RCIA Ministry - Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Chairperson: Dennis St. Germain

Focus: Help people learn more about our Catholic faith and help adults
prepare to enter the Catholic Church.

RCIA Inquiry Meetings will be held In late August 2008.

All are welcome!

RCIA will begin weekly sessions in early September at the  8 am Mass.

Service Opportunities: Sponsors and core team members, as well as other
opportunities

Time Commitment: Sponsors meet with candidates for 2 hours every Sunday

Prerequisites or training requirements: Practicing Catholic and member of Holy Spirit Catholic Community

RCIA Help Wanted

The RCIA ministry at Holy Spirit is in need of team members for the upcoming Sunday morning sessions.

The Roman Catholic Church is a richly diversified church and our parish mirrors that diversity but our team does not.

We are in need of women who are willing to be part of this small faith group.

We meet most Sunday mornings from 8 am to 10:30 am, September through Easter.  Your commitment only requires that you be available at least once a month.

At our sessions we discuss a faith subject which comes from that weekend's Scripture readings.  We have lots of resources to help team members become effective session leaders.

It is a great opportunity to learn more about your Catholic faith, while growing closer to the Lord with other adults who wish to receive the sacraments for the first time.

For additional information, please contact Dennis St. Germain @ 815-782-8401 or Don Meyer @ 630-904-7974.

Sponsors Needed!

Sponsors needed!!  If interested, contact Dennis St. Germain or call the parish office during business hours.

Calling all non-Catholics...

... with questions about "Why Catholics do That?!"

If you want to learn, please contact the Parish Office at 630-922-0081.

WHAT DOES RCIA MEAN??

RCIA stands for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is the process through which we here at the Holy Spirit Catholic Community welcome non-Catholics who are interested in becoming Catholic into our faith community. 

The beginning part of the process (which is called Inquiry) will focus on your questions, getting to know each other and faith-sharing. The Inquiry phase will go on throughout the year; however, there are several points at which participants (you) can choose to move on to the other stages of the RCIA initiation process.

There are 3 more phases in the RCIA process into which liturgical rites & experiences, catechism segments, prayer, fun, spiritual experiences, mini-retreats and works of charity are woven to create as rich an initiation as imaginable. Throughout the entire process, you'll get to know lots of people from our faith community. 
Some will be your teachers;
Some will pray with and for you; 
Some will party with you; 
Some will share their faith journey with you by serving as your parish sponsor; and 

EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

SCRIPTURE OUT OF THE BOX

Betrayal, denial, torture, death. These are the themes of the passion story we read today. On Palm Sunday, when I was growing up and attending a small protestant church in Iowa, we always read the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday we would also receive little crosses made from palms - this was our entire Lenten experience. In the last twenty years as a Catholic, I have had a very different experience on Palm Sunday. Lent has become a great gift to me and Palm Sunday is a special time to focus on Jesus’ sacrifice, His journey, and our journey through Lent. But this year I think I would like to focus on that triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This year we have all been hurt, we have all been more frightened and angry than we can remember. This is a good year to march past fear, anger, and pain to Easter and the hope, light and life it promises. We all continue to face great challenges in our families, our community and our nation. Fear, anger, and pain are poor weapons against these challenges. These challenges can only be faced and defeated with understanding and love. The real lesson of Palm Sunday is to “love at all costs, even though you die.” The emphatic message of Jesus from the cross is not that we should suffer and die, but that we should show love – no matter what. And love will triumph. Since the beginning of Holy Spirit Catholic Community, we have welcomed a total of 33 adults into our community through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults). In addition, over 100 other members of the community have been involved as sponsors, catechists, or RCIA team members. Palm Sunday marks the end of one part of the journey for these candidates. Easter is on Saturday! Easter actually begins on Saturday night at a special service called the Easter Vigil. This is the service that welcomes adults into the church through Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist since the very beginning of the church. This is also the most powerful liturgy we will celebrate all year! This is a new beginning for 5 of your neighbors and friends; join them as they join you at the table of Jesus! Having spent time with these five people over the last eight months, I can tell you hope and love are alive and well.

Jim Crawford, RCIA