Course details for the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).
2023-2024 session

Here is an outline of topics covered during our RCIA journey.  Keep in mind that this is our planned schedule – if our discussions lead us to explore other interesting facets of the faith, we will definitely explore other topics of your interest.

1. Who was Jesus? (2 sessions)

Episode 1 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “Amazed and Afraid: The Revelation of God Become Man”. 

Watch Video here

Jesus of Nazareth is the central figure of the Christian faith.  He was born into humble circumstances, but his fame grew as he began to teach.  He made many bold claims, like being the “Son of God”.  Was he who he claimed to be, or a liar?  What made him special among the other prophets who came before him?  

We will explore some of Jesus’ claims about himself.  

In the Sacred Scripture, Jesus is referred to as a King.  What kind of a king was Jesus?  He had no worldly riches, no government position of power, no military power.  What did people expect from him?  We will explore the history of the people of Israel to answer this question.  

We will summary the history of our salvation as well.  These events will be recounted during Easter Vigil, where our journey will culminate and Candidates will be received into the church.

2. The heart of Jesus' teachings (2 sessions)

Episode 2 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “Happy Are We: The Teachings of Jesus”

Watch video here…

Jesus’ summed up the heart of His teachings at the beginning of his ministry with one of his most powerful teachings, called “The Beatitudes”The guide to happiness – for all.  Even a guide to peace on earth.  

The key here lies in not what we can achieve, or how much we can acquire, but in our attitude towards these things, and contentment with what we have.  

There is emphasis on the path of non-violence.  We’ve heard his famous teaching “Love your enemies”.   What exactly does this mean for Christians – we will examine real life examples.

Although these are some of Jesus’ most profound teachings, they are the most difficult to live out in practice.

3. Who is God? How do we know God exists? (1 session)

Episode 3 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “That Which Nothing Greater Can Be Thought: The Ineffable Mystery of God”

Watch video here…

What evidence we have of God’s existance?  Philosophers provide some good arguments for this including cause and effect (Contingency):  Everything has a cause and and effect.  We will exhaust the possibility of finding the root causes and finally pinpoint something that exists in itself.  A being that is in its nature “to be”.

Characteristics of God will also be examined – throughout Sacred Scripture, God has been described as Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipotent (all powerful), Omnipresent (is everywhere).

4. What does it look like to live out your faith? (1 session)

Episode 8 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “A Vast Company Of Witnesses: The Communion Of Saints”

Watch video here…

We examine the lives of a few women who hold a special place in the history of our church.  A Saint is someone who led an exceptionally holy life, whose life is marked by virtuous action, and whose life led to lasting fruits of conversion in the lives or others, and in many cases, miracles in the lives of others.

The Church recognizes many of these Holy men and women throughout history so that we can study and draw inspiration from their stories and model our lives after theirs.

5. Saint Mary - Mother of God (1 or 2 sessions)

Episode 4 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “Our Tainted Nature’s Solitary Boast: Mary, The Mother of God”

Download/view notes on this section (updated Nov 1, 2024)

Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus (or more accurately designated as Mother of God by the Catholic Church) hold a special place in the heart of the Church.  The role of Mary in the life of Catholic Christians is examined.  Some common questions people have include:  Why do we call her the “Mother of God”?  What is the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception?  

6. The foundation of the Church - Saints Peter and Paul (1 session)

Episode 5 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “The Indispensable Men: Peter, Paul, and the Missionary Adventure”

We will examine the lives of the two men who are considered the pillars of the church, and their profound experience in their relationship with Jesus Christ. 

Perhaps the most profound quality of these two men is not their virtue, but their imperfection, their flaws.  We can identify with them, and this shows that as imperfect as we are, we are also called to lead the church.  

7. The Mystical Union of Christ and the Church (1 session)

Reference video:  Episode 9 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “The Indispensable Men: Peter, Paul, and the Missionary Adventure”

8. Word Made Flesh, True Bread Of Heaven: The Mystery of The Liturgy and The Eucharist (2 sessions)

The Liturgy is the main form of Catholic worship.  We will watch Episode 7 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “Word Made Flesh, True Bread Of Heaven: The Mystery of The Liturgy and The Eucharist”

Watch video here…

9. The Last Things - Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory (1 session)

The topic of what happens to us after our death both fascinates and frightens many of us.  

The existance of God promises that death is not the end for us.  One of the most well known portrayals of life after death is found in the literary work The Divine Comedy, written by Italian poet Dante (Durante degli Alighieri)

We will look at what the Scripture says about this as well as philosophers in Episode 10 of Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “World Without End: The Last Things”

10. The Apostles Creed. (2-3 sessions)

The Creed is a statement of what Christians believe, a concise summary of the most important points of Christianity.  It is thought to be originally written by one of the early leaders of the church.  

We will examine the 12 “articles” of the faith.  Most of these articles will be familiar at this stage, as they reflect what has already been covered in the previous sessions.

11. Prayer and Meditation. (2 sessions)

The practice of our faith requires us to constantly re-align our attitudes with the heart of God.  We begin to connect to the Divine longing for us and our longing for God.

We will watch Episode 9 in Bishop Barron’s “Catholicism” series:  “The Life of His Love: Prayer and the Life of the Spirit” to gain some insight into how some of the prominent Saints recognized their longing for the Divine made this connection with the Divine love for them.

The most common set prayers will be examined:

    – The Lord’s Prayer

    – The Rosary

12. The Seven Sacraments

What are Sacraments?  Adults being received into the church will receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, otherwise know as the Sacraments of Initiation.

The other four Sacraments of the church (there are seven in total) are:

    – Reconciliation

    – Matrinomy

    – Holy Orders

    – Annointing of the Sick

13. The Lenten Season
Parables of God's Forgiveness (3-4 sessions)

Several important Parables and accounts of Jesus’ ministry tell powerful stories of God’s forgivenss of us:

    – Jesus meets the Samaritan Woman at the well

    – The Prodigal Son

    – Parable of the Lost Sheep

The story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead reflects Jesus’ humanity and profound compassion.  

14. Preparation for the Sacraments of Initation

Final preparation before you make your decision to become a member of the Catholic Church.

15. Praying with the Saints (1-2 sessions)

The Community of the faithful consist of not only our friends, family, children and church leaders, but those have gone home to be with our Lord.  The Church recognizes a vast number of the Faithful who have led exemplary lives of holiness.  

It is encouraged to study the lives of these holy men and women.  You can read about a few here…

16. Mystogogy

This is the period of time after are accepted into full communion with the Church.  Mystagogy is a deepening of faith, getting closer to the mystery of Christ. 
 
You will be invited to join in Parish events – such as helping out hospitality and being part of the community.   Our communal Parish activities is just a limited set of (many) activities that may help further your faith – please feel free to participate in any activity that helps you grow in your faith.