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190 • Part II. The Sacraments: The Faith Celebrated
For adults who have not yet been baptized, the RCIA has three
major liturgical rites: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens;
Election or Enrollment of Names, and Celebration of the
Sacraments of Initiation. The celebration of initiation is followed
by a postbaptismal catechesis, or
Mystagogy
. (For those already
baptized, there are rites appropriate for their journey into full
communion in the Catholic Church. These are sometimes cel-
ebrated separately from the catechumens, and sometimes in a
combined rite with the catechumens.)
The process begins with the
Precatechumenate
, in which the
person shows initial faith in Jesus Christ and the Church. This is a
time for inquiry and the exploration of the beginnings of faith.
After the person has been given a fundamental understand-
ing of the Gospel and has decided to take the first step to
become a member of the Church, the person is brought into the
Catechumenate at the Rite of Acceptance.
The period of the
Catechumenate
is a time for exploring the
teachings of the faith in a deeper and more systematic manner
within the context of worship and prayer. At Sunday Mass, the
catechumens with their catechists are often dismissed after the
homily for further, prayerful study of the Scripture readings for
the day.
This period concludes with the
Rite of Election or Enrollment of
Names
, which takes place on the First Sunday of Lent. This rite is
celebrated by the bishop or his delegate, usually at the cathedral
of the diocese. The catechumens’ suitability and resolve to be initi-
ated into the sacramental life of the Church is supported by the
testimony of their sponsors and catechists. After this, the catechu-
mens become known as the Elect.
RCIA STEPS