It is never too late to become Catholic!
Consider joining the Saint Cecilia Cathedral parish RCIA/OCIA process!
Experience the fullness of life and love in Jesus! Join us to learn all about the Catholic Faith and how the rich Tradition of the Church will strengthen your relationship with God and with others. Have you not been baptized and want to be? Are you baptized in another denomination and want to become Catholic? Are you Catholic but have never been fully initiated (Eucharist and Confirmation)? We are here to help you.
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Contact Deacon Jim Tardy at jgtardy@archomaha.com.
Past RCIA Members Inspire Us With Their Testimonies!
The first time I remember going to church it was in Spanish. As if going to church for the first time wasn’t confusing enough. Afterwards I went with my aunt and my grandma a couple of times. I liked it but I still didn’t understand. Then my mom started going to Alpha and stopped making food. Since I was hungry and too lazy to make my own food, I started coming to Alpha, and it was okay. But once RCIA started I actually started learning stuff at the basic level, which I needed. Slowly I learned about God and church; then I started a prayer life. After this my life got better because I started trying to see the world through God's eyes and how he thought of us. I am happy that I went to RCIA, even if it started out by being too lazy to cook my own food.
The first time I ever went to Catholic Church I hated it. It was so boring, and all the priests talked weird. Now, looking back 6 months later I couldn’t be happier with how my life changed. I see now that my life has more happiness. I learned through my experience with the church that I need to live my life and stop surviving through it. Next fall I am going to attend Mercy High school and I am so excited. I have so many memories in St. Cecilia Cathedral. I laughed there, I cried there, I felt pain, I’ve been bored, and so much more. It was definitely a part of God’s plan for me to be baptized and confirmed at St. C. I am so glad that I got, and get, to explore my faith in St. Cecilia Cathedral church.
I started to attend RCIA class to learn more about the Catholic faith. My daughter attended St. Cecilia’s school and joined the church through school. I simply wanted to learn more about her faith and didn’t intend to convert. From the first night of RCIA I was hooked. Our teacher explained the purpose of Mass and the liturgies. Finally, I found a church that focuses on worship in a way that feels like being in the Divine Presence. As the year of RCIA continued, it became clear that the Catholic faith was an answer to my prayers for the last 10 years. All my questions about the divinity of Christ and the Trinity were answered. As I read and learned, I felt like I was reading the Bible for the first time and passages that formerly were confusing became clear. I am so thankful that God called me to the Church!
When I started going to RCIA I was just looking to reconnect with God. I was at a low spot in my life and needed to find something. I have come to find a family that I will always cherish. And friend in Christ who I can share my struggles with. I believe God helped me to find this RCIA class and I thank them for all their help along the way.
While driving recently, I put on my prescription sunglasses and was rewarded with a view that was in focus, clear, and bright. Joining RCIA this year provided a similar improvement with my spiritual view of the world. Through the lens of the Church's teachings I have a new outlook on big questions that affect us all. Thank you to the Saint Cecilia's team who became the opticians who helped us see the big picture of the Holy Church.
RCIA has given me what I’ve always longed for: Truth. Any and all misconceptions I had regarding Catholicism were finally cleared up through RCIA. The beauty of Catholicism shows not only in the Cathedral’s architecture, but also in her teachings. Every class presented me with a deeper and fuller understanding of Christ and His Church, even when I had thought I had known it all. I’ve now realized and accepted that I will never know it all on this side of heaven, making this journey all the more wonderful and vibrant. I loved being intellectually fed through RCIA; and now to be able to be fed by the Eucharist, is a love I cannot fathom. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would become a Catholic, but now I couldn’t dream of being anything else; and I have RCIA to thank for that.
I was raised in a more Lutheran setting as a child and then went away from the church in my early teens. I was off- and on-again from there. I returned to interdenominational church in my mid-thirties as a musician on the worship team and enjoyed that, but still did not feel in my place. When I met my now-wife I began attending Catholic Mass at St. Cecilia, and once I got used to the grand building itself, I realized that this service, this way of worship, really spoke to me in a way that no other had. RCIA has opened a great world for me and helped me to understand the Mass and the Catholic religion in a way that strengthens what was already speaking to me. Where I was unsure before in my faith, I now have a clearer sense of what I believe. I always felt a little silly praying. No more. I have new found relationships in the parish and with my fellow RCIA teammates that I really treasure.
My journey coming in to the faith has been rewarding and a long time coming. I was originally baptized Catholic but was never confirmed. For me, going through Alpha first and then RCIA helped me in learning the fundamentals of the Christian faith which I was familiar with, but it was a pleasant review. Then transitioning into RCIA I learned of the Catholic Church’s teaching and practices. Deciphering the difference between capital and lowercase T tradition as well as learning about the authority of the church have enhanced the Mass I experience each week. I have learned the value of reflection with things like adoration and retreats. The friendships and experiences that I have gained through the Church have gone beyond the RCIA program and have been very rewarding.
I have always felt close to God. Knowing he was there for me, even if I was not listening spiritually. He really is the boss of you. Sometimes he had to be firm with me, and it would be hard coming back from what I thought was the right decision. I am so thankful that I was able to learn more about Jesus, Church and the Catholic life in RCIA. The support given by the church to help me upon my path to being confirmed has been beyond anything I could have expected!