RCIA and Adult Education

RCIA is …
† A spiritual journey
† A process of welcoming people into the Roman Catholic Church
† Adapted to each person’s needs

Do you want to know what Catholics believe, how to pray or why Mary is so important? Are you — or someone you know — thinking about becoming Catholic?

For more information and answers to your questions, please contact Deacon Walter and Loretta Maksimik at 201-481 -5139 / lkmak24@gmail.com or phone the parish office. The Roman Catholic Church welcomes you!

Jesus' message is very simple - everlasting life is ours - if we are willing to take the risk of sharing our love. Our world tells us that love must be selective and carefully parceled out – after all, we have only so much to give. It is easy to profess love for “mankind” in general - but not so easy to love individuals, especially "certain" individuals, specifically. Jesus teaches us that anyone who needs our love is our neighbor. Isn't there someone in your world - home, family, work, school, neighborhood, acquaintance, whom you can love enough to invite to hear more about Jesus and His message of love and the Catholic Faith Family whose mission it is to live out Jesus' love? We invite you and your “neighbor” to an RCIA Inquiry Session. Inquiry sessions are opportunities to ask questions about God, Jesus, the Catholic Faith. All who are unbaptized, baptized into another Christian denomination, or baptized Catholic but have never received BOTH sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist are invited. For more information, call Nancy in the parish office at 908-756-6524 x 10.

We have all heard the old adage, “You are what you eat.” Nowhere else could these words be more true than at our Eucharistic celebration. Not only is the real presence of Christ recognized in the form of consecrated bread and wine, it is also located in the community which gather to celebrate the Eucharist. Recognizing that we become the body of Christ can take us a long way toward reverencing one another. Isn’t there someone in your life whom you care enough about to invite to the Eucharistic table? This is an invitation to come and hear more about the Catholic faith! For more information, call Nancy in the parish office at 908-756-6524 ext. 10.

A Witness During this Easter season, which is the Mystagogy phase of the RCIA process for the neophytes, they hear that baptism into the Risen Christ requires them to become witnesses to others, to share with "all the nations" what they themselves have experienced, that is, "how Jesus was made known to them in the breaking of bread." In the experience of the sacraments, a person comes to an intimate knowledge of the living Christ whom one truly encounters in the sacraments. Therefore, should not we, also, be able to say with conviction: "God raised Jesus from the dead; of this we are witnesses." Are we not, also, sent forth with the command to share this Good News with others? Isn't there someone in your life who is hungry to hear about the Good News? Bring them to an RCIA Inquiry Session. Invited are those who are unbaptized, baptized into another Christian denomination, or baptized Catholic but have never received BOTH sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. For more information contact Nancy in our parish office at 908- 756-6524 ext 10.

During his day, Jesus was quite a phenomenon. Crowds followed him wherever he went. People wanted to see and hear him – to be in his presence. Is there someone you know who wants to know more about Jesus. Invite him/ her to Come and See – at an RCIA Inquiry Session. We talk about Jesus, our loving and merciful God, our Saints, our Catholic Faith Family. Commitment is not required to Come and See. The RCIA Inquiry sessions are opportunities to gather, ask, learn, discern. We invite all who are unbaptized, baptized into another Christian denomination, or baptized Catholic but have not received BOTH sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist. For more information, call our parish office at 908-756-6524 ext. 10.

Sometimes this time of year gets dreary. Remnants of tinsel cling to discarded Christmas trees at curbsides and we are reminded that nothing in this life lasts forever. Masks, confinement, Covid restrictions – we are starting to get weary. There were those in Jesus' early life who were able to see God's revelation, through him, and then act upon it. The contrast today is dramatic. One response is to ignore the signs and to depend on human power. The other is to journey into unknown territory and to follow unfamiliar routes. We in this Catholic faith community, invite you to journey with us into the unknown, to discover more about God's revelation, through Jesus Christ. Anyone who is unbaptized, baptized into another Christian denomination, or baptized Catholic but has never received BOTH sacraments of Confirmation AND Eucharist are invited to an RCIA Inquiry Session. For more information, please reach out to our parish office.

Today’s readings challenge us to love – love God and love our neighbor as ourselves. Do you know someone who would like to know more about our God who showers us love, Jesus, or the Catholic faith? Invite that person to call about an RCIA Inquiry Session. Participation in a session does not require a commitment to belong to the Catholic Faith Family. Anyone who is unbaptized, baptized into a non-Catholic Christian denomination, or baptized Catholic but never received First Eucharist and Confirmation, is invited to come and inquire about Jesus who tells us that a person’s basic worth is not derived from anything less than God’s unconditional love for all of his children and the Community of faith that can help us to understand the dignity inherent to that status. During the Pandemic the RCIA Inquiry sessions might be virtual. For more information, please reach out to our parish office.

RCIA
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is preparation and formation of all those who wish to become fully initiated members of the Catholic Faith Family. 
 
If you are considering becoming a Catholic or if you are Catholic but have not received the Sacraments of Eucharist and/or Confirmation, we invite you to join our RCIA/Adult Faith Formation program. Please contact Anthony Pangi at 732-764-0264 or a.pangi@aol.com for more information about this program. 

All who are not baptized, baptized into another faith denomination, or baptized Catholic but have not received Eucharist or Confirmation, are invited. Inquiry sessions are for those who wish to inquire, explore, and search for ways to grow in relationship with God.
 
 
Scripture Study
Periodic sessions are held throughout the year that offer opportunities to learn more about the history of the church and study scripture.  Please check our website or read the church bulletin for events conducted by the parish.
 
Lenten Programs
During the Lenten season St. Mary’s sponsors various Lenten programs.  Please check our website or read the church bulletin for events conducted by the parish or sponsored by the Diocese of Metuchen.