RCIA: The Day of Initiation

Rev. Randy Stice

Father Randy Stice is the Director of the Office of Worship and Liturgy for the Diocese of Knoxville, TN. He holds an STL in Systematic Theology from Mundelein Seminary and an MA in Liturgy from the Liturgical Institute.

He served as a parochial vicar, a pastor, and from 2017 to 2020 was the Associate Director of the Secretariat of Divine Worship at the USCCB.

He has published several articles and is the author of three books: Understanding the Sacraments of Healing (LTP, 2015), Understanding the Sacraments of Vocation (LTP, 2016) and Understanding the Sacraments of Initiation (LTP, 2017).

Register Now!

Course Description

The Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist “form a single saving event — called ‘Christian initiation’ — in which we are inserted into Jesus Christ, who died and rose, and become new creatures and members of the Church” (Pope Francis). This course looks in detail at the single saving event of the Sacraments of Initiation as celebrated at the Easter Vigil. It employs the method of mystagogical catechesis proposed by Pope Benedict XVI in Sacramentum Caritatis (no. 64) that consists of three elements: the Old Testament roots of each sacrament, the meaning of the signs of the rites, and “the significance of the rites for the Christian life in all its dimensions.”

Class 1: Pope Benedict XVI’s Model for Mystagogical Catechesis

Class 2: Baptism: Adopted Child of God

Class 3: Confirmation: Personal Pentecost

Class 4: Eucharist: Mutual Abiding

Class 5: The Easter Vigil: One Great Saving Event