Where Does Someone Go Who Has Questions About God, or Who Wants to Become a Catholic?    Or Who Has Questions About Mary?     or about Prayer?     or about Sin?

We Catholic Christians have many answers to those questions.     We may seek out one of our priests or deacons, or another parish minister, or we may just turn to another believer.  We might even turn to a family member or a friend.      Maybe we even seek the intercession of some Saint or we go directly to God in prayer for an answer to our question.

But where does someone go, who does not belong to a Community of Faith?    Many of those seek out a friend or neighbor or co-worker.    This often is the first step in wanting to learn more about what we Catholic Christians believe, and perhaps is even the first step in wanting to join the Catholic Christian Community.     Such inquirers are usually invited to join others who have similar questions.     These people are called "Inquirers", and they meet with some members of our Catholic Parish Community to seek answers to their questions.     They also meet to learn about what the Catholic Christian Church does and does not believe.      Those helping to supply answers are dedicated parishioners and even clergy, and are known as the parish "RCIA TEAM".     

This first, informal step is the beginning of an initiation process and is known as "Precatechumenate" or "Inquiry Stage", because it precedes the decision and commitment that people in the "Catechumante" are called to make.     This "Precatechumenate" is a time of inquiry.    It may be a short time or a period of many months or even years.     It is all up to the inquirer.    It is also called the "Period of Evangelization" because in this time frame we tell the Good News that we have to share, viz., the Catholic Christian Faith as it is lived in the Catholic Christian Church.     We tell it through the great stories of Scripture, through the history and the tradition of the Catholic Christian Community, and through lives of ordinary parishioners.     And, because the questions, that urged the inquirers to learn more about God and His Church, are signs of God already present and active in the lives of the inquirers, we listen too and help the inquirers see how God has always been with them and where God is leading them.

NB:    We Catholics during the past few centuries usually did not refer to ourselves as "Catholic Christians", but rather just as plain, ole "Catholics".      However, today many Christians do not think of us as believing in Christ or in His Good News.     In fact, many Christians are often surprised to hear that the Scriptures are proclaimed at Mass, or that Jesus is even referred to during the Mass.     For instance, many Conejo Valley ministers, who attended Monsignor Tommy's funeral and/or St. Max's Dedication, were surprised to hear so much reference to "Christ" or to even hear the "Scriptures" proclaimed.      In fact, they mentioned this after those celebrations.     Because of this false impression by so many, it is being encouraged to refer to ourselves as "Christians", for so indeed we are!