The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults - often referred to as "the catechumenate" or RCIA - is a period of inquiry and study about the Catholic Faith. It takes place in several stages, each celebrated and sanctified by its own rite. This step-by-step approach to initiation is based on the fact that conversion is a gradual process and a lifelong journey.

In the past, the initiation of adults into the Catholic Church was a simple matter, done without much celebration. A person interested in becoming a Catholic would be instructed for anywhere from several weeks to two years by a parish priest. The candidate and the priest would meet in private or in "inquire" classes with other people preparing for Baptism. The text used during this study would be a catechism containing the doctrines of the Faith. Then, in a private ceremony, with only a few people present the candidates would receive the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. Sometimes these adults were confirmed at the same time as the school-aged children. There were no stages of initiation.

The Second Vatican Council called for a renewal in the way adults become Catholics. The Council recognized initiation as a process - a process requiring time and involving the entire Catholic community. Thus the bishops of Vatican II called for a revision of the rite of Baptism for adults and for the restoration of the catechumenate.

In response, the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship promulgated, in 1972, a revised rite entitled "The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults" or RCIA.

Excerpted from Worship and Sacraments - We Celebrate, We Praise by Mary Kathleen Glavich, SND and Loretta Pastva, SND. Copyright © 1992 by Benziger Publishing Company. Used with written permission of Glencoe/McGraw Hill, Woodland Hills, CA. All rights reserved.