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What are you doing to form your faith as an Adult Catholic? (more)

Question: If I want to inquire into the Catholic Faith without any further obligation or if I want to start the process to becoming Catholic, what should I do? Answer: Please give our parish Director of Adult Formation a call . His name is Shaun Terry, and he may be reached anytime on his cell at (979) 203-4204.

The Reason One Should Become "Catholic". . .
God exists. Jesus Christ is God. Jesus established and continues to build the Catholic Church upon the rock of St. Peter through Peter's successor, the pope. He does this so that you may have the sure guarantee of truth with regard to God and how to live this life and so that you may be saved from your sin by the free gift of grace and live forever, eternally, in communion with God, the saints, and the angels.

Throughout the history of humanity, God has formed a family to himself. Through successive stages, this family grew in size from a small family with Adam and Eve to the kingdom of Israel. With the advent of Jesus in the 1st century, God expanded his family to include all nations, without exception. The word Catholic means "universal" and expresses this universality of God's family. For just under 2,000 years, the Catholic church has grown in size and shape, and its bishops alone hold authentic apostolic succession to the very apostles Jesus sent forth and commissioned and remain in unity with the pope, the successor of St. Peter the Apostle. Today, Jesus calls all of humanity to find its home in his loving family, where man finds his ultimate happiness and authentic destiny.

The Catholic faith is reasonable. Many converts have entered her doors throughout the centuries with distinguishable backgrounds. Great philosophers, scientists, and other thinkers such as John Henry Cardinal Newman and Dietrich Von Hildebrand are among their number. The Catholic Faith is full of miracles, which help to verify its truthfulness. From the incorrupt bodies of saints such as St. Bernadette to miracles of the Eucharist such as the famous Lanciano miracle, as well as Marian apparitions, these supernatural events help us embrace the Faith God established through his only beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

No matter who you are or what your background is, you are personally invited to this worldwide family of faith. Our doors are always open to you, and we invite you to come and see for yourself, to decide whether the claims of the Catholic Church are true.

To learn more about the ministry our parish provides to those inquring into our 2,000 year old Faith, please continue to read on...

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Saint Mary's offers a full program called R.C.I.A., which is a short abbreviation for "The Rite of Christian Initation of Adults." This is an incredible process that gives people an opportunity to receive a progressive and systematic education in the Catholic Christian faith and life. This program includes an opportunity to fellowship with other Christians, a deep introduction to the Bible and an education in prayer.

This integral process, known as R.C.I.A., is specifically designed to serve those who are not Catholic and desire to learn about the Catholic faith in a warm and friendly atmosphere, free of any form of coercive pressure. It is for both Christians who are not Catholic and for those who have not yet become Christian. Catholics who wish to learn more about their own faith are invited to attend and audit the R.C.I.A. process to grow in their own faith.

During the process, there will be an opportunity for those who are not Catholic to make steps towards coming into communion with the Catholic Church, should they desire to do so. There is no pressure to become a Catholic Christian, and this is stressed throughout the R.C.I.A. Rather, participants are given the free choice to continue learning without any required personal commitment.

The Structure of the R.C.I.A.
The Rite of Christian Initation of Adults is structured around several rites. A rite is a word we use to designate a formal ceremony that is centered upon prayer. At first glance, the R.C.I.A. process and its various terms may seem confusing, but a simple review of the structure and terms easily dispells this immediate confusion. The reason we use these terms and refrain from using more familiar ones is because the same terms are used by Catholics throughout the world. No matter where you are (e.g. Australia, Sri Lanka, Japan, etc.), the same terms mean the same things. On this particular webpage, we have provided the reader with a simple and clear presentation of the structure and terms of the R.C.I.A. process.

The First Period: Inquiry

The first phase of R.C.I.A. is that of Inquiry, whereby participants are freely given the opportunity to submit honest and forthright questions regarding the Catholic Faith, which we believe to be the fullness of the Christian faith as it has been handed down to us by the successors of the first Apostles who learned at the feet of Jesus. This stage is one of questioning and receiving reasonable and Biblical answers. Those who begin R.C.I.A. are identified as Inquirers; one may remain an Inquirer for as long as one wishes throughout the R.C.I.A. process. Anyone in the Brenham area is invited to come to our regularly scheduled R.C.I.A. meetings as an inquirer. You will not be asked to stand up and will not be singled out. You will have the freedom to take your seat and observe the presentations given.

The Second Period: Catechumenate

Those who are not Catholic and wish to begin the process of coming into communion with the Church undergo a specific rite. These rites are scheduled at various times throughout the calendar year and are offered freely to those who desire to enter into a formal relationship with the Church. To enter the Catechumenate - a word meaning "time of learning" - a baptized Christian undergoes the Rite of Welcoming and becomes a Candidates for Full Communion. This means that the Catholic Church officially welcomes our Christian brothers and sisters and accepts them as potentially coming into full communion with the Catholic Church. Those who have not been baptized (who have yet to become Christian) undergo a different rite known as the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens and become Catechumens (a word meaning "someone who is learning").

The Catechumenate is a time when a planned out presentation of the Catholic Christian Faith is delivered during regularly scheduled weekly sessions. This teaching is wholly Biblical and faithful to the Christian Tradition as passed down to us from the Apostles and maintained by the bishops who succeed them in office. The opportunity to submit questions always exists, and we answer every question submitted as honestly and forthrightly as possible. The teaching is not just "head knowledge," but changes our lives. The Christian Faith is presented in a way that is meaningful to our lives here and now because our faith gives meaning to everything we are and do as men and women striving to follow God and his plan for our lives.

The Third Period: Purification and Enlightenment

During the season of Lent (a word that means "springtime"), which spans the forty days before Easter Sunday, those who have been learning about the Faith in the Catechumenate are presented with the awesome opportunity to reflect deeply upon the personal sin in their lives and discern ways to grow in personal holiness, especially through a personal relationship with Jesus by means of prayer. This time is set aside specifically to grow in one's relationship with Jesus.

This period is known as Purification and Enlightenment and begins with the Rite of Election for the Catechumens (those who have not been baptized yet). This rite is called "election" because this word means "chosen." Those who have not been baptized are chosen by God to be baptized as a Christian disciple at Easter. After the Rite of Election, the Catechumens are thereafter called the Elect and are no longer referred to as Catechumens. This is because the "time of learning" is over with and the primary focus has changed from learning the faith per se to how to live as a Christian disciple.

At this same time, the Candidates for Full Communion undergo the Rite of the Call to Continuing Conversion in order to enter the period of Purification and Enlightenment. Since these individuals are already Christians by virtue of their baptism, the Church calls these men and women to continue in their personal conversion, to renounce sin and choose the holy life Jesus calls us to live out. The same calling is given to all Catholics during Lent as the whole Church strives to become more like her Saviour, who is Jesus Christ.

The Fourth and Final Period: Mystagogy and the Neophyte Year

At Easter, the final period of R.C.I.A. occurs. On Easter Sunday, the Elect are given the three sacraments of Christian Initation: (1) Holy Baptism, (2) Confirmation, and (3) First Communion. Thereupon, the Elect, by virtue of the new life they have received in the sacrament of baptism, are now called Neophytes, which is a word that means "new creation" or "new being" (Neo means "new" & Physis means "being").

At the same time, the Candidates for Full Communion are received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. They are formally welcomed as Catholics by the bishop or the pastor representing the bishop and receive the second two of the three sacraments of initation: (1) Confirmation and (2) First Communion.

Mystagogy (which sounds like "Mist-ah-go-jee") is the time of instruction that begins on Easter Sunday and continues through the eight weeks of the Easter Season until Pentecost Sunday. This word means "study of the mysteries" which refers to the sacraments received at Easter (Holy Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion) and the mysteries these sacraments have allowed the recipients to participate in, really and truly. These realities are the saving events of Jesus Christ's Life, Suffering, Death, Bodily Resurrection, and Ascension into Heaven. During these eight weeks, we enter into a deeper reflection of each of the sacraments and what they mean for the Christian's life.

The time spanning one year beginning with Easter Sunday is known as the Neophyte Year. This is a special time wherein the Church carefully nurtures those who were received into her bosom at Easter with special prayer and care so that the grace of God is not received in vain and that the good work begun by and through God's grace may be brought to its completion.

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