RCIA is for those who wish to enter into full communion with the Catholic faith. Instruction for RCIA begins each year in September, meets once a week and continues through the year until the Easter Vigil.
Sessions are for unbaptized adults and baptized non-Catholics who wish to inquire about certain aspects of the faith, learn more about the Catholic Church, her practices and history and/or seek full membership. Active Catholics who wish to renew, to deepen, or to share their faith are cordially invited as well.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) is open for your questions, reflection, and searching!
Classes will take place IN PERSON!
LOCATION:
Church Address: 4001 Yuma St NW Wash., DC 20016
Directions: Enter at the door one door to the right of the rectory (numbered door with stairs) on Yuma Street, one door to the left of the handicapped ramp entrance.
Classes are on Mondays at 6:30pm,
September 18-April 8*
*You receive your sacraments at the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 30. Monday, April 8 is a "debrief" final meeting for the class.
Dates OFF - No Class:
Columbus Day, October 9
Thanksgiving Monday, November 27
Christmas Break, December 18-January 1
MLK Day, January 15
President's Day, February 19
Spring Break, March 11
Easter Monday, April 1
Please contact the Pastor for an initial interview!
The RCIA program meetings are held on a weekly basis beginning on Monday, September 18 at 6:30pm, and ending no later than 8:00pm. The program will culminate with the Easter Vigil on Saturday, March 30, 2024 at St. Ann's Church.
This program is an introduction to the Catholic faith and we will use a fundamental approach to faith formation. Our focus will be on the Creed (i.e. the central doctrine of the Catholic Church) and preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation). Meetings will be facilitated by pastor Msgr. Watkins, other priests and seminarians from the St. John Society.
Catechumens (unbaptized adults) and candidates (baptized non-Catholics or Catholics seeking full initiation through receiving the sacraments of Confirmation or Eucharist) participating in the RCIA program are to identify a sponsor (an adult Catholic in good standing) to accompany them on the journey of faith formation. Sponsors are encouraged to attend the RCIA meetings.
Materials we will be using in the program are the following: Bishop Robert Barron's video series entitled Catholicism and the Catechism of the Catholic Church (available at any Catholic bookstore).
We will provide for you, as a part of class, the below-linked Supplemental Resource (here is the free digital download of this book for reference!):
Meetings will include lecture, video presentation and discussion. Please ask any question you have; this is a safe space.
There is no commitment to complete the RCIA program.
Class absences at times are expected and do not need to be reported to the teachers. We simply ask that you are actively engaged and attend most of the sessions.
That said, if we do not see you for a couple of weeks, expect us to reach out! We don't want you to miss too much formational information! We hope to see all of you continue through the class until the Easter Vigil, but if you decide to not continue with the class, please tell us so that we can remove you from the email and take the other necessary steps.