The Sacraments of Initiation are a continual invitation to continued conversion. This faith journey is not merely a matter of learning about the faith, not merely instruction, but also a true conversion process. It involves the whole life of the candidate and the whole life of the Church. These sacraments are not private events. They affect the whole Church.
Conversion takes place in community.
Conversion implies initiation into that community, initiation into the Body of Christ. A Report on the Implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in the United States. The results of this comprehensive study make it clear that the RCIA is renewing the life of the Church in the United States, say the bishops. And I know that I am personally responsible, along with the other members of the parish, for creating the kind of parish that makes it easy to answer that question. Thomas Richstatter , O.F.M., has a doctorate in sacramental theology from Institut Catholique of Paris and serves on the faculty of St. Meinrad School of Theology.