yearning, those internal questions about faith expressed in our Catholic way of life, and this is where the RCIA comes in, Mrs Hart explains.
“Through the RCIA, we look at the spirit of the person, because people come from such variable backgrounds and complex family experiences, that we have to meet them where they’re at. It’s not about us giving them our faith, it’s about them deepening their faith with Christ.
“We haven’t invited them to become Catholic, Christ has. So when they go through the process of Christian Initiation, we have an opportunity to share our faith and knowledge with them,” Mrs Hart said.
While each person who goes through the RCIA are following their own unique and personal response to Christ’s call, Mrs Hart said they will explore and deepen this relationship within a supportive RCIA Parish community of faith, while still allowing them to understand how Catholics live, gather, pray, worship and serve others in Christ.
“Essentially that is what we are here to unpack. We are making them familiar with the Gospels, prayer and worship and the Catholic tenets of faith. They don’t have to know them by heart but can deepen their relationship with Jesus,” she added.
RCIA Archdiocesan Director, Karen Hart, explores the RCIA, why more and more people are responding to Christ’s invitation, and says we are all on a conversion journey in our lives. Photo: Josh Low.
The RCIA involves stages of conversion, which are enquiry, the catechumenate, Lent and ongoing discipleship, Mrs Hart said.
“In the Archdiocese of Perth, these stages are shared through Lectionary Catechesis, exploring the Sunday Readings; Liturgical Catechesis, which focuses on the Rites and rituals of Catholic faith, plus prayer and worship, and lastly, Instructional Catechesis, which explores the Catholic tenets of faith.
“While each phase is unique, the catechumenate is the longest period, where we delve deeper into the liturgical seasons, the meaning of prayer, Mother Mary and the Saints, Eucharistic Prayer, the Sacraments, and more.
“I’m not talking about giving them apostolic exhortations, but we have to explain to them the Papacy and how we are one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. We are not giving them a theology degree but we definitely need to break down the meaning of the Creed,” she explained.
One of the major hurdles sometimes faced in the RCIA is that many people wanting to convert only want superficial information, a quick summary, she added.
She said that in the situation of those people who want to become Catholics for external reasons, the Catechist will work with them to look more inwardly.
“That is what our role is here. They have responded to Jesus’s invitation to become a Catholic, and we are only there to help them and be a part of this journey,” she reiterated.
Mrs Hart said that the RCIA is not all warm and fuzzy, it is all about commitment.
“The groups start mid-year and continues to the following Easter when they are received into the Church, with sessions concluding at Pentecost. The uniqueness of each person’s journey involves a gradual unfolding and deepening of their relationship with Christ.”
Mrs Hart also touched upon a new RCIA model currently being run by Mt Lawley Parish Priest Father Tim Deeter, together with Fr Peter Porteous from St Denis in Joondanna and the Very Rev Monsignor Harry Entwistle from the Ordinariate Community of SS Ninian & Chad, now based at St Paul’s.
Alternating their meetings between Mt Lawley and Joondanna parishes, Fr Deeter said that the three parishes have joined together to run a two-year program with around 18 to 20 members including an Anglican, Lutheran, Baptist and two atheists attending the weekly meetings.
“At our two preliminary planning meetings, it was decided to follow the United States two-year model for catechumens, and less time for candidates if they have some background in the Christian faith,” Fr Deeter said.
“A number of studies of RCIA in the US show that a significant percentage of those who have gone through the RCIA tend to drop out within five years. This is attributed to a ‘rushed program’, a tendency to begin formation in August or September, and then complete formation in time for the Easter Vigil, which gives only five to six months for meetings.
“So the formation given in this short time tends to be superficial, and many new Catholic adults feel unsure about many teachings and practices of the faith. Despite having ‘journey sponsors’ during the RCIA, some of these new Catholics aren’t helped much after the process comes to an end,” he added.
Fr Deeter added that the text used for the two-year program is Essentials of the faith: A guide to the Cetechism of the Catholic Church by Fr Alfred McBride OPraem, together with segments from two DVD series, titled Catholicism (Bishop Robert Barron) and Symbolon (Dr Edward Siri).
With the model running smoothly and successfully, all priests and teams are happy with the format and participation is great, Fr Deeter explained.
“Because we are not facing the pressure of getting the program done by Easter 2018, we are able to move at a more relaxed pace, discuss topics more thoroughly, and get to know one another better.
“By the end of the two-year program, we are confident that those who have joined the Church will remain with the Church because they will have a solid foundation of two years as catechumens or candidates,” he concluded.
From pages 16 and 17 of Issue 11: ‘Adult Faith: Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Book of Numbers’ of The Record Magazine