Looking back at the weekly messages of Father Paul Counce, first published in The Carpenter, our weekly Parish Bulletin
Published: August 07, 2016
Almost everyone has heard of the great meeting of all of the Catholic bishops of the world at the beginning of the 1960s known as the Second Vatican Council. The bishops assembled for it addressed many issues, both major and minor. Part of their genius was that they actually made few concrete decisions on their own, but instead pointed the way forward for themselves and all of the members of the Church who accompanied and followed them. That’s us!
One area that they addressed, as is well known, was divine worship. While the bishops did not mandate using vernacular languages or modifying “da rulz” to allow for Mass to be celebrated more frequently “facing the people,” they did order the renewal and revision of the Church’s liturgy. Thus in the four generations since the Council, both flexibility and practicality have advanced again as hallmarks of Catholic worship, and after having to learn new ways of presenting timeless values, now in its ordinary form is generally well-celebrated and welcomed.
One less-well-known decisions of Vatican II, however, was to order the revision of adult conversion procedures. This resulted in what is known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, often known by its initials R.C.I.A. This is the process by which persons who are not Catholic may learn about our Faith, begin practicing our religion, and in due time join the Church.
The big insight the bishops had was that the key to becoming Catholic is not “learning things” in a classroom style setting until you graduate! The key, rather, is “living a lifestyle” of prayer (both shared rituals and individual contact with God), ever-deepening virtue (morality), and a supportive community of faith: like those who become Catholic in infant baptism, “perfection” is not required for membership in our Church! Sinners and those still struggling to comprehend and live out our faith to the fullest are not just welcome, they’re really the only people we let in!
The most notable components of the R.C.I.A. in my humble opinion are found in community: the small group of inquirers and their sponsors who gradually become more familiar with our Church’s teachings and practices and begin to live it and celebrate it in prayer. There are no tests or term papers, but there is a lot of time for prayer and sharing and questions. Persons who go through the R.C.I.A. often become some of the most eager members of the Church and active parishioners!
In the R.C.I.A. unbaptized persons typically go through various stages of preparation: this is broadly described as the catechumenate. It is a period of focus on the Scriptures, in Catholic belief, and in our Church’s worship, community life, and apostolic works. The two main sources used are the Bible – of course – and also the 1997 Catechism of the Catholic Church.
The catechumenate typically culminates, at the beginning of Lent, with the “Rite of Election” here at the Cathedral, at which time the bishop chooses the catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (Bap tism, Confirmation and Eucharist) at Easter.
Persons who are already baptized and living a Christian life in some other denomination also learn the truths of Catholicism in the R.C.I.A. process, but the requirements and timetable for them is somewhat different since they are already in possession of a partial, if imperfect membership in the Church. They are usually referred to as “candidates for full communion” with the Church as they prepare for the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, which they receive when they are ready. For those who are already Catholic, sharing in part of our R.C.I.A. process is often a good way to “re-connect” with the fundamentals of our Faith as well.
So: do you know someone who’s interested in becoming Catholic? Could you join them in their faith-journey? Let us know! Our R.C.I.A. process is headed by Mr. Chris Redden, a wonderful part-time lay minister here at the Cathedral for many years and a guidance counselor at Catholic High School. If you have interest, know of someone who is interested, think you’d like to help out as an R.C.I.A. sponsor or as part of the team, please contact the Parish Office at (225) 387-5928 or office@cathedralbr.org. Give some thought to it!
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Paul
