A parishioner received ashes from Bishop Larry Silva during Ash Wednesday Mass, marking the start of Lent, at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in downtown Honolulu last month. Hawaii’s 241 catechumens will end their Lenten journeys by receiving the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil. (Hawaii Catholic Herald / Jennifer Rector)
By Jennifer Rector
Hawaii Catholic Herald
Easter is right around the corner, and many thousands of people across the country are awaiting the day with anticipation to enter the Catholic Church. That includes 241 catechumens in the Diocese of Honolulu who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil.
Each one of them prepares for the big day through their parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA.
According to the diocese, the rite of Christian initiation is based on the principle that the process of conversion proceeds gradually, in stages.
Put in a simpler manner, Father Alfred Guerrero, the head of the Office of Worship for the diocese which includes RCIA, said that the process has to do with one’s relationship with God.
“That relationship develops over time. As one comes to know God more deeply and the desire to live in accordance with God’s will, one discerns to join the community of faith through initiation,” he said.
“Sometimes, discernment might lead one to delay the reception of the sacraments of initiation to an undetermined time. That is why we need to see the RCIA as a process and not a program,” he said.
RCIA can look different from one parish to the next, including when it can be offered throughout the year. But overall, Father Guerrero said it encompasses prayer, faith sharing and catechesis on a topic.
The idea is for RCIA to be year-round, but “that is not the reality for many parishes,” he said.
“Most parishes still schedule the RCIA process around the school year, fall to spring. The hope would be that parishes adopt a year-round process with people at different stages.”
RCIA is for those who are unbaptized and for baptized but previously uncatechized adults.
“Uncatechized adults seeking to complete initiation and those baptized Christians from another tradition seeking to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church should join the RCIA,” said Father Guerrero.
People who are baptized Catholic but did not have a religious upbringing may also attend RCIA.
For people who are not baptized, RCIA culminates in all the sacraments of initiation — baptism, First Eucharist and confirmation — during the Easter Vigil.
Parishioners might have noticed that some parishes have begun to use the term OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) instead of RCIA. This stems from a decision made in 2021 by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Father Guerrero said the USCCB approved the change “to match more closely to the Latin original or ‘typical edition’” of ritual books.
He said that several ritual books have already been revised, including “Order of Baptism of Children,” “Order of Celebrating Matrimony,” “Order of Confirmation” and “Order of Penance.”
“The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the latest ritual book to go through revision,” said Father Guerrero.
The Vatican will need to approve the translation. Once that’s done, a new document titled “Order of Christian Initiation of Adults” will be printed and “first-use” and “must-use” dates will be established, according to Father Guerrero.
The USCCB said the new name fits more closely with the process becoming a lifelong journey instead of a one-day event, which aligns with the spiritual journey we are all called to as Catholics.
“The final period of Christian initiation is the period of postbaptismal catechesis or mystagogy,” said Father Guerrero.
This period is defined in the current order as “a time for the community and the neophytes together to grow in deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and in making it part of their lives through mediation on the Gospel, sharing in the eucharist, and doing the works of charity.”
“In a sense all of us are in this period,” Father Guerrero said. “Faith formation should be a lifelong process as we journey toward God.”
People interested in learning more about RCIA can contact their local parish or go to the Diocese of Honolulu’s website at catholichawaii.org.
