Update
All are welcome to the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming at Saint Patrick Catholic Church at the 10:30 A.M. Mass on November 19, 2017. In the months to come, the three Catechumens and three Candidates will be preparing for full initiation into the Catholic faith through Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.
What is the Rite of Acceptance & Welcoming?
The Rite of Acceptance is an ancient Rite that recognizes the Catechumens decision to begin the process of becoming a member of the Catholic Church through Baptism and welcomes the Candidates, those who have been baptized in another faith or baptized Catholic as a child, but never catechized in the Catholic faith, into the process of full communion with the Church.
The First Threshold Rite
It is the first of the “threshold rites” of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), and the first public ritual. In the Rite of Acceptance, a change of identity takes place: those previously known as inquirers become catechumens. They are officially welcomed by the Church as disciples, members (albeit not yet full members) of the household of faith. The text calls this rite “the first consecration by the Church” of those seeking Christian initiation. They are literally marked with the cross of Christ as God’s own.
At the start of Mass, the priest welcomes the Catechumens and Candidates into the Church at the actual church doors and introduces them to the community. After the homily, they are anointed by the priest, and their senses are blessed by their sponsors after which they received a special Celtic cross as a sign of recognition.
Breaking Open the Word
The community will be asked to support the Catechuments and Candidates on their journey. They will be dismissed for the first time to go and break open the words of the Gospel— to discuss what was heard in the readings, what did Jesus mean 2000 years ago and what does the Word mean to us today.
For all of these, we give thanks and praise to God who has led them by various paths to oneness in faithexcerpted from the Rite of Acceptance
The Year of Grace Calendar & the Stages of Formation
Advent begins soon. On December 3rd to be exact. Not only will we be celebrating a new liturgical season, it is also time for new liturgical calendars.
The Year of Grace 2018 calendar by Paul Cainto Balan, helps us to better understand the process for initiating adults into the Christian faith—a process enacted each year in Roman Catholic parishes around the world. The stages of formation and the beautiful liturgical rites described in the document, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, come to life in his vivid illustrations. In the four corners of the calendar are the four stages of the initiation process—in the upper left: scenes from the Period of Inquiry and the Rite of Acceptance, in the upper right: scenes from the Period of the Catechumenate, and in the lower right: scenes from the scrutinies in the Period of Purification and Enlightenment. The Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist), celebrated at the Easter Vigil, are depicted in the center of the calendar. In the lower left, the artist depicts scenes from the initiate’s new life in Christ: receiving the Eucharist and serving in the world.
Meet Our Candidates & Catechumens
