Throughout the year, we present an article in the bulletin each week on a variety of topics, written by a member of our Parish staff or ministries on a rotating basis.

Growing In Faith

by Ruth Pera, Faith Formation Coordinator

RCIA by any other name…

Many of you have come to know of the RCIA process – the process through which adults join our Catholic faith. RCIA, or the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, provides space for people to gather for prayer and learning, no matter where they are in their Christian journey. Specifically, RCIA provides formation for those who have never been baptized, those who were baptized in another Christian tradition and woud like to join our Catholic faith, and those who were baptized Catholic, but might not have completed the initiation Sacraments of Eucharist or Confirmation.

Well, the Church has done what most of us do in our work, which is to look at what we are currently doing and ask, “Is there a way we can make this better?” Within the last year, there was a revision of the text of the prayers used in the Rites of Initiation, and now the acronym RCIA no longer reflects the name of that initiation rite. Rather than continuing to use an out-of-date acronym, or jumping to a different set of letters, we have decided to re-name our discernment and learning community at St. Margaret’s Becoming Catholic.

As before, the Becoming Catholic community will welcome individuals at all stages of their faith journey. In addition to all those I mentioned earlier, we also encourage any Catholics in need of renewal to join us for prayer, learning, and fellowship. 

If you or someone you know is interested in Becoming Catholic, please reach out to me or Father John. We’d love to talk about where you are at and what you are looking and hoping for as you approach Catholic initiation. 

Over the next two Sundays – Sept. 1, and Sept. 8 at the Mass in the Grass – our Becoming Catholic team will be around following the 10 a.m. Masses to answer questions or dialogue with anyone interested in being part of the community this year. Please, look for our nametags and come join us! We will begin our formal community gatherings on Sunday, September 15 following the 10 a.m. Mass in the Canmore Meeting Room. We hope to see you soon!