RCIA Volunteer Opportunities

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (R.C.I.A.) is not so much a program as a process. Through the RCIA, men and women discern God's call to enter the Catholic Church and are helped along in this process by many Catholics of their parish. Can you help the men and women in St. Ann's RCIA?

There are in fact many simple ways to volunteer with St. Ann RCIA ministry:

Become an RCIA Sponsor | Everyone going through the RCIA process needs a sponsor. The role of the sponsor, however, is not to answer all the questions about the Catholic Church (we have our catechetical sessions for this). Rather, the sponsor acts as a mentor in faith and will stand next those in RCIA during the rites that take place throughout the RCIA process. As a sponsor, you will participate in the three rites, accompany your canidate to as masny classes as possible, and join in the RCIA retreat. You must also be a Catholic in good standing (meaning a catholic who follows the Church's teachings and has a habit of attending Sunday mass, has a life of prayer, and aims to prioritize God and faith in your life).

Become an RCIA Team Member | As an RCIA team member, you would work with the director in helping accompany and catechize those who are in the RCIA program.  In order to be a member of the team, you must be a Catholic in good standing, feel a call to work in evangelization and education of new members of our Faith, and be able to make some time commitment to the process in either full time or part time capacity.  

Become a Part Time RCIA Team Member | The RCIA process is segmented into three stages, each bringing those on the journey closer to union with the Church.

The first stage is called Inquiry and can last as long as it needs to for each individual.  During this stage we simply learn more about the Catholic Faith as the inquirers discern whether they want to proceed in the process of RCIA.  Those in Inquiry learn to pray with scripture, the way Catholics worship in the mass, and have an opportunity to discuss whatever questions they may have. 

The second stage is called the Catechumenate.  Those in the catechumenate have made the decision to move forward with coming into the Church therefore the classes are more systematic and cover everything from the Sacraments to the Moral life.  

Then in the final two phases - Purification & Enlightenment and Mystagogia - we continue to dive deeper into the mysteries of Catholicism as the faith of the new members grows, both before and after they become full members of the Church.

As a part time RCIA Team member, you would join us for any one of these three periods of the RCIA process, ministering to each stage as you feel called.  Some might prefer to help catechize the catechumenate where others might feel more called to help the newly inquiring in the Inquiry stage, while others might desire to help accompany new members deeper into the faith and parish life.  
Become a Full Time Team Member | If you would rather join us for the entire process and participate in the planning of the RCIA as a whole, we would always love to have you as a full time RCIA Team member for the year. This is a larger time commitment, but certainly one that is both worthwhile and deeply rewarding.

Join the RCIA Prayer Team | As a member of the RCIA Prayer Team, you would take time to keep those in the RCIA in your personal prayers while also participating in some specific prayer here at St. Ann. To keep the commitment minimal, we would look for some fixed times (e.g. during RCIA sessions or during the RCIA retreat) that those in the team may gather individually or as a whole to pray in the Adoration Chapel for those discerning Easter sacraments. If you regularly pary for those in RCIA, drop me a line and I will let those in formation know that the members of St. Ann are supporting them in prayer! 
 

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If you are able to volunteer for any of these above ministries, please fill out the short registration form below.