Our Lady of the Atonement
Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life…” (John 14:6).
The purpose of the Inquiry Class is to help those considering entering into full communion or returning to full communion with the Catholic Church to understand the basics of what the Catholic Church teaches and why. It is also suitable for Catholics already in full communion as a way to brush up on their faith.
The Inquiry Class goals are to guide each interested person to understand and embrace the Catholic Way, the Fullness of Truth, and the Sacramental Life of the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.
The flow of Inquiry Class lessons is designed to explain the basic elements of the Catholic faith and to show how they all fit together. Lessons begin by discussing truth, authority, the deposit of faith, and sources of God’s revelation to man. Salvation history is discussed in light of Creation and the fall of man. Special emphasis is placed on the Sacraments of the Catholic Church and the meaning of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Other topics include the tenets of the Creed, the moral life and its social implications, prayer and the spiritual life and the last things (death, judgment, heaven and hell).
While this Inquiry Class serves the same purpose at Our Lady of the Atonement parish, it differs from the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) in some ways. Divine Worship does not provide Ordinariate formulae for the RCIA's rites, which only returned to use in the Catholic Church within the last half-century. Our inquiry program contains the same basic introduction to the faith but it is not linked to the liturgical year and does not follow the same progression through a series of rites as the RCIA.
The Inquiry class is a one semester, 18-lesson program which presents the breadth of the Catholic faith based on the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church and Sacred Scripture. It is offered once in the fall and then repeated again each spring. The Inquiry Class offers faithful mentors from Our Lady of the Atonement for any non-Catholic attendee to walk in faith and be available for questions and answers. After prayer and discernment, in God’s time, the non-Catholic attendee will be prepared to make a profession of faith followed by the required Sacraments in order to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church.
Spring 2025 Inquiry Class Schedule
Please feel free to contact [email protected] for more information.