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An article wrote by Bishop David, the Bishop of our Ukrainian Catholic Church in Alberta.
Well, now that I know something about the Catholic faith, how do I become a member of the Catholic Church?
That’s easy! Contact the pastor at the parish that you’ve chosen to make your faith home. He’ll welcome you and get you registered for RCIA – Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults.
RCIA – Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a program by which those wishing to join the Catholic Church are introduced to aspects of Catholic beliefs and practices. You, and others in the class, will be led by the pastor and other members of the parish team over a series of meetings in exploring what is baptism, chrismation, and Eucharist. You will be introduced to the Gospel, prayer, spiritual direction, and catechesis. As a “Catholic in training,” you will participate in the Sunday Divine Liturgy and other liturgical services, as well as join in on parish community activities such as parish dinners, picnics, children and family events, and social justice and charity initiatives. You will learn how to be a Catholic by witnessing Catholics in action. As a future member of the parish, the whole parish community will be there to support you and journey with you.
If you are already baptized as a Christian in another faith community, you will undertake a period of preparation based on the RCIA, the amount of preparation being dependant on your faith formation and individual circumstances. You will then be received into the Catholic Church by a profession of faith or through the reception of the sacraments of Chrismation and Eucharist.
What is baptism?
Through baptism, chrismation, and the Eucharist – or simply baptism – a person is initiated into the Catholic Church. Baptism is the birth to a new life in Jesus Christ. In Jesus, we become heirs of divine life. In baptism, we become members of the Body of Christ that is the community of the faithful and temples of the Holy Spirit.
In the Rite of Baptism, led by the priest, you will be invited to renounce Satan and all works of evil and then join yourself to Christ. You will profess your faith in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit through the Creed of Profession of Faith. You will be anointed with holy oil, then immersed into or sprinkled upon with into the holy waters of baptism while the priest prays, “The servant of God – your name – is baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. You will be given a white garment, your baptismal robe, as an expression of your desire to be clothed with Christ. You will be given a candle to hold, proclaiming before others that Christ lives and acts in you. You will be anointed and sealed by the gift of the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of chrismation. Your baptism will then be sanctified by receiving the Eucharist for the very first time. Your initiation into the Catholic Church and into the Body of Christ is now complete.
But your journey does not end here. It is only beginning. As a new member of the Catholic Church, you will need to grow in your faith by regular attendance at your parish, hearing the Word of God proclaimed and receiving the Eucharist each Sunday, through regular prayer, and by giving testimony to your newfound faith by serving others, in particular, the poor and the needy.
Now, make that call to your pastor!
Blessings on your journey!
How do you Become a Ukrainian Catholic?
Fr. Bo dives into the steps of becoming a Catholic and learning about the various ways to learn more about our faith. In this episode we discuss;
- How do you actually become a Catholic? What are the steps?
- How do you advance your knowledge of the Ukrainian Catholic faith?
- Do you have to be re-baptized as a Roman Catholic when joining the Ukrainian Catholic Church?
- Do adults get baptized and go through an initiation?
- What can you start doing now that you’re a Catholic?
Listen to all our episodes on Spotify here!
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