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This project arises from religious education courses at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago but can be opened to other programs as well. Interested professors of religious education or faith formation should e-mail edaily@luc.edu if they want their students to be included.

Monday, March 16, 2009

RCIA

The RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) program at Holy Family Parish is a modern day cultivation of faith. The program embodies the spirit of Catechesis, which is to walk along side and echo life’s experiences, rather than direct and teach followers. Now I cannot speak on behalf of the entire Archdiocese of Chicago’s RCIA program, I can only speak from experience and observance at Holy Family. This model follows a gradual year long experience with six major events such as Rite of Acceptance, an overnight retreat, and finally Initiation on Hoy Saturday. The weekly meeting is run more like a party with an agenda than as a class. Each meeting may have a purpose but the direction and pace is dictated by the participation of the candidates. The candidates and sponsors are accompanied by team leaders and fellow members and non members of the church. Many of the people at the meetings are there because they continue to get great joy out of the experience even though they are not candidates or sponsors. The atmosphere is of great wonder and questioning. No question is turned away and no answer is denied. Experience is often the greatest answer. I was not always happy to go but always strengthened and happy when leaving.

Stages of Faith, the Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning, by James W. Fowler, Harper:San Francisco, 1981,
Fowler covers six stages of faith. These faith stages go along with the psychological development of humans. He starts with a pre-stage which covers early infancy but moves quickly into the first stage Institutive- Projective Faith. Here speech and symbols of communication begin. Infants learn to manipulate what they receive example: crying brings mother, and mother sooths. The perceived perspectives are absolute or the only perspectives. Stage 2 is the Mythic-Literal Faith stage. This is when bind our experiences to a meaning with stories. We can retell stories and even imagine new ones but cannot reflect upon them. We are stuck in concrete operational thought. Stage 3 Synthetic Conventional Faith begins with a greater concept of others in the world. Fowler uses the phrase “I see you seeing me” to help reflect on this stage. God is often a significant other that provides and confirms acceptance. We begin to question and reflect upon what we know. Stage 4 is Individuative-Reflective Faith. This stage is where Fowler would place most adults. In stage 4 we see the world as having different view and ways of being. We are no longer defined by our perceived roles we have developed to choose our own roles. We have choices and use a conscious effort to define our boundaries. Fowler believes that stages 5 is obtained by an experienced human, or in other words “old”. For Fowler stage 6 is reserved for saints or near saints.

I feel that the RCIA program is a great way for those of us in or between stages 3 and 4 to communicate. Often faith is a personal topic and asking questions of another person’s faith is not proper or polite. The stage 3 people may be too caught up in self perception to feel comfortable discussing what they have not yet answered. For those in stage 4 they may recognize and even accept that there is a faith and a journey but if they do not perceive themselves as on the journey it is very hard to change their view. To truly affect these adults a strong emotional connection must be made. However great the RCIA program is there is never enough time to reach every participant. The RCIA model brings people from many different stages and provides a safe and encouraging arena to speak your mind. This arena at Holy Family is called a small Christian Community.

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