Welcome marks the entire process of adult initiation [viz. older children,too] from beginning to end. The welcome of the community experienced inits liturgy, in its faith sharing, in its community life, in its serviceto others draws the inquirer to explore the mystery of God as it is experiencedin our Church. Welcoming, hospitable people are better poised to find seekersin their midst who desire to learn more about God, about Jesus, about theChurch and its teachings than parishes that are aloof and cold. This joyfulresponsibility helps us create a climate where newcomers feel at home, whereinquiry is met with respect, where the brokenness of human life is offeredhealing. Welcome is neither a program nor a task relegated to a few suchas greeters at mass. Welcome must be the virtue of the whole parish - onenurtured by every parish member.

The Journey begins with welcome. It moves towards the table of the Lordand a life of Christian service. There are several important stages alongthe way. The first is a period of gradual instruction in the Christian faithknown as the catechumenate. In the early centuries of the Church catechumens[a Greek term which refers to hearing the echo of God's Word] were women,men and children who formally sought to learn what life in God and Christwas all about. The unbaptized adult is welcomed into the Churchas a catechumen. This period of preparation [the catechumenate] may lastanywhere from one to three years. Sometimes this is met with initial resistancefrom contemporary Americans who are used to quick and instant results. Likeany meaningful human relationship the journey of the catechumen takes time.Just as the Lord gathered disciples around him and for three years instructedand trained them the catechumenate is a school of discipleship. Rooted inattendance at Sunday Eucharist catechumens weekly listen to the Word ofGod and, after the homily, go forth with a catechist to reflect on the wordand its meaning in their lives. This forms adults in the knowledge of Godand in the teachings of the Church. When it is mutually discerned by catechumensand the Church that they are ready to be initiated they are elected forthe sacraments in a special ritual celebrated at the cathedral once a yearon the first Sunday of Lent. Elected i.e. chosen by the Church the adultsenter into an intense period of preparation [the liturgical season of Lent]for their initiation at the Easter Vigil through the sacraments of Baptism,Confirmation and the Eucharist. Subsequent to the initiation at the EasterVigil the now neophytes [another Greek term which means that the baptizedare newly planted ] continue their reflection on the sacred mysteries byprayer and reflection throughout the Easter season. This final part of thejourney known as Mystagogia [Greek for reflection on the sacred mysteries]ends on Pentecost but it really continues for the rest of the adults life.

Conversation as a metaphor refers to adult experiences throughout thejourney of faith. The foundational is the inherent conversation the adulthas with his/her own life experience: Who am I? Where am I going? What aremy dreams and aspirations? Where are my areas of weakness? Where does Godfactor into my life? Jesus? The Church? This conversation is in the silenceof our hearts. We step back to reflect on our lives. Conversation involvesother people such as friends, spouses, relatives, teachers, etc. In theinteraction of dialogue,we become aware of how God is working in our livesand where God is leading us. Such conversation is certainly at the heartof the catechumenal process where we share our life's story with catechistswho help us understand our life in the light of God's Word. In fact, everySunday we send forth the catechumen with his/her catechist from the assemblyafter the homily to reflect on the Word of God. This is the centerpieceof catechumenal instruction. Still another layer of conversation involvesthe larger body of believers, the Church. It is in and through meeting andtalking with other believers that the aspiring Christian discerns the collectivefaith of the Church. When someone asks What should I do to learn about thefaith? - the most basic response should be: Come to Church...meet the Church.Discerning the faith of the Church is not done primarily through a bookor in isolation. It is fundamentally a conversation with the Church, thebody of Christ. Finally, the most sublime conversation is between the adultand God in moments of prayer, meditation and reflection when they firstlisten and subsequently speak with God. Again, it is our task through catechists,ministers and spiritual directors to help the catechumen develop the habitof prayer which eventually will become a personal virtue.

Conversion comes from the Latin verb which means to turn or redirect.It refers to our longing for a genuine refocusing and redirection of ourlives. Fundamentally conversion turns us to God as the primary focus inour lives, to Jesus as the manifestation of God, to the Spirit as the ongoingpresence of the divine in the world and to the Church as the community ofpeople who welcome, support and sustain the life of believers. Conversionhelps us assume a new set of priorities that are more focused on God's reignthan on mere success and human ambition. Praying, discerning God's will,serving the needs of others, bonding with other believers, committing tolifelong learning in the faith - these goals come to the fore when we experienceconversion.

Ritual is the final image that can help us understand adult initiation.Ritual, generically, is a pattern of actions, words, symbolic activity andgroup interaction through which humans express and deepen beliefs, feelings,attitudes and affections. A kiss, for example, both expresses the love oftwo people and, at the same time, deepens the love that is already present.In rituals of faith, personal and communal faith are likewise both expressedand deepened. For example, when the Church celebrates Eucharist we surelyexpress the unity and communion we have with the Lord and with one another.At the same time we are allowing that unity, that communion, to grow anddeepen. Conversion means becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ. The very firstritual of initiation, the Rite of Becoming a Catechumen, conveys the overwhelmingwelcome of the Church as the inquirer becomes a formal catechumen by beingmarked with the sign of the cross. Disciples must be ones who pick up thecross of Christ and who model their life on that of the Master who servedothers even up to the point of giving up his life. The Rite of Electioncelebrated in the local cathedral once a year expresses the reality thatthe catechumen is part of a larger Church, not simply the parish, and thatit is God's action which is drawing the catechumen to the Easter sacraments.The celebration of the initiation sacraments [Baptism, Confirmation andEucharist] at the Great Vigil both expresses the relation of the adult toGod and the Church while, at the same time, deepening what is already there.So replete is this ritual language that the Church's final stage of Catechesis,called Mystagogia, is a concerted reflection on the sacramental experienceof Easter. The RCIA beckons all of us to new ways of understanding Church,conversion, Catechesis and ministry. What we have tried in these few briefparagraphs is to give a taste of what Christian initiation of adults entails.

A Postscript: From time to time adults who have been baptized in otherChristian Churches or adults who were baptized as Catholics but never confirmedmay come to the Church seeking to become members. Strictly speaking, theRCIA is not designed for them but many of the dynamics outlined above canand should be invoked. For adults and children who want to become RomanCatholic we will try to provide structures for such a faith journey as needed.Similarly, for Catholics who were baptized but never completed their initiationthrough receiving the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist, we willtry to provide structures of liturgical Catechesis, prayer and service whichwill help the adult prepare for the reception of these sacraments.