R.C.I.A. is an acronym for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults..It is the usual means by which an unbaptized individual from another Christian faith tradition enters the Catholic Church through the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.  And better yet:

• It's a time to answer the call of Jesus to be his disciple
   
• It's a time to let ourselves be led by the Holy Spirit
   
• It's a time to tell your stories of faith
   
• It's a time to have your questions answered
   
• It's a time to make lifelong friends who make this pilgrimage of faith with you.

So, if you are interested in becoming Catholic; if you are married to a Catholic spouse and want to know more; if you are Catholic and want to learn more about the faith you profess; if you are Catholic and have not been fully initiated in the the Church through Confirmation; if you are just curious:

THEN YOU  ARE WELCOME AND INVITED TO JOIN US!

Questions? Contact the RCIA team at danmar614@roadrunner.com or call the Parish Office at 502.863.3404

1. Above all else, we love Jesus.  As Catholics, Jesus is the ultimate reason for living.  He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is both the source and summit of all we believe.
2. We love the Bible.  The Catholic Church is immersed in God’s Word. Our highest form of prayer, the sacred celebration which we call the Mass, is nothing more (and nothing less) than the retelling of salvation history through the words of Sacred Scripture.
3. A lot of good things get done when we work in faith. The Catholic Church feeds more people, clothes more people, shelters more people, educates more people, provides more medical care, than any organization on the face of the earth. We do this because we know that we encounter Jesus Himself when we serve others, especially the poor.
4. We don’t always live up to our high calling.  Catholics acknowledge this indisputable fact: we are all sinners. And we embrace the remedy: the saving power of our Lord, Jesus. We realize that a Catholic Church is not a museum for saints, it is a hospital for sinners.
5. Worship is reserved for the Holy Trinity alone, but we think that Mary, the mother of Jesus, is really something special.  Contrary to a popular misconception, Catholics do not worship Mary. We do, however, extend to her enormous reverence and affection. One of the 10 commandments reads: Honor your mother and your father. Mary is the only human being that God, in the person of His Son, Jesus, could be enjoined to honor.
6. The Catholic Church offers clear, consistent, authoritative teaching. Jesus promised that His Holy Spirit would be with the Church till the end of the world. And He keeps that promise through the roles that bishops play as the successors of the Twelve Apostles. Catholics believe that this authority is given in a unique and special way to the Bishop of Rome, that man we call the Pope.
7. Jesus is with us in a most extraordinary way, through the sacraments. Catholics believe that the physical world mediates the spiritual realm. Thus, grace is flooded upon us through the seven sacraments. We see, hear, taste, touch and smell. God made us that way. We personally and intimately experience the presence of God that complements the way we experience Him in prayer, in the presence of others, in Divine Revelation. This is especially seen in the Eucharist, an encounter with the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus in the form of bread and wine.
8. Catholic worship transcends space and time.   While Jesus died and rose from the grave just once for our sins, the holy sacrifice of the Mass allows us to reconnect with all the events of salvation history – the fall of Adam and Eve, the Passover, Christ’s birth, the Last Supper, the  Crucifixion,  His glorious resurrection and His sitting at the right hand of the Father. Prayer services are great. Sermons can inspire. But it is only in the Mass that we can fulfill Our Lord’s command: Do this in memory of me.
9. Catholics want to build a civilization of love.  The Catholic Church admires Baptists and their unflinching commitment to Christ. We respect the Episcopal Church and the beauty and reverence they demonstrate in worship. We honor the Evangelical impulse to spread the Gospel. We love Methodists for their quest for holiness and Pentecostals for their incandescent enthusiasm. People of good will come in all shapes and sizes, all colors, many different denominations. The Catholic Church loves them all
10. We’d love to have you visit…..and perhaps even stay awhile.  Our house is your house and we would like nothing more than you to come and visit us. We’d love to share with you. A cup of coffee, maybe, but certainly the Catholic story of God’s love and God’s grace. Give us a call.

 
If you know someone who is interested in or if you would like more information about how to become a Roman Catholic, please contact:

Parish office at 863-3404 or    
Dan Elliott at danmar614@roadrunner.com