RCIC for Unbaptized Children

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Children-RCIC process adopts an initiation model to prepare children of catechetical age to be initiated into the Catholic Church. The process involves the entire family and culminates in the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. Please find your registration form here.

If you are interested in having your children become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church, please contact Michael Garibaldi in the parish office for an interview and registration packet. He can be reached by phone at 602-867-9171 x311 or by email.

Classes will be held each Tuesday evening at 4:30pm, beginning September 15, 2015. The RCIC process, as it is similar to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, mirrors the adult catechumenate in structure, scope and rigor; however, the content is more suited to a the capacities of a younger participant. RCIC is a three-year process that prepares and initiates children into the Catholic Church through the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion. RCIC is marked by the seven distinct stages detailed below.

Step 1: Contact Michael Garibaldi at 602-867-9171 x311 or email him for an appointment.

Step 2: The first year of RCIC is called the Inquiry phase and it is during this time that the child and his family begin to encounter the person of Jesus Christ in an intimate way; establishing a relationship with Him that will hopefully last a lifetime. Inquiry is also a time to ask questions, to receive the good news of Jesus Christ, and open the way for spiritual growth.

Step 3: At the Rite of Acceptance, those who are ready may enter into a deeper relationship with the Church and begin their formal preparation for the sacraments of initiation within the Catechumenate.

Step 4: If it is true that we cannot properly love whom we do not know, the Catechumenate, as a period of intensive learning, helps us to come to know Christ more intimately by way of a more systematic and rigorous understanding of the Deposit of Faith. This period can be between one and two years, depending upon your child’s spiritual growth.

Step 5: In the days leading up to the celebration of Easter, the members of the Catechumenate will enter into a period of intensive preparation. Those to be received into the Church at the Easter Vigil, are immersed in the Church’s prayers and love, so as to further prepare themselves for a fruitful reception of the Sacraments of Initiation.

Step 6: The Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter. For the un-baptized, the sacraments are celebrated at the Easter Vigil by the Bishop or his delegate.

Step 7: Mystagogia, which means to reflect upon the mysteries, corresponds to the seven weeks leading up to the great celebration of Pentecost. It is during these weeks that the newly baptized (or neophytes) will take a closer look at the special gifts God has given them in Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, as well as how these gifts will inevitably impact their lives.