Dear Parishioners,

At any parish, RCIA is a very important ministry for others who are seeking to develop their spiritual life with Jesus, through the catholic church. IHM has always had a trained lay catechist to assist this ministry of others’ conversion.

There are specific codes in Canon Law that a parish follows. Here they are:
Can. 788 §1 Those who have expressed the wish to embrace faith in Christ, and who have completed the period of their preliminary catechumenate, are to be admitted to the catechumenate proper in a liturgical ceremony; and their names are to be inscribed in the book which is kept for this purpose.

§2 By formation and their first steps in Christian living, catechumens are to be initiated into the mysteries of salvation, and introduced into the life of faith, liturgy and charity of the people of God, as well as into the apostolate.

§3 It is the responsibility of the Episcopal Conference to establish norms concerning the arrangement of the catechumenate, determining what should be done by catechumens and what should be their prerogatives.

Can. 789 By means of appropriate formation, neophytes are to be led to a deeper knowledge of the Gospel truths, and to the fulfilment of the duties undertaken in baptism. They are also to be imbued with a sincere love of Christ and his Church.

In the old days, parishes had 12 “CONVERT CLASSES” led by the priests. When Vatican II happened, it was revealed that the RCIA process should imitate most clearly what occurred in the early church. There were four stages for conversion:
·Period of Inquiry
·Period of the Catechumenate
·Period of Purification and Enlightenment
·Period of Mystagogy

Please be aware of my important need to search for the right person to hire and help IHM and this very important ministry.

Today there are several adults and young children (children over the age of reason are considered “adults” in RCIA because they can make a choice for themselves concerning conversion) that have come forward in the past several months desiring a spiritual conversion to Catholicism.

Pray for them to not lose heart and pray that the right trained person comes along for me to hire for a Faith Formation Director or Pastoral Associate.

Many blessings,
Father Jim