Parish of the
Blessed Sacrament
RCIA Programme
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process by which non-Catholic or non-Christion adults, as well as baptised Catholics who have not been confirmed, wishing to know more about the Catholic faith with the possible view of converting to or entering into, full communion with the Catholic Church, participate in a journey of discovery. In effect, it is a journey to discover the truth about the Catholic Church and what it teaches. By re-introducing this process into the life of the Church, the Second Vatican Council was affirming the desire of all Catholics that what is needed is a source of new Christians who will be born again in the faith and life of a Spirit-filled community – a community begetting a community.
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This is not a new desire of the Church but to understand it one must go back into the past. We have to go back to the 3rd century when those aspiring to become Christians were known as “Catechumens” and underwent a training period of one to three years.
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As a result of the Second Vatican Council, the Church promulgated, in 1972, the Rite for Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). This programme modelled itself on the early Church practice. This has proven to be a very successful initiative and has resulted in many new Christians and already baptised Christians being brought into full membership with in the Church. Who is this programme aimed at? The RCIA programme reaches out to everyone. It is specifically structured to assist prospective Catholics in their journey to become active members of the Church Community.
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It is, therefore, aimed at three different groups of people.
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Non-Christians; i.e. Un-baptised individuals. (Catechumens) These are individuals from other non-Christians faiths or individuals who have never belonged to any particular religion.
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Non-Catholics (Candidates). These are individuals that have been baptised in another Christian church but are in need of further instruction and initiation into full membership with the Catholic Church.
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Baptised Catholics who have not been confirmed. (Candidates). These are individuals who, although baptised in the Roman Catholic Church, have, for one reason or another, not received the other Sacraments of Initiation such as Eucharist and or Confirmation.
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Anyone, including practising Catholics. These are individuals of any religion, including practising Catholics who simply want to know more about the Catholic Church and what it teaches.
Alpha History
Alpha is not just another course but is a life changing experience. If you feel you are ready for a change in your life and you want to discover the real meaning of life then the Alpha course is for you.
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The Alpha course is an opportunity for anyone to explore the Christian faith. It’s relaxed, non-threatening, low-key, fun and friendly. The Alpha Course consists of a series of talks on video led by Nicky Gumbel. He covers topics such as “Who is Jesus”, How can I be sure of my faith, and How do I resist evil?”
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The Alpha Course is run on a Monday night for ten weeks starting at 7pm. We share a meal together, watch the video and then break into small groups for discussion. This is the opportunity to talk about anything you want and to ask all the questions you may have wanted to ask but have never had the opportunity.
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We would love to share this life changing experience with you. Give the Parish Office a ring for more information on when the next course is being held.
Cursillo
The Cursillo focuses on showing Christian lay people how to become effective Christian leaders over the course of a three-day weekend. The weekend includes fifteen talks, some given by priests and some by lay people, those talks are called "rollos". The major emphasis of the weekend is to ask participants to take what they have learned back into the world, on what they call the "fourth day". The method stresses personal spiritual development, as accelerated by weekly group reunion (after the weekend).
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A story from the early days of the movement in Spain tells of an occasion where a group of men were returning from a Cursillo weekend when their bus broke down. They began to sing De Colores, a traditional folk song. The use of the song in Cursillo took hold, and has held up as the movement has spread outside the Spanish-speaking world and to other denominations. The use of a multi-colored rooster as a symbol for the Cursillo movement is believed to have originated from one of the verses of that song.