The Rite of Christian Reception (RCRA) is the principal way baptized Christians join the Catholic Church.  The RCRA process assumes that a baptized Christian already understands the fundamental principles which Catholics share with all other Christian faiths.  The RCRA process focuses on what is different or special about how Catholics understand and live these principles.

SESSION 1  •  INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this discussion is to explore the role of faith in our lives, how faith develops and changes over time, and to reflect on our personal faith journeys.  If time permits we will discuss participants' personal impressions of the Catholic Church. 

SESSION 2  •  THE CATHOLIC IMAGINATION

In this discussion we will explore the basic question, “What does it mean to be ‘Catholic’?”   We will highlight the primary characteristics of the Catholic “imagination” or worldview; we will examine how these characteristics or convictions are represented in the Eucharist, expressed in the Creed and experienced in everyday life.
 
SESSION 3  •  SACRAMENTALITY

The purpose of this discussion is to explore the Catholic principle of sacramentality as it is expressed, experienced and celebrated in the Sacraments and sacramentals.  The principle of Sacramentality expresses the Catholic conviction that material objects, rituals and experiences can embody and reveal God’s presence; it is at the heart of the Catholic belief in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist.

SESSION 4  •  HISTORY

In this discussion we will explore the special way in which Catholics understand the meaning and purpose of history.  An adjunct to Sacramentality, Catholic Christians believe that God’s presence and love can be revealed and experienced in time and human experience.  Many aspects of Catholic faith and practice reveal this reverence for the sacred nature time and history.

SESSION 5  •  COMMUNITY

Catholic Christians believe that God is embodied and experienced in and through the individual’s relationship to the faith community, the Body of Christ.  The purpose of this discussion is to help participants appreciate the Catholic principle of community, particularly as it applies to the Church as a community of people.

SESSION 6 •  HOPE AND MISSION

In this discussion we will explore how hope shapes our mission and our responsibility for the others and the world.  The Catholic faith is an especially hope-filled tradition; this hopefulness is embedded in Catholic moral and social teaching as well as in the very structure or organization of the faith community.

SESSION 7  •  LIFE AS A CATHOLIC

The purpose of this discussion is to help participants appreciate how Catholic Christians experience and live their faith in everyday life.  We will examine the role of the Mass as the “source and summit” of Catholic life, the role of personal prayer and devotion, family life, spiritual development, and the special value of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
 
SESSION 8  •  CONCLUSION

The Purpose of this discussion is to explore and clarify any issues, concerns or questions which participants may have about the previous sessions, and any additional topics which participants would like to discuss. 

Last Update: 01.03.20