Rite of Christian Initiation for Children (RCIC)
RCIC (Rite of Christian Initiation of Children) is for children between the Ages of 7and 14, and who have completed 2nd grade, whether baptized or unbaptized. Children preparing to receive the Sacraments they have missed since Baptism, or to join the Catholic Church through Baptism, will attend RCIC classes on a regular basis beginning in September and continuing through the Easter Season, with holiday breaks. Each family comes into the RCIC program with different needs. The children will be of various ages and have had different levels of previous instruction. Children will fill out an Intake Questionnaire prior to the first class, which will give me an idea of what they already know or do not know about Jesus, and the Catholic Faith. Taking into consideration the children’s ages and levels of maturity, my goal is to provide a basic understanding of what it means to know and love God, and how to live out their lives within His guidelines. They will learn about what it means to become a Catholic Christian. The RCIC program enables children to enter into a relationship with God and share in the life of their identity as Children of God. The importance of weekly Mass will be stressed and understanding the parts of the Mass and how to use the Holy Bible will be covered early in the curriculum.
The RCIC team not only includes the teacher and the children but the parents, and/ or guardians. Please be sure that your child attends class on a regular basis, reviews his or her class materials at home, learns prayers, becomes familiar with the Bible, and experiences a Catholic environment in the home. If your child misses a class it will be your responsibility to review that material at home so when the child returns to the next class he or she will not be behind. The classes are structured so that each lesson leads to the next lesson. Parent involvement is very important and the class is designed for parent participation encouraging family catechesis.
Every child will need a Sponsor. The sponsor will be someone other than a parent, who will support the child in his or her Catholic Journey. The sponsor must be a Baptized and Confirmed Catholic, who is over the age of 16, and is in good standing with the Catholic Church. The sponsor will fill out a sponsor registration form.
The journey of faith will be celebrated during the beautiful Easter Season as follows: Children in the RCIC and adults in the RCIA who HAVE NOT BEEN BAPTISED CATHOLIC will receive the Sacraments of Initiation, which are: Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist, at the Easter Vigil.
