Cheryl Graham worked in education for thirty years, the last seven of which were at the Catholic Education Office in Melbourne. Her continuing interest in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in her parish led her to pursue this theme in her Masters research project. Currently, she is working as a Spiritual Director and remains involved with the implementation of the RCIA in the Small Church Communities in the Belgrave parish.

Have you ever experienced an Easter Vigil in which an adult is baptised? The newly baptised Catholic, dressed in dark clothes, steps out of the bath drenched with baptismal water and leaves the assembly, to return some time later, radiant in new white clothes. The whole assembly is caught up in the event - inspired and energised. The symbols of water and light have regained their power to evoke the death/resurrection experience in the most dramatic way. If this is moving for the whole assembly, it can be breathtaking for the convert and the RCIA team, who have journeyed with him/her towards this culminating moment. For them, there have been many peak moments over the course of the journey. How regrettable that in many parishes the majority of community members go through the year largely unaware of the drama unfolding behind the scenes.

After completing a research project on the RCIA in a large Melbourne parish, I came to the conclusion that, instead of the RCIA being one of the church's best kept secrets, it could be the basis of parish life, imbuing the whole parish community with new vitality.

In my research project I attempted to survey all those who had been initiated into the church (in that particular parish) since the inception of the RCIA about twelve years before. I wanted to determine retention rates and to identify sociological factors typical of those who stayed involved and, in contrast, of those who ceased involvement (Click here to go to a summary of Cheryl's research).

During the course of this research, my attention shifted from a focus on the prospective Catholic journeying through the RCIA process with a team. My new focus was on the nature of the community receiving the new Catholic and the readiness of that community to take responsibility for accepting and nurturing a new member.

There was a close association between the initiates who had stayed involved and the degree to which they had formed firm ties with parish members other than those in the RCIA team.

I discovered in the course of the research that many regular Catholics in the parish also needed significant bonding with other community members and the chance to search, grow and be supported in a small group. Their needs were similar to those of the converts.

Catholics who join the community with a serious commitment to their faith can become very disillusioned by community members whose commitment is minimal. Several of those who ceased involvement mentioned this factor.

Not only do prospective new Catholics need to be integrated into the parish community, but the whole community also needs significant awareness of and involvement with the RCIA process. If this is so, why not create an RCIA parish where the stages of the RCIA form a framework and ambiance for the whole life of the parish?

In such a parish the community would emphasise the ongoing education and faith development of its members, particularly its adult members. The community would develop a common vision and develop in its members the skills and knowledge for them to take responsibility for such a vision.

Naturally, such a community would take primary responsibility for the initiation of its new members, both adults and children. The development of Small Christian Communities within the parish would be a key factor in fostering a sense of committed discipleship in all members of the community.

The four stages of the RCIA expose initiates to four key aspects of Christian living - evangelisation, education in faith, prayer and reflection, and mission. They provide a balanced picture for new converts. They would also provide a framework for the life of the whole parish community.

This parish community takes initiation seriously and believes it must shoulder the responsibility for it. Every person in the parish has been invited to belong to a Small Christian Community in his/her local area. Some have chosen not to participate, but all those who wish to be are part of groups which meet to share faith, reflect on scripture, pray and live out the gospel. These groups take most of the responsibility for preparing people in their area for initiation.

Included among the people preparing for initiation are adults coming into the Church, children preparing for initiation sacraments and their parents, returnees (baptised Catholics returning to the Church) and companions (Catholics in the parish who wish to accompany prospective converts on their initiation journey and renew their own baptismal vows in a special way for that year.)

When those preparing for initiation are not working through the stages of the RCIA in the Small Christian Communities, they are involved in education programs with catechists, participating in prayer and retreat programs with spiritual directors and prayer partners, or working with discernment facilitators to determine their readiness to proceed to another stage or to define their mission. The term "education programs" does not imply just talks and lectures. It assumes that all education programs in the parish will be conducted in the RCIA spirit, that is participants will assimilate knowledge into their lives in the light of reflection on life experience and on scripture.

Almost every member of the parish has some role to play in the life of the parish. Some are trained to carry out special roles associated with stages of the RCIA. The emphasis in the parish is on many people doing a little, rather than on a few people doing everything. Since liturgy is so central and liturgists are needed at every stage, there are many trained liturgists in the parish.

There are two specialist roles in the parish which emerge from this vision: firstly, the Coordinator of Initiation and Renewal, who coordinates all initiation and renewal activities for both adults and children; and secondly, the Coordinator of Religious Education, whose main focus is on adult education.

The initiation of children follows the adult pattern. Parents are expected to become informed about and reflect on how their children will be initiated. They can choose from three options:

Other parents, who want their children to take responsibility for their own initiation, have their children welcomed into the Rite of Catechumens where they will remain until the children themselves decide on full initiation.

Whichever option parents choose, the same degree of responsibility and commitment is expected of the parents as is expected of adult initiates. A further option is for a whole family to participate in the initiation cycle together at a suitable time in the maturing of their children.

In the light of this, parish life assumes an RCIA rhythm which focuses on the different stages of the RCIA at appropriate liturgical seasons. Not all prospective Catholics will fit neatly into the regular parish cycle, but it is the responsibility of the Small Christian Community to attend to the individual needs of each person being initiated and to integrate them appropriately into parish life.

The focus of the parish is on evangelisation. It is the time for the community to hear the gospel stories anew and respond to the invitation to discipleship. It is the time when parish members ask themselves how well they witness to the gospel in their families, neighbourhod and workplace. It is a time when, as individuals or as a community, they are inviting others to join the community. They reflect on how welcoming they are as a parish community.

The prevailing atmosphere is one of joy, creativity, colour and excitement. The lay people with special roles at this time are the storytellers and the welcomers. This is a good time to bring in an artist-in-residence for a few weeks to work in the school and the parish to bring the gospel stories alive. This person could be a poet, a mural painter, a clown, a storyteller etc.

There is a special focus in the Sunday liturgy on the gospel. Particular emphasis is placed on the procession of the gospel book. The gospel stories are told in creative ways and the children play an active role in the hearing and the telling of the stories. Some people, adults and children, tell their faith stories. This period builds up to and culminates in the Rite of Welcome into the Catechumenate.

The focus of the parish is on education. As well as training for special roles in the parish, there is an ongoing program of education in faith which caters for the many different needs of catechumens, candidates, returnees, "companions" and other parish members. It is the time when parish members ask their faith questions and in which ways they need to grow in their faith.

The prevailing atmosphere is one of curiosity and stimulation. The lay people with special roles at this time are the catechists. There is a special opportunity to draw on the talents of the young teens to help with children's liturgy.

There is a special focus in the Sunday liturgy on the Liturgy of the Word. The homily is longer. It helps people see scripture in its historical and cultural context and points out the links between the readings. The children leave the assembly for children's liturgy and those adults preparing for initiation withdraw after the homily to reflect further on the word. During this time people preparing for initiation, both children and adults, are introduced to the community and blessed several times. This period builds up to and culminates in the Enrollment of Names and the Rite of Election.

The focus of the parish is on prayer and reflection. Many opportunities for prayer and retreats are provided. There is special emphasis on the Sacrament of Penance and the Rites of Reconciliation. It is the time when parish members examine their lives and prepare to renew their baptismal vows. Many do this through home retreats.

The prevailing atmosphere is one of quiet reflection. The lay people with special roles at this time are spiritual directors, supported by a large number of prayer partners. There is an opportunity to utilise the wisdom of the older members of the parish, including the "shut-ins".

There is a special focus in the Sunday liturgy on the Liturgy of the Eucharist and the journey of those about to be initiated. During this time, which coincides with Lent, the community hands on the Tradition, in the form of the Creed and the Lord's Prayer, to those about to be initiated. The intending initiates also participate in the Scrutinies. There is much on which to reflect and the liturgy provides much opportunity for silent reflection. Children participate in the liturgy in ways which help them appreciate the key symbols of Christian faith: the cross, bread and wine, water, light etc. This period culminates in initiation at the Easter Vigil.

The focus of the parish is on mission and service. Groups within the parish are reviewing their mission and assessing future directions. Each parish member is discerning his/her mission within the parish community and in the wider community. The parish community as a whole is reviewing its mission and discerning priorities for the future. Selection of members for pastoral councils and other leadership roles is taking place.

The prevailing atmosphere is one of hope, anticipation and sharing of new ideas. Lay people with special roles at this time are facilitators who can help with the discernment process and those who belong to special service groups within the community.

In the Sunday liturgy there is special focus on discernment, mission and service. Prayers of the Faithful are focused on particular service groups within the community whose work is highlighted during the liturgy. During times of community discernment the children take part in activities which help them discern their own gifts and how they can use them to help others. During this period the neophytes are visibly distinguishable and carry out special roles in the liturgy. This period culminates at Pentecost with the commissioning of the neophytes and the key leaders in the parish. The neophytes present their faith story to the community.

Joyful, creative, curious, inspired, reflective, hopeful - this describes the parish community I would like to see - a parish alive with love and passionate in its commitment to live out the gospel. I believe that an RCIA focus could reenergise in a way that could help achieve this.

Of the approximately one hundred people who had been initiated in a large Melbourne parish over twelve years, around seventy returned their surveys. Abut seventy per cent of these were still involved in the church. So we can surmise that, of the original one hundred, about one third to one half had ceased involvement in the church.

In one sense it is not surprising that those who remained involved had sociological characteristics typical of Catholic churchgoers generally. Converts who stayed involved were often female, married with young children and already baptised. In addition, they often saw themselves as fitting into the community easily, had several close ties with people in the parish, were supported in their conversion by important people in their lives and experienced an adequate initiation process.

Those who stayed involved usually converted for several reasons but family reasons were typically the most prominent: that is, they wanted to unify the marriage or facilitate the religious upbringing of their children. On the other hand, those who ceased involvement were less likely to state family reasons for their conversion and often gave only one idiosyncratic reason rather than a combination.

Other characteristics common among those who ceased involvement included instability in their marriage, a sense of being different or not fitting in (even when they felt welcomed by the community), and a sense of being "on their own" (whether single, divorced, widowed or unsupported by their spouse). Those who ceased involvement often had few close ties with members of the parish, little or no previous church involvement and little or no religious training in childhood. Other characteristics quite common to this group included disillusionment with the Catholic church and an inability or unwillingness to make a commitment to the Church.