RCIA Renewal in Our Diocese

On the First Sunday of Lent, we celebrated the Rite of Election at St. Mary’s Cathedral. It is an annual celebration in which the catechumens from our parishes across the diocese are publicly enrolled as the elect, who will continue their faith journey to the Easter Vigil, where they will receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.

​This year, the catechumens were not only from many of our urban parishes, but we also witnessed eight more parishes participating, some small and rural, and several who came for the first time in many years.

In the last few years, we have seen an increase in those who are coming to our parishes, especially young adults, on a personal journey of faith, which has led them to seek Baptism and communion with the Catholic Church. This is a phenomenon that is being witnessed around the world, especially in the traditional Christian countries of Europe and North America. In our own Diocese, this year we experienced a nine percent increase in the number of catechumens who attended the Rite of Election compared to last year. More than 400 will be baptized in our parishes at the Easter Vigil, with hundreds more making their profession of faith, and being confirmed and receiving the Eucharist.

What is contributing to this growing spiritual trend? What are the reasons that the young, the old, and families who are not yet Christians are opening their hearts to the Holy Spirit and being converted to the Lord? It is truly the grace of God at work. It is the initial conversion of being called away from a way of life that is not leading to authentic human fulfillment, of truth and meaning, into the mystery of God’s love revealed in Christ, experienced in community and in the sacraments of the Church.

I would like to believe that the Renewal priorities that are being embraced and implemented in our parishes throughout the Diocese are contributing to these tangible signs of growth and spiritual renewal. The more we become a Church of encounter and witness, committed to the formation of missionary disciples, the more we will need to strengthen the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to meet the growing number of people requesting initiation into the life of Christ through our parishes.

Endorsed by the ancient practice of the Church, a catechumenate that would be suited to contemporary missionary activity in all regions was widely requested such that the Second Vatican Council decreed its restoration, revision, and adaptation to local traditions (ref. Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy SC nos. 64-66, Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity AG no. 14, Decree on the Pastoral Office of the Bishops CD no. 14).

In this ongoing spirit of restoration and revision, a working group has been mandated in the Diocese to assess the current catechumenate RCIA practices in our parishes with a mandate to develop a unified diocesan approach to Christian initiation; to strengthen catechetical, liturgical, and pastoral practices; to explore the adoption of a year-round evangelization; a deeper collaboration of parishes through shared ministry; and how to ensure that the newly initiated into the Catholic faith are well integrated into parish life and ongoing formation.

The Diocesan RCIA Renewal Timeline is as follows:

• Phase I (January – May 2026) – Survey to assess the current RCIA practices across the Diocese to identify strengths, pastoral challenges, and opportunities for renewal, ensuring that the catechumenate is understood and offered as a process of integral formation in the Christian life.
• Phase II (June – December 2026) – Working group to discern and interpret the survey results in developing a diocesan RCIA Framework that would include guidelines, best practices, and resources for parishes.
• Phase III (January – December 2027) – Formation for clergy, RCIA leaders, and catechists in implementing the renewed diocesan RCIA Framework.
• Phase IV (Easter 2027) – Parish-wide implementation of the renewed diocesan RCIA Framework.

This assessment of the RCIA process in our parishes through the working group will examine the four distinct periods of initiation: evangelization and precatechumenate, the catechumenate, purification and enlightenment for the celebration of the sacraments of initiation, and the postbaptismal catechesis or mystagogy. This is all being undertaken to ensure that through our parishes, we are offering a strong and integrated path of Christian initiation into full communion with the Church in light of the increasing number of catechumens who are expressing the desire to become Catholic.

It is God’s grace that is drawing them to the Church, but our parish communities have a responsibility to form them in the way, the truth, and the life of Christ.

Photography: Bandi Szakony, for the Diocese of Calgary.

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Written by Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary

March 2, 2026