RCIA is the Catholic Church’s rich tradition of preparation for adults to enter into the full communion with the Church. It provides weekly topics of all areas of life and faith. Attending the classes is not a commitment to enter the Church.
Classes run from September to April, Monday evenings 7-8:30pm (in conjunction with Sacred Heart Parish and San Juan Bautista Parish). Announcements about the beginning of the program will begin in August. Know that you are in our prayers as you discern if God is calling you into the Catholic Church.
RCIA is for anyone (over age 14) interested in discerning God’s call to become Catholic, regardless of whether they are unbaptized Christians, baptized non-Catholics, or uncatechized Catholics who need to complete the sacraments of initiation. Under normal circumstances, those preparing for initiation are brought into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass, given the recommendation of the RCIA Team. Exceptional circumstances which might delay initiation might include difficulty in providing necessary documentation (baptismal, marital information, for example), lack of preparation, attendance, or participation in classes, or joining the program late. It may be necessary to address marital irregularities (annulment or sacramental convalidation of civil marriage) as a prerequisite for sacramental initiation. This should be discussed in the initial interview with the pastor or RCIA coordinator upon entering the RCIA program.
Please contact Deacon Pete Jupin for more information at (717) 397-6921 or deaconpete@stjosephslanc.com.
