As a seminarian, I spent a summer serving in a parish where the pastor would rush over after the early Mass on Sunday to turn on the TV. He enjoyed watching televangelist Robert Schuller. I was amazed at the building where Dr. Schuller preached, the “Crystal Cathedral” in Orange, California. Years later, Dr. Schuller’s foundation had to sell the building. The Catholic Diocese of Orange bought the property for its new cathedral. I went to see it on my vacation, though I could not get inside the main building. Renovation is going on to make it usable for Catholic liturgies, and “Christ Cathedral,” as it is now called, will open next year.
Dr. Schuller’s ministry had some very good points, but there was something missing. As we read the “Bread of Life Discourse” from John’s gospel these Sundays, we know that the most important additions to the building are the Altar and the Tabernacle. That takes what is good and gives it the fullness of God’s grace. The Diocese of Orange is also taking an independent building and a ministry that lasted a few short years and is connecting it to a worldwide Communion that has an unbroken tradition covering 2,000 years.
In a sense, we do the same thing with people. We will soon again begin a new session of the RCIA, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. The RCIA is to welcome new members into the Catholic Church, though we also use it to complete the initiation of those who have not received the Sacrament of Confirmation or who never made their First Communion. The key part of the transformation of the “Christ Cathedral” in California is the installation of the Altar for the Eucharist. The Sacraments are at the center of our Catholic identity. That is why the RCIA is not so much a set of classes (although catechesis is vital to the process). The first word in the title, “Rite,” refers to the liturgical aspect. Despite the sessions at which we explain Catholic teaching, RCIA is not academic. Our goal is to help people to encounter the living Christ.
My pastor from that summer assignment recognized the good of what was proclaimed at the Crystal Cathedral, even as he saw where that particular ministry did not have the fullness of what we celebrate. It is little wonder, then, that I thought of him as I saw the plans for the building’s renovation. Similarly, we do not judge anyone who comes to the RCIA. We recognize that some have come from other Christian communities, while others have not had any religious backgrounds. We affirm the good in them, but we offer them something more in uniting them to the Church and the Sacraments. That is why the first stage of RCIA is “Inquiry,” where people are free to explore whether they want to join the Church without pressure.
If you know of anyone who is interested in joining the Catholic Church or at least in considering the possibility, or who needs to complete the Sacraments of Initiation, or even someone who wants a chance to learn more about the faith, feel free to see me, call me at the rectory or email me at FatherH@comcast.net.
Father H
