Rite of Christian Initiation

Each parish takes on the role of preparing those to be received into the Church with the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. On the first Sunday of Lent, the diocese welcomes those on the path to full communion with the Catholic Church through the Rite of Initiation. The Office of Divine Worship is responsible for collecting and organizing the ceremony of Initiation at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Rockford. Pastors and Directors of the RCIA process will find below the material(s) they will need for the Rite of Acceptance and permission letters to the Bishop for Candidates to be Confirmed at the Easter Vigil.

DEFINITIONS: What is the difference between a candidate and a catechumen? The following are definitions of some of the words and titles commonly used during Christian Initiation.

Candidate: A person who is already validly baptized in another Christian faith and is now preparing to be received into the Full Communion with the Catholic Church.  Normally candidates, if not already validly confirmed, are confirmed before they receive Holy Communion for the first time in the Catholic Church.

Catechumen: A person who is not baptized and is preparing for full initiation through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.

Elect: The name given those catechumens who have celebrated the Rite of Election on the First Sunday of Lent and are called to the Easter Sacraments of Initiation.  The Elect-catechumens are called to celebrate these Sacraments at the next Easter Vigil.

Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA): The Liturgical Rite of the Roman Catholic Church which contains the rituals and norms by which people, both un-baptized and baptized, are brought into the fullness of sacramental life in the Church. The first part of the RCIA deals with the un-baptized and the second part of the RCIA deals with those who are already baptized.  The term is used in a general sense to refer to the formational and liturgical process of entering the Catholic Church.