Opening Prayer.
Introduction of the topic.
Video – Part 1.
A summary proclamation of the doctrine that is the focus of the session.
Video – Part 2.
Discussion.
Close meeting with a prayer / blessing and a cuppa.

The RCIA process has several distinct stages. These Catholic RCIA stages are a good model of faith development itself, so this article will fit you whether or not you’re actually in the RCIA process.

• Inquiry: the initial period before you decide to enter the Catholic Church. You’re asking questions and checking it out, but aren’t yet ready to commit.
• A period of learning that we call the Catechumenate. Those who decide to enter the Church and are being trained for a life in Christ are called catechumens, an ancient name from the early Church. In this stage, you’re developing your belief or “faith” and are being “catechized” – learning the basic points about Catholic faith and life. It is very much a period of discovery and reflection.
• Purification and preparation: The Church will help you focus and intensify your faith as you prepare you to commit your life to Christ and be received into the Church at Easter. If you’re following the RCIA process, you’ll go through a beautiful series of Gospel-based meditations during Lent, which is the time frame of this period.
• Initiation itself, the culmination of the whole process! You’re received into the Church during the Easter Vigil Mass, where you’ll receive the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. (If you’ve already been baptized, you won’t be baptized again.)
• Initial stage as a full member of the Church called, Mystagogy. After reception into the Church at Easter, this period lets you reflect and learn more about the mysteries of the Mass and the Sacraments that you now participate in fully.

Next Steps
If you are interested in finding out more about becoming a Catholic Christian, the first step is to make contact with your local Catholic Parish, or another Catholic Parish which you are likely to attend. You can do this by going along to Mass and asking to speak to the Parish Priest, or by phoning the parish office to make an appointment with them or a dedicated RCIA person. Our telephone number is (02) 9484 1427. Alternatively you may like to complete the form below. Mass times for our parish are on our Mass Times page.

If you are looking to join another parish, then more information regarding parishes in the Archdiocese of Broken Bay is available through their website at www.dbb.org.au or their search page here.

Parish support
There are several ways we as a parish journey along with those who wish to join our faith. Firstly and foremost, we journey with them spiritually by praying with, and for them during our various celebrations at Mass. Secondly, we are a welcoming community and demonstrate this by our deeds of love, mercy and charity for everyone in our society. We show with our actions the love of God. Finally, there are several active roles for parishioners to assist those wishing to join our Church. These can be as evangelists, program leaders, sponsors, catechists, and support and hospitality people during our meetings.

Please contact the RCIA Team or the Parish Secretary should you wish to know more.

Here is an example of the journey from a particular year. We modify the topics depending upon the people that are participating.

Over the first few weeks we covered and explained the following topics. (Times are video duration. We had discussion time around the videos).

1. The Journey of Faith (20 minutes) The Bible reveals the mystery of who God is: God is love. God created us out of love, died for us out of love, and invites us on a journey of faith in which we live in his love. October 11th & 12th.
2. Divine Revelation (32 minutes) God loves us some much He wants to make himself and his will known to us. He also sent his Son to redeem us and promised that the Jesus’ message will be preserved forever through sacred Scripture, Tradition and our Church. How, and what does this mean? October 18th & 19th.
3. The Bible (33 minutes) The 73 books of the Bible come together to tell one story: the story of God’s saving plan. Through the inspired Scriptures we encounter the God who speaks to us as a Father lovely speaks to his children. October 26th & 27th.
4. The Story of Salvation (34 minutes) Our modern world has lost its story. We don’t know from where we came. We don’t know why we are here. And we don’t know where we are going. But God has a plan for each of our lives – a plan that reveals the true meaning of our existence and leads to eternal happiness. November 2nd & 3rd.
5. Who Is Jesus? (33 minutes) Jesus is more than a good teacher or good example. He claimed to be God. And that claim challenges all of us to make an important choice – will we accept Jesus as Lord of our lives? November 9th & 10th.
6. The Paschal Mystery (33 minutes) Through Jesus’s Death on the Cross, God reveals himself most profoundly as the God who is love. Christ’s sacrificial love saves us from sin and shows us the pathway to true human happiness. We are made to live like Christ – in total self-giving love. November 16th & 17th.
7. The Holy Spirit & the Life of Grace (37 minutes) One of the most profound aspects of the Catholic faith is that Christ sent his Spirit to dwell in the hearts of the baptised. Christ’s Spirit within us conforms us even more to Christ, so we can say with St Paul, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” November 23rd & 24th.
8.Mary and the Saints (36 minutes) Jesus gave his mother Mary to us as our spiritual mother, and she intercedes for us in heaven before her son. By growing in relationship with Mary, and the rest of the saints, we grow in fellowship with Christ.  November 30th & December 1st.
9. No topic – Debrief & review. An opportunity for participants to debrief and share their experiences from the last few weeks. Overview of the next stage, Part 2: Living the Faith (outlined below).

Over the last few weeks leading up to Easter we covered the topics below. Times were video duration. We had discussion time around the videos. Each session ran for approximately 1 hour. Participants and visitors were welcomed to attend. The emphasis over these weeks was; Living the Faith.

Week 1 – The Sacraments: Baptism and Confirmation (39 minutes). 8 & 9 February, 2018.
The sacraments aren’t simply the rituals we go through because we happen to be Catholic. They are profound moments of encounter with Jesus Christ, who imparts his life and grace to us and draws us deeper into his love through the seven sacraments.

Week 2 – The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Christian Life (36 minutes). 15 & 16 February.
Love desires to be near its beloved. On the night before he died, Jesus gave us the gift of his very self in the Eucharist to be the source and summit of the Christian life. He waits for us in the Blessed Sacrament, and longs to be united to us in Holy Communion.

Week 3 – Walk through the Mass: Exploring the Sacred Liturgy (33 Minutes). 22 & 23 February.
“The Lord be with you…And with your spirit…Thanks be to God.” We might be familiar with the various prayers of the Mass, but do we understand the meaning, beauty and power of all we say and do in the liturgy?

Week 4 – Penance, Anointing of the Sick, Matriomony & Holy Orders: The Sacraments of Service and Communion (39 minutes). 1 & 2 March. These are big topics and some material may be supplied to participants beforehand.
Many people wonder, “Why should I confess my sins to a priest?” But behind the human priest we must see the True High Priest at work-Jesus Christ, forgiving our sins in the Sacrament of Penance, the great sacrament of God’s mercy. Further on marriage: it has been said that “It takes three to get married” – husband, wife and God. Indeed, matrimony is the sacrament in which Christ gives couples the grace to love each other with his total, sacrificial love and to signify this love in the world.

Week 5 – A Catholic Moral Vision: Virtue, Grace, & the Path to Happiness (44 minutes). 8 & 9 March.
How do we talk about morality in a relativistic world that says, “You can have your truth. I can have my truth. But there is no the truth to which we are all accountable?” A Catholic moral vision helps us rise out of this self-centered worldview and leads us on the true path to human happiness.

Week 6 – A Love That Lasts: Discovering Authentic Love and God’s Plan for Sexuality (36 minutes). 15 & 16 March.
Afraid. Insecure. Guarded. Fear of being alone. That’s how many people feel in their romantic relationships today. But Christ offers a pathway to authentic love and the kind of relationships and marriages we most deeply long for. God gave us the gift of human sexuality to express the profound communion of love between husband and wife-one that reflects Christ’s love, which is free, total, faithful and fruitful. Discover the beauty of the Church’s teachings on love and sexuality and how they can bring fullness of life and love.

Week 7 – Catholic Social Teaching: Building a Civilization of Love and Protecting the Dignity of the Human Person (18 minutes). 22 & 23 March.
From the beginning of Christianity, the Gospel message has shaped the way people live-socially, economically, politically and culturally. The same Catholic tradition that gave us hospitals, universities and unprecedented care for the poor can help us build a society today in which every person has the opportunity to flourish.  “You did it to me.” These five words of Jesus remind us of our responsibility to live in solidarity with the most vulnerable in society-whether it be the poor, the suffering or the unborn. For whatever we do to the least of these, we do unto Christ.