If you answered yes, to any of these questions, we invite you to look deeper into the faith experience of the Catholic Church through a process called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or RCIA. This program is also adapted for older children (RCIC). For adults over the age of 18, RCIA is typically a two-year long process in which one engages with a group of other believers as they break open the Scriptures, and understand how Christ has spoken through them, and what the demands are of the Christian faith.
When a person is prepared to receive the Sacrament of Baptism, they will receive it together with the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Christ. If they have already been baptized into the Catholic faith or in another Christian denomination recognized by the Catholic Church, they would then receive together the Sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.
For older children not above the age of 18 years, they can participate in RCIA adapted for children which is typically a several years-long process by which the child learns about the faith. When the child is able to make a mature decision to embrace the Christian faith and live as a Catholic, the child is baptized, and then receives Confirmation and Holy Communion. We also offer Confirmation classes for older children who have been baptized and who have received their First Holy Communion.
If you are interested in joining this special journey of faith, contact:
Denise DeRosa @ the Office of Faith Formation: [email protected] / 718-461-9840.