The beliefs of the Catholic Church and her beautiful teachings are consistent through the ages.
We believe that human beings were created by God in love and that everything God creates is good and created out of love. While we have the capacity for sin, the Church believes in the dignity of the human person above all else.
We also believe that goodness infuses all of God’s wondrous creation. All creation, made by God, reflects that goodness. Catholics see the world and its beauty, renewed by the Incarnation, as sacramental – speaking of God’s goodness and love.
We believe in stewardship. Everything is given to us by God and our Catholic responsibility is to share our time, talent and treasure with those around us.
We believe in the Holy Trinity, that God has revealed himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – a communion of knowledge and love – has created us to share in that life.
We believe in community and a living Church – believers are a part of the living Body of Christ and, as such, we are a reflection of the communal nature of the Trinity.
We believe that God loved his creation so much that he became human in the person of Jesus to walk among us.
We believe in the communion of the saints – models of faith who help us and guide us in our daily lives.
We believe in Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection, and we hope that one day we will rise to new life with him.
Becoming Catholic today means joining an ancient faith, deeply rooted in the teachings and traditions of Christ, that is filled with hope and vibrancy as we continue to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all the ends of the earth.
The journey to becoming a Catholic is called The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adult (RCIA).
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) Welcome to our Faith community!
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is the entry point for many into our faith community and goes back to the very beginning of the Church. In the first several centuries A.D., new believers (seekers) entered into a type of apprenticeship. As an apprentice, a seeker would be gradually brought into the Church through relationships that they had with members of the Christian community. They would be encouraged to watch and learn how to be a Christian. In those days it could take many years before a “seeker” was fully brought into the Church. The apprenticeship model disappeared about 1500 years ago when Christianity became the official religion of the Roman Empire and the practice of “Infant Baptism” was instituted.
In 1962, Pope John XXIII convened a council of church leaders, (Cardinals, Bishops, Advisors, Experts) the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II), with the purpose of bringing “fresh air”’ and fresh ideas into the Church. One of the outcomes of Vatican II was a call for the reinstitution of the apprenticeship model of the early church for adults seeking initiation into the Catholic Church. The answer to that call was the institution of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
RCIA is a process, conducted in the context “apprenticeship”; learning about the faith is important, however, the primary goal of RCIA is to learn how to be a Christian and be fully incorporated into the Body of Christ - the Church. It is a pathway that leads to a deeper and stronger connection to Jesus Christ and demonstrates how gospel values and the truths of the faith may be lived out. The duration of the process will depend on the individual Catechumen (an un-baptized person) or Candidate (a baptized person who is not fully initiated as a Catholic). Catechumens and Candidates are mentored throughout the process by a team of catechists, sponsors and our entire faith community here at Prince of Peace.
It makes no difference if you have been raised in another denomination, have no church affiliation or experience or even if you were never baptized. You may have started out Catholic but never completed your initiation with the Sacraments of Eucharist and Confirmation. RCIA is the process by which we welcome and prepare adults to fully enter the Catholic faith.”
WELCOME TO PRINCE OF PEACE; WELCOME TO THE CATHOLC CHURCH!
For additional information contact the Parish Office at (360) 275-8760 / parishoffice@stgabepop.org
Prayer of the seeker – Thomas Merton
My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going.
I do not see the road ahead of me.
I cannot know for certain where it will end.
Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that
I think I am following Your will does not mean that I am
actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You
does in fact please you.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.
I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire.
And I know that, if I do this, You will lead me by the right road,
though I may know nothing about it.
Therefore I will trust You always though I may seem to be lost
and in the shadow of death.
I will not fear, for You are ever with me,
and You will never leave me to face my perils alone.