Expert: Michael Clark, Ph.D. - 12/13/2004

Question
I am not Catholic, but have been attending mass services for the last several months and have been enjoying them very much.  I am interested in going through RCIA to become a Catholic, and was wondering what the process entailed, what preparation is involved, how long it takes, etc?  

(Also, every church I've seen offers RCIA only during weekdays, but I travel frequently on business during the weeks.  Do you know of how I might be able to find RCIAs that cater to weekday business travelers such as myself?)

Answer
Hi Emily.. The character of the RCIA will likely differ from parish to parish, but a general structure will be followed (outlined in the links below). It will probably start in September and continue to Easter, at which time you'd become a full Catholic.

Sometimes a priest will officiate, other times lay persons, and sometimes both. You'll also need a sponsor. They likely will arrange for you to get one if you don't know any Catholics.

So I think the best thing is to just go to the parish at which you feel most comfortable and ask the secretary for an appointment with a priest. Meet with him, ask him your questions and voice your concerns... and take it from there!  

http://www.silk.net/RelEd/rcia.htm

http://www.ecatholic2000.com/rcia/rcia.shtml

http://members.aol.com/tombecket/ts_graph.htm

http://catholicgirl.faithweb.com/rcia.htm

I hope you are successful. On a personal note, I had to try the program twice (the first time I was in the middle of a Ph.D. and it just wasn't the right time, so I didn't complete the RCIA; the second time I did complete it in a different city, and it was far more enjoyable, largely due to the priest leading the RCIA).