Children over 6 in the RCIA

Once a child reaches the age of six, or in their seventh year, the child can no longer be baptized as an infant. They are old enough to be prepared with age appropriate catechesis. They follow the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), but adapted for children.

The RCIA is a journey of reflection and discover to help deepen the child’s awareness of God’s presence in their lives, and prepares them for participating in the sacraments of initiation, Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The Church envisions that on the day of initiation at the Easter Vigil, the child is fully initiated though the local Bishop may reserve the confirmation until a later date in consideration of participation with their classmates.

The preparation relies on several components. The primary preparation is Sunday Mass with a ‘Breaking Open of the Word’. Following the homily, the Catechumens (their liturgical name) are dismissed to go off and ponder the Word of God in their lives, again directed by one of our leaders. They also gather every two weeks for catechesis discussions and activities, again appropriate to their age.

There is also a strong public component to the RCIA. At each step of their journey as they move closer to initiation, they participate in various ritual steps that signify the transition to the next step toward initiation. One of the more exciting aspects is the ritual of Enrolment where the catechumens gather in the presence of the regional Bishop to be accepted as official candidates for initiation at Easter.

It sounds like a lot, but it is so worth it both for the child and the family and it was been the catalyst of much faith renewal in the family. It is a Sacred Journey.