RCIA Mission: The Rite of Christian Initiation (RCIA) Apostolate of St. Helen of the Cross Roman Catholic Parish exists to support the Catholic Church's belief that "All men and women of whatever race, condition or age, in virtue of their dignity as human persons, have an inalienable right to education." (Declaration on Christian Education, 1965) The RCIA Apostolate focuses on proclaiming the mystery of Christ and His salvation to interested adults in a manner that appreciates the dignity of ever human person while at the same time fulfilling the requirement to preach Christ's truth without alteration or diminishment. The RCIA Apostolate provides an orderly and systematic initiation into the revelation that God has given of Himself to humanity through Jesus Christ with the intent that it lead each participant to a living, explicit and fruitful profession of faith.
RCIA Vision: To give life and action to Jesus' statement that “This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3): To give life and action to Jesus' statement that “This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ” (John 17:3)
RCIA Process: RCIA includes several stages marked by study, prayer and rites at Mass. Participants undergo a process of conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. While intended for persons who have never been baptized or those baptized in a different faith tradition who wish to become Catholic, RCIA at St. Helen's also accepts baptized Catholic who need First Eucharist and/or Confirmation. Even those who have received all their sacraments but simply which to learn more about the faith are welcome to attend.
English RCIA registration fee is $40, to be paid in the office. The fee can be paid over several weeks or months, if necessary. Meetings are held Thursday nights in the parish hall from 7:00 pm to 9 pm from early August to sometime in April, depending on the date of Easter. See the schedule at the bottom of the page for details.
If you are interested in receiving more information about RCIA in English you can send email to rcia@sthelenchurch.com. You can register for RCIA in English using the form below or you can download and fill in the pdf at the bottom of the page and bring it to the office.
For RCIA in Spanish, please contact the parish office.