Rite of Acceptance: What is it?

When an unbaptized person first becomes interested in the Catholic Faith we call them an inquirer. When the start RCIA an inquirer goes through a period of evangelization and exploration. when an inquirer has shown the beginnings of a first conversion, and the spirutla life and Christian teachings are beginning to take hold.

At the Rite of Acceptance inquirers or candidates as the may be called are inducted into the Order of Catechumens, in that Church recognizes them as her own. The Canidate states publicly theeir intention to become Catholic, and the Church accepts the responsibility for forming the candidate in the faith.

After the Rite of Acceptance, a catechumen though still unbaptized can legitmately call themselves Catholic.

The Rite can happen at any time in the year, and we general schedule it when have a group of inquirers who are ready to become catechumens. We will have a Rite of Acceptance if there is even a single inquirer who is ready, but if there are multiple inquirers who may be ready soon we may delay a little. It is better to have a big Rite of Acceptance once in a awhile, than to have lots of little Rites of Acceptances every week or so.

The big hallmark of the Rite of Acceptance, is where the priset and the sponsors sign the senses of the catechumens, as well as the presentations of the Bible and the Cross.