“The Christian initiation of these children requires both a conversion that is personal and somewhat developed, in proportion to their age, and the assistance of the education they need” (RCIA 253).  Therefore, the children must receive a suitable formation, including catechesis adapted to their spiritual progress.  The children must demonstrate that they are ready to receive the Sacraments, so they must understand what they are about to receive.

Some Very Basic and Brief Examples of Content for the Sacraments of Initiation, excerpts from the “Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation” (RCIA 189-205):

            Jesus gives us the Sacraments in order to continue His saving work on earth.  Through the Sacraments we receive God’s grace.  We receive God’s life, become children of God, and heaven opens to us through sanctifying grace.  In the Sacraments, we also receive a grace called actual grace which helps us to see and do the right things.  The Sacraments are like channels of grace flowing from Jesus on the cross, through the Catholic Church to each of us.

We are first given sanctifying grace in Baptism.  “In Baptism we use your gift of water, which you have made a rich symbol of the grace you give us in this Sacrament” (RCIA 311).  Baptism gives us new birth “through water and the Spirit”, where we truly become children of God.  We are “buried with Christ in the death of Baptism” and “rise also with Him to newness of life”.  All our sins are washed away, and Baptism opens the door to all of the other Sacraments.

In Confirmation we receive the Holy Spirit, thus more grace, in a fuller way through the laying on of hands and anointing of oil.  The Holy Spirit strengthens us to be active members of the Church and to be more like Christ.  Then we will be able to be good examples to others of what a Christian is.  As it says in the rite, through Confirmation we will be able to “build up the Body of Christ in faith and love” (RCIA.324).

The Eucharist, the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, feeds the life of Christ and His grace, dwelling within us, which was begun in Baptism.

Similarities between the RCIA and the Christian Initiation of Children:

• Like the adults, these children enter into a process that can sometimes take more      than a year until they receive the Sacraments.
• The process for children is marked by several liturgical steps, as is the process for adults.
• The liturgical rites for children are similar to the adult rites, including the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, the optional Rite of Election, the Penitential Rites or Scrutinies, and the Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation.
• The adults belong to a group of adults who are to receive their sacraments.  Likewise, the children should belong to a group of children who will be receiving the Sacraments with them.
•  Both adults and children receive the Sacraments at the Easter Vigil.

Differences between RCIA and the Christian Initiation of Children:

• For the children, “at the rites during the process of initiation it is generally preferable not to have the whole parish community present, but simply represented” with parents and sponsors present (RCIA 257).  This is to avoid having the children feel uncomfortable in the presence of a large group
• Parents play an active role along with the sponsors in the process, and parental permission is required for the children to be initiated.

Every year, thousands of children, seven years old and older, whom were not baptized as infants, receive the Sacraments of Initiation into the Catholic Church, including Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation.  The process for these children is very similar to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).  As a matter of fact, the rites for children can be found inside the RCIA book in a special section adapted for children called, “Christian Initiation of Children Who Have Reached Catechetical Age”.  So, instead of calling the process “RCIA for Children”, it’s more appropriately called, “Christian Initiation of Children”.

However, a trend that has been growing in recent years is the baptism of children who are no longer infants or babies. There are at least two reasons for this trend:

• There are a number of married couples who convert to the Catholic faith after first being motivated to explore spirituality as a result of having a child. As their child begins to mature into more complex cognitive development — around the age of 3 or 4 — they begin to feel a tug in their hearts that tells motivates them to explore spirituality for their children. As a result, when they join the community of faith, their children are typically baptized at the same time as they are.

• Some Catholic parents who have been lax in their attendance at Mass, even after the birth of a child, suddenly begin to feel a tug to provide spiritual direction to their child as he or she begins to mature, similar to the couples described above. They often return to consistent attendance at Mass, and this motivates them to have their children baptized.

Because of this trend, there has been an increasing desire to provide materials for the preparation of children to be baptized. Included as part of what is sometimes called the Rite Christian Initiation for Children (or RCIC), preparation for baptism is more properly understood as a version of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) modified to match the cognitive abilities of a child; some people also may refer to this perparation as the RCIA for Children.