RCIA

The Office of Christian Initiation is a department within the Office of Sacred Worship. Responsibilities of the Office of Christian Initiation are to:

Support parish catechumenate and initiation ministries,
Sponsor Christian Initiation (RCIA) leader and team formation programs,
Offer in-service and formation for Christian Initiation ministries, and
Plan and coordinate the annual Rite of Election ceremonies at the Cathedral Basilica.

Joseph Milner serves as the director of the office and is normally in the office on Wednesday. He also serves as Pastoral Associate at St. Francis Xavier College Church on other days. He can be contacted:

Office of Christian Initiation

[email protected]

314.792.7235

20 Archbishop May Dr,

St. Louis, MO 63119

St. Francis Xavier Church

[email protected]

314.977.7305

3628 Lindell Blvd

St. Louis, MO 63108

The Office is assisted by Christian Initiation leaders from throughout the Archdiocese. The team assists in planning formation events and the Rite of Election each year.

JEFF FINNEGAN, Pastoral Associate - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (NE Deanery)
NANCY LLOYD, Christian Initiation team member- All Saints (St. Charles Deanery)
PAUL SEGURA, Christian Initiation team member - St. Ferdinand (NE Deanery)
JEAN STEED, St. Patrick, Wentzville (St. Charles Deanery)
LAURA FLANAGAN, Incarnate Word Parish (West County Deanery)
MARGARET MANTIA, St. Joan of Arc (South City Deanery)

Scrutiny Rites

Because of the extraordinary situation with the coronavirus this year, the second and third scrutinies have been dispensed by Archbishop Carlson. Please encourage the elect to prayerfully read the Scriptures and prayers for the Scrutiny. Resources are included below for this weekend.

Dispensation from Scrutiny Rites

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults prescribes the celebration of the scrutiny rites on the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sunday of Lent or on convenient weekdays in the weeks leading up to the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation (RCIA #20).

In this time of grave public health concerns, public celebration of mass has been suspended. The Archbishop, in accordance with RCIA paragraphs # 20 and 34.3, because of extraordinary circumstances, has dispensed the celebration of the scrutiny rites for the elect this year.

In place of the scrutiny rites, the elect should be encouraged to pray with the gospels for the Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent along with the intercessory prayers and the prayers of exorcism for the scrutinies. These prayers can help the elect to turn more to God, develop a deeper awareness of sin, and seek God’s grace as they prepare for the coming celebration of the sacraments of initiation.

In those parishes where the mass is live-streamed, the elect should be encouraged to listen attentively to the homily and reflect upon it. If there is the capability to host an online gathering, the initiation team could lead a reflection process on the scriptures and prayers. The Office of Christian Initiation has developed some resources for initiation leaders to lead these reflections or for the elect to use individually. Resources for the Fourth Sunday in Lent:

Praying with the Scrutiny Prayers.docx

Fourth Sunday in Lent.docx

Fifth Sunday in Lent.docx

Fifth Sunday in Lent.pdf