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 -