The Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and Christian Initiation of Children of Catechizable Age (RCICCA)

From the moment of birth, we begin a journey, a pilgrimage of self-discovery. Though each of our paths is unique and distinct, there is much that we have in common. We enter into friendships. We search for someone who is special, who will love us and accept us as we are but allow us to become a stronger and better self. We wait for life to reveal its meaning to us, day by day, experience by experience.

Many of us hunger for "something more"... for experiences which will touch us and help us to believe that there is a reality beyond that which we can touch with our hands and see with our eyes. We hope for experiences which will help us to see with our hearts. We long to be one of those who St. Augustine described when he wrote, "Only those who see the invisible can do the impossible".

For some, this pilgrimage of faith leads to a quest for a community of hope. We search for those who will join us on the journey, who will share their own faith with us as we share ours with them. We look for companions who will help us to believe, even when things grow dark in our lives, and for those who will share our joy when life is good.

When Christians speak of the journey of faith, they use the language of conversion. Conversion is very much like falling in love-- it happens in the moment that you say "yes", the instant that you let someone else become a part of your heart and life. At the same time, it continues and deepens throughout the course of a lifetime. One "yes" to love leads to countless other assents, in situations and predicaments which could never be anticipated when love is new and fresh.