If you or anyone you know are interested in learning about the Catholic Faith with the hope of converting, please email
Mary Sheedy at Msheedy.stedsjuse@gmail.com.

• Are you interested in becoming Catholic or just curious about the Catholic faith?

• Would you like to explore questions about God and the Church?

• Or, are you a baptized adult seeking full initiation through Holy Communion and Confirmation?

If so, RCIA is for you!

RCIA is the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It culminates in full membership in the Church through the Sacraments, but is also an open-ended process of inquiry, learning, and preparation. No commitment is necessary! Come, meet experienced Catholics and other inquirers in a friendly small-group setting, and see where this journey can take you.

If you are interested or know someone who might be, please contact Mary Sheedy at Msheedy.stedsjude@gmail.com t or St. Jude at 508-528-0170.
 
Collaborative RCIA Team
Fr. Steve Zukas
Fr. Gregory Vozzo
Mary Sheedy
Joanne Sano
Bill Hill
Michael Boulos

More About the R.C.I.A. Program

The R.C.I.A. program is a process of conversion to the Catholic Faith.  We welcome all non-Catholics who feel called to study the traditions and teachings of our Faith with the hope of receiving two or all of the sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation) at the Easter Vigil Liturgy.  The process usually takes about ten months, beginning in the fall and ending on or around the Feast of Pentecost.  There is no commitment made in the beginning, we simply invite you to journey with us as we investigate the teachings of our Faith together.  
The stages in the Process of Conversion are:
Inquiry
Inquirers are invited to learn and ask questions about the Catholic Faith:  its traditions, Sacraments and Scripture.  At the conclusion of this period, inquirers celebrate a Rite of Welcoming and/or a Rite of Acceptance, asking to become catechumens or candidates and thus formally requesting membership in the Church.
Catechumenate
During this time catechumens and candidates grow in faith by developing an understanding of Church teachings, through instruction and prayer, both personal and with the faith community.  They participate in the Liturgy of the Word each Sunday, learn about Catholic worship and share their faith with one another.  This period concludes with the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston on the first Sunday of Lent.
Lent
This is a time for reflecting more deeply on our religious experience and our faith.  Catechumens and candidates receive the Nicene Creed and the Our Father and are invited to pray them attentively.  This period continues to the Easter Vigil with the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation.
Mystagogy
This final period of R.C.I.A. centers on the full participation at Sunday Mass for all who were received into the Church at the Easter Vigil.  With the rest of the faith community, the newly initiated focus on developing a deeper understanding of the Paschal mystery, praying and living the Gospel in their daily lives and participating in the evangelical ministry of the Church.