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Sunday Evenings at 7:30 p.m.
Welcome to RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation
for Adults, at the Newman Catholic Student Center. RCIA is the process of
becoming a Catholic, a restoration of the ancient process by which adults
entered into full communion with the Catholic Church.
We believe that your decision to look into RCIA is your response to an
invitation from Jesus. If your heart and mind are open, the Lord will help you
to know Him better and to grow in knowledge of His Church. Our prayer is that
you will find in the Church a spiritual home, a place to grow in God’s grace.
Please know that it is normal to have questions and doubts, and we hope that you
will feel comfortable sharing these with the group. You can be sure that if
there’s something you don’t understand or are wondering about, you are not
alone!
The community of Christ the Teacher parish is thankful for your presence among
us. You bear witness to our own faith journeys, and we are walking with you.
Here are some important items of information:
Gatherings: We will meet each Sunday at 7:30 and attend 9 p.m. Mass
after our gathering. Beginning Week 5, when the Inquiry period concludes, RCIA
will be dismissed from Mass as a group immediately following the Liturgy of the
Word, and we will gather in the Hoffman Room while Mass continues without us.
This practice parallels that of the early Church, when only those fully
initiated were allowed to be present during Communion. RCIA will conclude at 10
p.m.
Documents: For those baptized in the Catholic Church or in another
faith tradition, we will need a copy of your baptism certificate. If you write
or call the church at which you were baptized, they will send you a copy.
Cost: There is a $10 charge to cover the purchase of This is Our
Faith, (an abridged version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church) plus the
other materials we’ll be giving you, including several Catholic Updates. This is
the only fee that will be asked of you during the entire RCIA process.
Rites: The RCIA process is public, not private, for two reasons: so
that the community can support and celebrate with you at the various stages of
your initiation, and so that you can bear witness to the Catholic community.
Your presence among us at the Rites reminds us (from the cradle Catholic to the
newly initiated) of our own identity and why we come to Mass! The four public
Rites are as follows:
The Rite of Welcoming, the Rite of Sending, and the Rite of Scrutiny take place
at Newman during the 9 p.m Mass.
The Rite of Election takes place at St. Peter’s Cathedral in Rockford on the
first Sunday of Lent, when the catechumens will travel together to the cathedral
to join all the other RCIA catechumens in the diocese for a special celebration
with Bishop Doran.
Easter Vigil – April 11, 2008: Once you’ve completed the RCIA process,
you will receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. Plan
to be at Newman with your sponsor for a full day on Holy Saturday before the
Mass begins at 7:30 p.m.
RCIA 2008-2009 Sunday Schedule
Period of Inquiry: The first stage of
RCIA is a time of unhurried reflection and discovery, when you begin to search
out God’s call to enter more fully into the life of the Church, before deciding
to enter into the process leading to full initiation.
Sun Sep 28: Background Sharing, The Faith Journey
Sun Oct 5: Who is God? Where is God? Catholic Identity and Sacramentality
Sun Oct 12: Who is Jesus?
Sun Oct 19: Church Tour; A Walk Through the Mass; Practice for Rite of
Welcoming
Sun Oct 26: Understanding The Church: Scripture, Tradition, and the
Magesterium; Rite of Welcoming at 9 p.m. Mass (Dismissals begin)
Catechumenate Period: The Catechumenate Period begins with the Rite
of Welcoming at which you declare your intent to be received into full communion
with the Church. In this stage of RCIA, catechumens and candidates are brought
to maturity in the faith through study, prayer, and witness to the Christian
life.
Sun Nov 2: Mary and the Saints
Sun Nov 9: Who Can Be Saved? Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, End Times
Sun Nov 16: Prayer in the Catholic Tradition
Sun Nov 23: The Liturgical Year; Advent
Sun Nov 30: Intro to the Sacraments
Period of Purification and Enlightenment: During the weeks before
Easter we prepare ourselves for the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord
through fasting, prayer, and charity. It is a time of focused preparation to
receive the sacraments.
Sun Jan 25: Baptism and Confirmation
Sun Feb 1: Eucharist
Sun Feb 8: Holy Orders and Marriage
Sun Feb 15: Reconciliation and Anointing; Practice for Rite of Sending
Sun Feb 22: Lent; Rite of Sending at 9 p.m. Mass
Sun Mar 1: Rite of Election in Rockford at 3 p.m. (no evening class)
Sun Mar 8: Spring Break ; no class
Sun Mar 15: Church History; Practice for Rite of Scrutiny
Sun Mar 22: Sin and Catholic Morality; Rite of Scrutiny at 9 p.m. Mass
Sun Mar 29: Confessions
Sun Apr 5: The Paschal Mystery
Saturday Apr 11:
9 a.m. Prayer and Reflection
10:30 Rehearsal for Mass
12:30 Lunch
6:30 Pictures and Early Seating
7:10 Line up for Procession
7:30 Easter Vigil Mass
10 p.m. Reception
Sun Apr 19: Mystagogy; Receive Certificates
+ + +
Please feel free to contact any of the Newman staff
members with questions or concerns at any time in the RCIA process. Office
phone: 1-815-787-7770.
Fr. Addison –
frahart@newmanniu.org
Fr. Godwin –
gasuquo@rockforddiocese.com
Msgr. Nelson -
msgrnelson@newmanniu.org
Deacon Jim – jjd10634@aol.com
Maria Alderson –
mariaalderson@comcast.net
Randy Culver –
randyculver@hotmail.com
Katherine Hageland -
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