During this time we are unable to join together to celebrate our Catholic faith, we can share time in prayer, praise and worship from our homes. We pray the following resources will bring you comfort drawing closer to God and our faith as we await the day we can reunite in the Celebration of the Eucharist. 

Online Mass:

allsaintscnc.org/mass	Facebook Livestream

Holy Week Activities:

Palm Sunday is the final Sunday of Lent, the beginning of Holy Week and commemorates the triumphant arrival of Christ in Jerusalem, days before he was crucified.

• How to have a Palm Sunday Procession at home
• Discuss the meaning of Palm Sunday at Home

Holy Thursday commemorates the institution of Holy Mass and priesthood by Jesus at the Last Supper. Jesus famously washed the apostle’s feet, celebrated the first mass during the Passover and then prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. 

• Participate in washing one another's feet & reflect on the Gospel of John
• Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
• Participate in the Visitation of the Seven Churches

We remember the unconditional love of Jesus on Good Friday when we share in the Celebration of the Lord's Passion. 

• Family Stations of the Cross
• Virtual Stations of the Cross
• Good Friday Household Celebrations & Reflection Questions
• Make Hot Cross Buns and eat them on Easter to mark the end of Lent

Holy Saturday marks the end of Lent. It is traditionally a Day of Silence and reflection. We commemorate Jesus body in the tomb and his descent among the dead. The day ends with the Easter Vigil, the most solemn liturgy of the Church calendar.

• Family reflections on the stone
• Preparing a sacred space for Easter
• Create a paschal candle, then light it outside at 8:00 PM as you turn off the lights in the house. Slowly, bring the light of Jesus into your home to dispel the darkness. 

He is alive! He is risen from the dead! Go and tell the others! All are words of faith, hope and love and the joy of the resurrection and Easter.

• Easter Sunday Family Sunrise Service
• Easter Sunday Reflection
• Easter Egg Hunt adapted for COVID-19

Daily Readings:

• Free online Magnificat: us.magnificat.net/free
• USCCB Bible: usccb.org/readings

Do you BELIEVE? Maybe it's time to BELONG.

If you've been coming to Mass for a while and want to learn more about the Catholic faith, we invite you to learn what Catholics believe in an open and welcoming environment. Perhaps you have a Catholic spouse or fiancee and you want to learn more about their faith. Maybe you'd like to reconnect with your Catholic faith and the sacraments. Info: faithform@allsaintsccnc.org

ABOUT the Rite of Christian Initiation:

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops describes the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults as a process in which participants "undergo…conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and receive the sacraments…The RCIA process follows the ancient practice of the Church and was restored by the Second Vatican Council as the normal way adults prepare for baptism."

Likewise, the language used in the RCIA process is that of the early Church formation programs. Catechumens are those people who are seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church through all of the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation. Candidates are people who have been baptized in a Christian tradition but are seeking initiation into the Catholic Church through Eucharist and Confirmation.

All are Welcome!

RCIA is a process of study, exploration, faith-sharing, and faith formation with specific liturgical rites for seekers and inquirers. Seekers and inquirers are non-baptized adults who desire to be fully initiated into the Roman Catholic Church and/or baptized adult Christians who desire full communion in the Roman Catholic Church.

Adults or older children who have not been baptized and desire to join the Church are invited into the ancient celebration of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. During this process, which is marked by regular ritual acts, participants are introduced to the liturgy, the teachings, and the life of the Catholic Church.

Adults or older children who were baptized in another Christian denomination prepare in a similar way for the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist during their reception into the Catholic Church.

RCIA Team

People journeying through the RCIA process need sponsors and community support to help them grow in faith. The RCIA team of sponsors help guide, support and instruct those discerning whether to become members of our Catholic community. Team members share their faith with inquiring adults who are seeking more information about the Catholic Church, many of whom seek to celebrate one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.

For more information on Becoming Catholic contact:

Meredith Drescher 
faithform@asccnc.org

Pope’s Prayer to Mary during coronavirus pandemic:

O Mary,
you always shine on our path
as a sign of salvation and of hope.

We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who at the cross took part in Jesus' pain, keeping your faith firm.

You, Salvation of the Roman People, know what we need,
and we are sure you will provide
so that, as in Cana of Galilee,
we may return to joy and to feasting after this time of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love,
to conform to the will of the Father and to do as we are told by Jesus, who has taken upon himself our sufferings and carried our sorrows to lead us, through the cross, to the joy of the resurrection. Amen.

Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial, but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

What Is RCIA?

The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, or RCIA, is a communal process for formal initiation of new members into the Catholic Church. This process is a return to the formation of the earliest members of the Church in the first and second centuries.
 

Interested in finding out more about RCIA? 
click here