Welcome!
We are so thrilled you’re considering deepening your faith in Jesus through the Roman Catholic tradition.

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) process is  for adults who wish to be baptized in the Catholic Church or who have already been baptized in another Christian tradition and who want to become Catholic, or those who have been baptized Catholic but have not celebrated First Communion or Confirmation.

RCIA curriculum consists of an introduction to the stories, rituals, and symbols of the Catholic community. The process invites those preparing for baptism or reception into the church to enter deeper into their faith journey.

The journey to becoming Catholic is a multi-phase journey beginning with Inquiry, where inquirers can casually come and have questions answered and learn more about the Catholic faith. When ready to make a commitment to seriously explore the Catholic faith, a rite is celebrated and the candidate enters the Catechumenate, where he or she commits to worshiping God at Mass, attending the RCIA meetings, and participating in the faith forming activities of the parish. After a sufficient time of formation, when the candidate has embraced the Catholic way of life and has sufficient understanding of the faith and is ready to make a lifelong commitment to being Catholic, another ritual celebrates the final preparation phase for full initiation. The Candidate enters into a period of Purification and Enlightenment, which coincides with the season of Lent. Celebration of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist occurs at the Easter Vigil. Though those already baptized can be received into the Catholic Church at any time they are sufficiently formed and ready to commit. The newly baptized then enter a period of Mystagogia, where they continue to meet and break open the mystery of the sacraments.

Email Fr. Ivan Tou, CSP at rcia@calnewman.org or Fr. Steve Bossi, CSP at sbossi@calnewman.org for more information.