The End of the Journey

This is the last “Journey through RCIA” blog. Please keep this writer and everyone who is preparing to enter the church this week in your prayers. Thank you for reading……   RCIA – The End of the Journey This week marks the last week in the RCIA process. It is Holy Week, and at the…

A Journey through RCIA

2nd Scrutiny of the Elect – 4th Sunday in Lent This past Sunday was the rite known as the 2nd Scrutiny of the Elect (those who are unbaptized, seeking baptism and entry into the church). As I am baptized, I was not up in front of the congregation; however, we are all still participants in…

A Journey through RCIA – Purification and Enlightenment

Purification and Enlightenment: The Penitential Rite- This next phase of my journey is called Purification and Enlightenment. It is meant to be a time of less instruction and catechism study. Instead it is a time to become more spiritually focused. It is a time of self-examination and reflection to allow one to become ready to…

A Journey through RCIA

RCIA: The Rites of Sending/Election/Continuing Conversion This week was focused around the rites to be celebrated by those in the program. Those who are unbaptized celebrated the rites of Sending and of Election. Those who are baptized celebrated the rites of Sending and of Continuing Conversion. Having already been baptized in a prior christian faith…

A Journey through RCIA – Catholic Morality

RCIA Catholic Morality This week’s class was on the many facets that make up the Catholic moral life. The following is a brief description of morality based on a talk given by a guest speaker this last week. In modern times, it can be tough to discern what a moral choice looks like. My own…

A Journey through RCIA –

Christian Morality: Virtues, Sin, and Grace Virtues In today’s modern culture, virtue is seen more as a weakness or as something to be mocked. Television, movies, music, books et. al. seem to be most popular when they are promoting immorality. As a Christian, in the so-called “Buckle of the Bible Belt” I can be very…

Journey through RCIA

RCIA- The Sacraments of Service: Holy Orders & Matrimony In my life-time, the subjects of marriage and commitment to a cause, especially one akin to Holy Orders have been questioned, degraded, and in general made to look like a type of bondage and “old fashioned”. Even among fellow believers in Christ, it has become a…

Journey Through RCIA – Sacraments of Healing

For a non-Catholic learning how to see the world and Christianity as a Catholic, the term “sacrament” can be a large ominous hurdle. My own struggle with it came from an ignorance of what the Catholic Church meant by sacrament. The term sacrament means “outward signs of inward grace, instituted by Christ for our sanctification”.…

A Journey through RCIA – The Sacraments and Rights

RCIA – The Sacraments and Rights. In today’s culture, it can be hard to fully grasp what it means to say something is sacred. After all, the trend for the last several decades is to tear down anything sacred. Yet, if I am being honest with myself, I crave the idea that some things are…

RCIA Blog- My First Christmas Season

RCIA – My First Christmas Season Before now, I had thought I was revering Christmas. Each year in my childhood, my mother and father took turns reading the Christmas story from one of the gospels. They also made sure we watched King of Kings, Ben Hur, and The Ten Commandments during the month of December…