Most members of the Roman Catholic Church are baptised as infants. They grow up in Catholic homes, receive formal religious education and gradually come to share in the full sacramental life of the Church.
Others - some of whom who were previously baptised in other Christian traditions, and others who may not have any previous attachment to any Church - become Catholics after making a solemn profession of faith, receiving Confirmation and sharing Eucharist with the Catholic community. The process by which adults become members of the catholic Church is called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
The Catholic Church warmly
welcomes new members and tries to provide an appropriate spiritual formation
according to each person’s need. The RCIA process encourages an ongoing conversion
to Jesus Christ and the reign of God he proclaimed. RCIA provides a structure
for the proclamation of the Gospel, catechesis (passing on the teachings of
the Church), public and private prayer, spiritual direction, the observance
of the feasts, fasts, Sundays and seasons of the Church calendar and direct
contact with members of the parish community.
