Each year on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, thousands of people are baptized into the Catholic Church in the United States. Parishes welcome these new Catholics through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
RCIA is a process that supports and encourages the “faith journey” of inquirers— persons of other religious denominations, or with no church affiliation at all. It helps inquirers find answers to their questions in the light of Jesus’ teachings as expressed in Sacred Scripture and Traditions, in Catholic worship, and in the celebration of the Sacraments.