St.Mary Immaculate Conception Catholic Church

1550 Main Street, Mount Vernon, Illinois

618.244.1559

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Why Be Catholic?

- Faith Formation
Contact Us About Becoming Catholic
- Lindy Hudson
  
  OCIA Coordinator
  
  618.244.1559
RCIA Inquirer Form

This can be completed online.

RCIA Inquirer Form (2021)
First Steps
Every journey begins with the first step. If you have an interest in learning more about the Catholic faith or you feel God might be calling you to the Catholic faith, take these first steps:
1. Come to Mass (You can find our Mass times here). Introduce yourself to the greeters in the gathering space. Let them show you around. Pray with us. Prayer and community are essentials for discerning where God is calling us to be.
2. Call the parish and tell the person that answers the phone that you're interested in learning more about the Catholic Church. They will put you in touch with a member of our parish team who will meet with you just to talk about where you are and how God is working in your life.
3. Attend a Becoming Catholic session. We gather every Thursday night at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Center.

Because it's awesome! Life in Christ brings friendship with Jesus, comfort and empowerment by the Holy Spirit, and reconciliation with God the Father. The gift of faith that the Church nourishes makes it possible for us to love, honor, and serve God. Christ has founded the Church to be the source through which His mission is carried on, the Gospel is proclaimed, and sanctifying grace freely given.

The Nicene creed proclaims that the Church founded by Christ is to be one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. In the Catholic Church more than 1.25 billion people around the world are united in faith around our shepherds and with the communion of all the holy ones who have gone before us. The presence of Jesus in the scripture proclaimed and the sacraments celebrated sanctifies the Catholic Church and make us holy. The church is catholic (that is, "universal"), obedient to Jesus' command to carry the message of the Kingdom to every corner of the globe and to every people, race, and nation. The Church is apostolic because it continues to proclaim faith in Christ as witnessed by the Apostles and because our bishops are in direct line of succession from the apostles themselves.

With faithfulness to the inheritance of faith, Catholics can make a claim to have preserved faithfully these four great marks of the Christian Church. With zeal for Christ, we witness to that faith in the world in which we live. Every ancient, ever being made new by Christ, the Catholic Church lives and passes on the fullness of Christian faith.

GK Chesterton famously said, “The difficulty of explaining ‘why I am a Catholic’ is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.”

We invite you to find out about Catholicism for yourself.
Becoming Catholic: OCIA
The process for becoming Catholic is called the Rite of Chrisitian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). In our parish we call it simply Becoming Catholic. We currently meet regularly on W4dnesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the Parish Center. No meetings in July, 2019!

The process is for anyone who wants to know more about the Catholic Church. It's right for you if you are...
- new to Catholicism or new to Christianity,
- part of a Catholic family, but never really learned about or practiced your Catholic faith, or
- a Catholic who worries that you don't really understand the basics of your faith.
The first step in the process is called "Inquiry." That's exactly what it is. We want people to freely ask their questions and discern if God is calling you to find your walk of faith alongside Catholic Christians.

To inquire about Becoming Catholic. Contact Lindy Hudson today. We're eager to meet you.
OCIA Invitation

Invitation to Inquire and Explore!
OCIA Overview
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults has four stages. How quickly one moves through these stages varies from person to person. At St. Mary's, we want to make sure that you take all the time you need to make a good and free choice, without overly prolonging the time before you can join us at the table of the Lord.

Here's a brief description of the four stages of RCIA:
1. Inquiry--This is just what it sounds like; a time to ask questions. In the beginning we just want to help you ask questions and clarify basic information about who Catholics are and what we believe. We want to help you move toward the first embrace of faith or to stir up the gift of faith that you have already received. We'll encourage you to pray, join us for Mass, and read your Bible. (Yes. Catholics read and study the Bible.)
2. Catechumenate--This is a time of "internship" in the faith. You will learn about what Catholics believe and why they do the things they do. Most of all, however, this is a time of deepening relationship with God and accompanying the Church. It's a time of discernment and reflection on the question: "Is God calling you to be a Catholic Christian?"
3. Purification and Enlightenment--When a person decides that they are called to be Catholic, and the Church affirms that call, RCIA enters a journey of reflection with a focus on prayerful preparation for the reception of the sacraments of intiation (baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist). This time of "retreat" often corresponds with the season of Lent.
4. Mystagogia--Finally, after receiving the sacraments of the Catholic Church and entering full communion, the new Catholic spends some time reflecting on the experience of that sacramental life.