• Purpose and Method

• Part I: Personal Backgrounds and Histories

• Part II: Motivation and Decision to Take Part

• Part III: After Initiation

• Part IV: Specifics of the RCIA

• Part V: Evaluation of the RCIA

• Part VI: Breakdowns by Gender, Age, Race, and Education

• Addendum: Detailed Responses

Purpose and Method

The RCIA participants' survey was done to gather reliable information helping RCIA leadership in planning the future. In 1997 I worked with the Rev. John Hurley of the N.C.C.B. Committee on Evangelization in designing a nationwide evaluation study of the RCIA. I proposed a two-stage survey in which we would talk or write to persons while they are in the RCIA program, then again two years later to ask their attitudes toward the RCIA and see if they are still active Catholics. The design included a control group of adults entering the Church via an inquiry class. This full-blown design proved impossible due to high cost, so we abandoned the two-stage design and concentrated all our resources on a mail survey of person who had finished the RCIA several years earlier. In 1997 we carried out a pretest in Washington area parishes.¹ Then with financial support from the National Conference of Catholic Bishops we proceeded with the national survey in 1998.

We divided the RCIA programs into two types so we could compare them: (a) full programs, including mystagogia, which we called "Full Programs," and (b) programs which ended at initiation, without mystagogia, which we called "Short Programs." (Mystagogia is the period of training after the person has been confirmed in the Easter vigil.)

The Rev. Hurley agreed to gather the names of RCIA participants. He worked with Sr. Ann Rehrauer, OSF, Sr. Maureen Shaughnessy, SC, and Sr. Sheila O'Dea, RSM, to gather lists of names from RCIA regional consultation meetings between December 1997 and November 1998. We were intent on getting a representative sample of programs and comparable samples from Full Programs and Short Programs, so the Rev. Hurley used a quota system to ensure representativeness. He got lists of names from parishes of eight types: City parish with school; city parish without school; suburban parish with school; suburban parish without school; multi-cultural parish; ethnic parish; rural parish;and campus parish. This selection method helped us obtain a maximally representative sample; a random sample was impossible to get due to problems of cooperation. We aimed for about 350 persons from Full Programs and 350 from Short Programs.

During 1998 and early 1999 we sent questionnaires to 845 persons in Full Programs and received 352 completed questionnaires. When we remove the approximately 15 percent which turned out to be bad addresses, the response rate was about 49 percent. We sent to 946 persons in Short Programs and received 348 completed questionnaires. When we remove the approximately 15 percent bad addresses, the response rate was about 44 percent. All questionnaires were in the English language.

The response rates were lower than we wanted. We tried to maximize the responses by mailing out two waves plus a reminder postcard, and we included a letter of endorsement by a bishop in our mailing. The low response rates open the possibility that our findings are biased. Based on other research experiences we believe that our respondents were better educated than average, more likely to be whites (Caucasians) than minorities, and more involved than average in parish life today. These are the categories of laypersons most likely to respond to surveys of this type.

When the data were analyzed we noted that we have few Latinos—only 2 percent of the sample. Why is this, when Latinos represent 25 to 30 percent of American Catholic laity today, and when we had included adequate numbers of ethnic parishes in our parish sample? Probably Latinos are under-represented in the RCIA classes, and in addition probably they are less willing to return questionnaires. Our advisors warned us from the beginning that Latinos would be less likely to return our questionnaires.

I have no doubt that our data are biased somewhat in that they include disproportionate number of whites, of persons well educated, and of persons active in Catholic parish life now. How much is the bias? There is no way to know. But the reader should keep in mind that some bias exists.

We should note here that about 75 percent of all Catholic parishes have some sort of RCIA program, as discovered by Murnion and DeLambo in a 1997 survey (Parishes and Parish Ministers, 1999). These researchers found that about 17 percent have a full-year model of the RCIA (including mystagogia), while 58 percent use a nine-month model. Also about 30 percent of Catholic parishes continue to use individual instruction as the preparation for entrance into the Church (though some parishes use both the RCIA and individual instruction). On average, between 8 and 9 adults are baptized or received each year, with whatever form of preparation is used (1999: 13). The Murnion-DeLambo survey agrees with all other reports we have heard, that the vast majority of the RICA programs are Short Programs, that is, they end after initiation without continuing into mystagogia.

Our efforts to gather names of adults who became Catholic via inquiry classes were unsuccessful. The Rev. Hurley tried contacting hundreds of parishes not using the RCIA program, but the level of cooperation was low, and we finally gave up. Hence we have no control group of persons who did not participate in the RCIA.

Let us be more specific about the persons we surveyed. We established a minimum age of 17 years, so anyone who was younger than 17 at the time of initiation was taken out of the sample. Also we decided that we wanted to survey persons from one to four years after their initiation. We thought that one year of time would be needed for a person to reflect on the experience. Therefore everyone who had been initiated for less than one year or more than four years was taken out of the sample. This left 616 persons.

In preliminary analysis we discovered that the responses of persons from Full Programs were virtually the same as those of persons from Short Programs. Therefore we saw no reason to keep the two separate, and we combined them. This is an initial finding of the research: the attitudes and experiences of participants in Full Programs and Short Programs were the same.

It seemed useful to distinguish the three main types of persons who participated in the RCIA. The questionnaire asked each of the respondents which of three descriptions fit them: (1) I was never baptized, and now I celebrated Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist; (2) I was already baptized in another Christian community, and now I celebrated Confirmation and Eucharist; or (3) I was already baptized in the Catholic church, and now I celebrated Confirmation and/or Eucharist. These three types of persons, whom we call type 1, type 2, and type 3, came to the RCIA with different motivations, hence we decided to divide the total sample into the three types. We had 155 who were never baptized (type 1), 377 who were already baptized in another Christian community (type 2), and 84 who were already baptized Catholic (type 3). They make up 25 percent, 61 percent, and 14 percent of the total sample, respectively.

Appended here is an Addendum showing the responses to all items in the questionnaire. Like the present report, it is organized in five parts: (1) Personal Backgrounds and Histories; (2) Motivation and Decision to Take Part; (3) After Initiation; (4) Specifics of the RCIA; and (5) Evaluation of the RCIA.

We need to make three points of clarification so that readers will not misread the Addendum. First, small differences between numbers in the columns should be ignored, since the differences may be the result of random fluctuations in sampling and not true differences between persons of different types. As a rule of thumb, differences of less than 9 percentage points between columns are too small to be reliable.

Second, some items in the questionnaires were intended to be answered only by subgroups, not the entire sample. For example, Question 5 asked the person if he or she was ever baptized prior to being in the RCIA. Then a second question followed, for all persons responding yes: "In which denomination or community?" When only a subgroup responded to a question, we show the number who responded in parentheses. The parentheses contain three numbers telling how many cases are in the three subgroups in the table, for example (N= 107; 83; 48). When the number of cases goes down, the percentages become less precise and less reliable. But in every instance the percentages we report are for the persons answering the question, not the total sample.

Third, many questions in the questionnaire were open-ended, for example, Question 38: "What changes would you recommend making in the RCIA, and why?" Most of the respondents wrote in ideas and opinions. On these open-ended questions we took an initial sample of 75 cases and typed out all the responses, then constructed numerical codes which captured the main themes. We then re-read all the questionnaires and assigned the codes to all the written-in ideas. The Addendum reports the results. Here we include typical written-in comments which exemplify the most prominent themes. Readers should remember that this method of reporting results is the best available, yet it is imprecise. That is, our report correctly conveys the major attitudes and opinions, but it is weak in assessing specific ideas and minority opinions.³


Part I: Personal Backgrounds and Histories

Age, Gender, Race, and Education

The ages of RCIA participants at the time of initiation ranged from 17 to 84, with an average of 37 years. Type 2 (baptized in another denomination) had the oldest persons, averaging 39.4, and type 3 (already baptized Catholic) had the youngest, averaging 32.1. Sixty-four percent were female, and this was higher in type 3, which was 71 percent female. In sum, type 3 is the youngest and with the highest percentage female. (Details are in the Addendum, pages A-1 and A-2.)

Eighty-six percent were white (Caucasian), 8 percent were African-American, 2 percent were Latino, and 4 percent were Asian. The low percent Latinos surprised us. The three types varied. For some reason type 3 (baptized Catholic) was the least white (77 percent); it contained 8 percent Latinos and 8 percent Asians. We are unsure why.

Educational levels varied widely, but most RCIA participants were well educated. Overall, 52 percent had a college degree or more, while 14 had a high school diploma or less. Twenty-one percent had a graduate or professional degree. For some reason type 2 participants (baptized in another denomination) had more education than the other types. Fifty-seven percent of them had a college degree or more, compared with 40 percent of type 1 and 49 percent of type 3. Type 1(never baptized) was clearly the least educated of the three.

Duration of the RCIA

The respondents reported participating in the RCIA for a median (the 50th percentile) of about 8 1/3 months prior to their initiation. The length of time varied greatly from 3 months to 14 or more. After initiation the length of time again varied. Of all those who participated after initiation, the median length of time was 2 months. But some met for a longer time; 21 percent reported some meetings over a period of six months after initiation.

Marriage and Children

The majority of the RCIA participants are now in their first marriage—58 percent of the total, 58 percent of type 1, 60 percent of type 2, and 49 percent of type 3. Another 13 percent are in their second marriage. Fourteen percent were never married (but many more in type 3—31 percent). (Q12, p. A-2.) In general, RCIA participants are married persons, especially those never baptized and those baptized in another denomination.

How long have these people been married in their current marriage? It varied greatly, but the median was 9 years. Persons of type 3 were married for a shorter time than the others. Thirty-six percent of type 3 were married 2 years or less, compared with 15 percent of type 1 and 11 percent of type 2. At the other extreme, 24 percent of type 1, 34 percent of type 2, and 15 percent of type 3 were married 15 years or more. To sum up, type 3 (persons already baptized Catholic) contains a disproportionate number of younger, unmarried and recently married persons, largely female.

Did the participants have children, either natural or adopted? Yes, 71 percent did. (Q15, p. A-3 in the Addendum). Type 2 (baptized in another denomination) included more people with children than the other types—77 percent, compared with 65 percent of type 1 and only 56 percent of type 3. Were the children of any particular age? No, they were of all ages.

Were any of the children initiated at the same time as the parent? Not many. Only 14 percent of the persons with children said that any of their children were initiated at the same time.

We were interested in the influence of marriage on the decisions of these persons to participate in the RCIA, so we asked more questions. First, what was the persons' own religious preference at the time of their current marriage? As we might expect, the majority of type 2 (baptized in another denomination) were not Catholic at the time of the marriage—72 percent. Almost half of type 1 (never baptized) were Catholic at the time of their marriage—44 percent. It surprised us that only 77 percent of type 3 (baptized Catholic) said they were Catholic at the time of their marriage; the rest were in various Protestant churches at the time.

What was the religion of their current spouse at the time of the marriage? The vast majority of spouses were Catholic—83 percent. Most of the rest were Protestant. Only about 4 percent of the spouses had no religion or were atheists. (Q13, p. A-4)

Do their spouses attend church now? Yes, the majority do. Fifty-five percent attend weekly, and another 22 percent attend twice a month or more. But the church attendance of the spouses of type 3 is much lower than the others; only 29 percent of those spouses attend weekly. This leads me to conclude that type 3 persons were less influenced by church-going spouses than the others.

Possibly some of the RCIA participants who were now single were engaged to be married or were thinking of marrying a particular person soon. We asked. Yes, this was true of 23 percent of unmarried persons of type 1, 16 percent of those of type 2, and 25 percent of those of type 3. Were the prospective spouses Catholic? In type 1, 80 percent were Catholic; in type 2 it was 75 percent, and in type 3, 50 percent. (Q14. p. A-5) Earlier we said that marriage was a major influence in bringing people to the RCIA, and now we can add that prospective marriage to a Catholic is an additional secondary influence.

Former Church

As we said, type 2 was composed of persons baptized earlier in another denomination. Which denomination? Most came from the largest Protestant denominations in America—Methodists, Baptists, and Lutherans. Only about 5 to 7 percent came from evangelical or pentecostal churches. (Q5, p. A-5)

Of the persons never baptized, 69 percent had attended Protestant churches in the past (69 percent). Of the persons baptized in another denomination, the vast majority (92 percent) had attended church elsewhere. Even among the persons already baptized Catholic, 52 percent had attended church in another denomination. Which denominations? All Protestant denominations were represented, with the largest groups having attended Baptist and Methodist churches. It seems that type 3 (persons already baptized Catholic) often had a history of inactivity in the Catholic church and experimentation elsewhere. (Q6, p. A-6)

Did these people drop out of active participation in another church for a period of time? Yes, the vast majority did—77 percent. Why? The reasons given were often vague, and we believe that the true motivations were mixed. We know that most of the dropping out, based on findings of other research, occurred during these people's late teens or early twenties. The three main reasons the respondents gave us were (a) left home or moved away from the family; (b) too busy, lack of interest, or bored; and (c) were alienated, dissatisfied, or disillusioned. These three ranked far higher than doubt, loss of faith, or disagreement with church teachings. (Q6, p. A-6)


Part II: Motivation and Decision to Take Part

Here we look at the histories of the participants before the RCIA, including their reports on why they began the RCIA. We asked, "Did you attend Catholic Mass before beginning the RCIA?" Eighty-nine percent said yes. How long? Usually 4 years or less. Fifty-five percent said 3 years or less. (Q21, p. A-7; the figures are approximate because some persons wrote in "periodically.") At the other extreme, about 17 percent had attended ten years or more.

Did the parish staff and parishioners make them feel welcome in the parish, or not? Yes, they did in almost every case. Ninety-six percent of the persons said so.

Did the person have to wait for a while before he or she could join the RCIA? Not many. Only 18 percent said yes. How long did they have to wait? The median time was 3 months. Apparently a few had to wait a long time; 7 percent reported waiting 10 months or more. (Q8, p. A-7)

Deciding to Participate

"Had you thought about becoming a Catholic for some years before you started the RCIA?" This question applied mainly to types 1 and 2 participants (that is, people not yet baptized Catholic). Of the type 1 persons, 91 percent said yes, and of the type 2 persons, 88 percent said yes. (Q16, p. A-7) How long a time? The median response was 4 or 5 years. Some waited longer. Of type 1 and 2 persons, 36 percent said it was for more than 5 years.

"Were there persons who influenced you to begin the RCIA?" Eighty-seven percent said yes. Who? We inquired if they were spouses, friends, priests, or someone else. The most common responses were "more than one person" (128 persons); "my spouse" (101 persons); a friend, co-worker, or neighbor (82 persons); a family member or relative (66 persons); and a member of the parish (37 persons). (Q17, p. A-7)

Then we asked, "Were there specific events in your life or family which influenced you to start the RCIA?" Seventy percent said yes. What events? Here are the top six:

For children; influenced by my children For family or family unity Had spiritual need; looking for deeper meaning in life; looking for direction My health problem; a family member's illness or death Impending marriage Had a religious experience

91 persons 56 persons 56 persons 48 persons 43 persons 37 persons

As we might expect, "for family or family unity" was much more important for persons not baptized Catholic (types 1 and 2) than for type 3. By contrast, "had spiritual need" was more important in influencing type 3 persons to participate. (Q18, p. A-8)

Here are typical descriptions of events related to family life:

When I had my first child, we baptized her and I decided to be confirmed and get our marriage blessed.

My 7-year-old was just starting religion class, and I wanted to answer questions about church from her.

Becoming a father figure for my step-son.

My daughter was attending the local Catholic school and I felt I should be a good example to her.

Contemplating marriage and the rearing of children. I want my children to have a spiritual home and learn through the structures that a parish provides.

My son was going to take First Communion.

When I became pregnant, I wanted my child to be brought up with a strong religious background.

My third child was born. I started the program so I could teach my children about God. I quickly realized this was a wrong reason. I was pleased to discover this.

My daughter started CCD in first grade. I thought I should get myself squared away. We had decided to raise our family Catholic before we got married.

Marriage. I knew I would want my children to be raised into the Catholic faith.

My daughter was marrying a Catholic and attended RCIA. I went with her.

My beloved father's illness.

The death of my mother-in-law.

I had a very hard time getting over my husband's death, so I thought this would help, and it did.

I retired from teaching, and then I broke my shoulder. Had time to think, and began the RCIA the next year.

I had a stroke about two years prior to the RCIA, and that changed my life.

I suffered my second miscarriage and needed God's support to go on. I needed answers.

Death of a very close friend (who was Catholic) who drew strength from his faith during his illness. And observing his family and friends pull together in faith. That inspired me.

My husband died, which left our family of four incomplete. I felt by becoming a Catholic our family could become more complete, by us all practicing the same faith.

I returned to college for post-graduate studies in a very hard curriculum. I had been attending Mass on campus. I would pray there for certain events in my life. I was extremely lonely, and it was a time for spiritual growth.

I felt that I was drifting away from God. After attending Mass with my mother, who is Catholic, I felt at home at church.

I had felt spiritually bankrupt after many years of not attending church. I had always been interested in becoming Catholic, but it wasn't until a personal crisis (job and money problems) that I pursued it.

I was attending RENEW and enjoying the fellowship. Also I felt lost, like I was missing something in my life.

Search for a deeper meaning to life other than my single self in the world, without moral purpose or conviction.

I had an experience with the Holy Spirit one day as I was attending to assist (I am a nurse) a woman who died in an automobile accident in front of my home.

While in college I went to a Catholic church just out of curiosity, and was overwhelmed by the beauty and dignity of it.

I attended the Good Friday service about five month before beginning RCIA. It was as if I had come home. It was a wonderful experience.

We went to Mass before a prep class for my daughter's baptism, and at Mass I had a feeling of peace and that I had found a home.

Koinonia—a weekend retreat.

Whenever I went to a Catholic Mass a warm glow engulfed my body, and I became very secure.

Attended a Catholic wedding.

A trip to Lourdes, France.

Here are the spiritual needs they described:

I had a void in my heart. Though I'd been attending Catholic Church for several years prior to the RCIA, I didn't feel whole. It is what I believed would complete my life. It did.

Feeling that all other avenues toward personal peace I had tried had failed, I turned toward God. I had felt blockage in other avenues for many years.

I felt lonely and incomplete. I've always felt peace and happiness when I was in a Catholic church. I needed the things only a Catholic church can provide—sacrament of confession and the sacrament of the Eucharist. It made me so much happier to know I was going to finally become a full Catholic.

I was feeling empty inside spiritually and longed to join the church for years, because I was drawn to it. Once I left home, got my mind together and matured, the same feeling was there.

Something was missing in my life. Returning to God and the church helped to fill that void.

I was looking for something different from the ways I had been. I searched for a supportive environment that didn't seem hostile.

I was looking for purpose in life. I had always achieved worldly success at school in through employment, but was never happy. I decided to start RCIA as a way to be connected to God and find deeper meaning in life.

I had been feeling the need to have a closer relationship with God and when I was asked to be a godmother, I knew God was calling me to that relationship.

I felt it was time to better my life and grow spiritually, also I wanted to be able to answer any religious questions my children may have.

I was lost spiritually. I was walking downtown during lunch time and came upon St. John's and went in and prayed during noon Mass. At that point I called Fr. O'Brien in my parish and asked if I could join RCIA.

I wished to open my heart, my life, and my world to the Lord and I felt that becoming Catholic would bring me to a position to achieve that.

The time was right for me. I had been searching for a place to belong and be comfortable, and I found it. It was needed for my personal growth and well-being.

I wanted a deeper spirituality and faith in my life. I wanted to learn to pray, and the people at my church were such strong examples of the Catholic faith that I had no difficulty with my decision. I was impressed with the convictions of the church on social issues. It seemed more in line with what Christ wants.

I had felt an emptiness in my life. When I would go to Mass prior to my initiation, I would watch the people accept the Eucharist, feeling incomplete. I always knew that there was something very special that I was missing, until the RCIA.

I felt that the Catholic Church had rules. Catholics take religion and the practice of faith very seriously. I wanted that.

If my children were going to be Catholic, I felt I should too. I also needed Christ back in my life.

The faith of my daughter changed the way I felt about almost everything, including the church. It became important to me that our family worship as one, united in one faith.

I went in order for my child to go to Catholic school, but after weeks in the class I realized that it was the most important thing I ever did.

I desperately needed religious instruction for my son and was told that one parent had to be Catholic. Since I was not an active member of any church, I thought it would be of no harm to start the class.

To become Catholic before I became a mother, so I could better understand Catholic faith and raise my children as Catholics.

We had a young child and wanted her to be raised in a Christian environment. We felt most comfortable in the Catholic Church.

I was inspired by my daughter's Catholic wedding. It was so sacred and beautiful.

I was attending Catholic churches for ten or so years and procrastinated regarding RCIA. However, when my son was born, I decided to make sure he got the religious background and support which I did not receive.

To make our family stronger and closer by bringing the church into our lives.

I felt a need to join the family together in one house of worship. Having two religions was confusing to the children.

I wanted to be a Catholic so I could be with my husband before something happened to either of us.

My two children were baptized Catholic and I went to church with them. I simply made it official. It is important for a family to worship together!

I wanted our family to go to church together and not to two separate churches. The parish I joined was the parish my husband had been a member at for thirty years, and he had gone to school there. We know our daughter would go to school there also. The church had always made me feel welcome even though I was not Catholic.

I wanted more structure in my spiritual life, and I wanted to become part of a loving community.

I wanted to become a full member of the community where I was attending church and have a strong faith relationship with my spouse.

I retired from my job and was home on Sunday and looking for a church home.

To have an involvement with a community at church.

While dating my present wife, I started attending Mass with her. I felt very comfortable in Mass, but left out, as I wasn't allowed to participate in the sacraments. After reading about the Catholic faith and talking to Catholics outside of my wife's circle, I decided on my own to begin RCIA.

Apparently parish publicity and networks of personal contacts provided adequate information about the RCIA.


Part III: After Initiation

Here we look at nine questions about the respondent's life since initiation. First, "After the RCIA was over (including the period of mystagogy), did any group of the initiates meet together, either formally or informally?" Fifty-four percent said yes. Type 3 persons reported the most—65 percent yes. What kind of meetings were they? Fifty percent of the persons reported "We had informal meetings or gatherings." The other comments were "We had formal meetings or devotional meetings" (27 percent); "We had both formal and informal meetings" (8 percent); "We see each other at Mass, before Mass, or after Mass" (7 percent); and "We met just for business" (7 percent). (Q10, p. A-10) Here are some typical descriptions of formal meetings:

A few others joined me in continuing to meet with our RCIA leader, sometimes four others, sometimes five.

We tried to start a Bible study group, but I guess it wasn't organized enough.

We met once a month for our own prayer sessions, discussion, and talk about changes in our lives.

A few of us joined the same small church community. Most of the others we don't see much if at all.

Once a month we have scripture reading, prayer, and social chat.

There were a few faith-sharing groups started up to accommodate everyone's schedule.

We formed a study group which included some of the initiates for the season of Lent, and we plan to form a small Christian community group.

Informally we met once with the present RCIA group and again at one year after our intitiation.

Some initiates became friends and would go out together, for dinner, drinks, etc.

We met several times for dinner or informally. Subsequently I have become close friends with one of my fellow initiates.

I invited them all to my wedding as a Catholic in a Catholic marriage.

We had a potluck dinner. Also we visit after Mass, only informally at the church steps.

Twice we had snack lunch together after 11 o'clock Mass on Sunday.

Each year a member would send letter invitations for a get-together.

In addition, a small number of persons listed teaching CCD, working in marriage preparation programs, or taking part in men's groups. Type 2 persons were the most active; 54 percent of them reported taking part in some ministry or committee, compared with 43 percent of type 1 and 43 percent of type 3. Earlier we saw that type 2 RCIA participants are the most loyal in recent Mass attendance, and here we see that the type 2 participants are also the most active in serving their parishes.

We asked, "In the last year have you participated in any spiritual group in the parish, such as Bible study, a prayer group, a faith sharing group, or any other?" Thirty-six percent said yes. (Q36, p. A-11) We found a large difference among the three types. Type 3 participants reported the most participation in spiritual groups (36 percent), while type 2 participants were lower (30 percent) and type 1 participants were the lowest (21 percent). Why is this? We speculate that type 3 participants took part in the RCIA relatively more often due to spiritual motives rather than family motives, and they continue to have spiritual motives impelling them to take part in spiritual groups afterward. This is speculation.


In which groups have they been active? The most common type was "faith sharing group, prayer group, or small Christian community," reported by 63 persons. Next most common was Bible study groups, reported by 42 persons. Also 23 persons said "more than one." A small number said they were in RENEW groups or rosary groups.

Evaluation of Parish Life

Were these RCIA veterans satisfied with life in their parishes? Yes. We asked, "What is your evaluation of parish life and activities in the parish you now attend?" The responses were positive; 56 percent said "very good," 31 percent said "moderately good," 4 percent said "moderately poor," and one percent said "very poor." Another 8 percent said they did not know. (Q37, p. A-11) When we asked them to explain their evaluations, 35 percent wrote in usable comments, most of which were positive. The main positive comments were:

A wide range of activities A strong sense of community Good priest

88 persons 46 persons 10 persons

The main negative comments were:

Few activities; too few classes Some "circles" or groups are too closed Too impersonal or too large

28 persons 8 persons 7 persons

Here are typical positive comments:

Anyone who wants to get involved can definitely do so in this parish, and is encouraged to do so. We have a wide-ranging and very active social ministry.

Most excellent. It is one of the most loving communities I have ever encountered.

We are a small parish filled with very special people who are all devoted to the faith and the reforms of Vatican II.

The people are greatest. I wouldn't go elsewhere.

Extremely warm, friendly. Many opportunities to get involved, some short-term, some requiring more commitment.

A variety of courses, programs for all-age and family-type members.

Strong social ministry keeping me going weekly, people very open, friendly, inclusive of all lifestyles

People very friendly in church and outside, readily help needy with food, like at Christmas.

Priests encourage participation, strong youth ministries

Wonderful, caring, spiritual parish that has been through difficult times and stronger since it is able to listen, support, care, and trust for all parishioners.

Our parish has a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds that all love to share what they have. We have a lot of fellowship and always large crowds at Masses and activities. Our priests know everyone. Something is always going on and anyone is welcome.

There really should be more community events. They have a basketball court in the hall, but it is never used. The children never have a chance to participate in organized athletic activities.

Since the change in the priest, attendance seems to be down and a lot of changes have been made. Too many at one time! We didn't have a choir for several weeks. Several people have moved to other churches.

It is an older parish. There is not much to do for younger couples.

I wish there were a pre-school or a "Mommy and me" group.

I would like to see more activities for single Catholic adults, such as Bible studies, faith sharing groups, etc. Sometimes it can be a bit intimidating being surrounded by married couples.

Since I participated on a limited basis, it's not fair that I judge, however it is my impression that we need to reach out more to the community, both Catholic and non-Catholic.

I wish we would as a church have more community projects.

Our parish is spread out a lot. Many times we meet only on Sundays. There is a core group of people who are active, but more parishioners are only around once a week.

We have a large church, but only few do the work. There are opportunities for many, but they don't come forward. After Mass each Sunday we have a small reception hosted by a different ministry; this seems to be helping with awareness.

The main suggestions are in the direction of more openness to people, more efforts to reach out to new people and welcome them, more participation in parish life, and sponsoring more classes and religious education opportunities. The social aspects and community aspects of parish received the most emphasis.


Part IV: Specifics of the RCIA

This section looks at five questions we asked about the RCIA program, specificially about the timing of initiation, the size of the class, the sponsor, and the rituals in the RCIA process.

First we asked, "Were you initiated at the Easter vigil, or at some other time?" By far the most said they were initiated at the Easter vigil—93 percent.

"Were other adults initiated at the same time when you were?" Ninety-six percent said yes. How many? The responses ranged from 1 to 54, but the vast majority (61 percent) said there were between 5 and 15. The median class size (including everyone, even persons who were initiated alone) was 10 persons besides the respondent.

Two questions asked about the sponsor. First, "Who selected your sponsor?" The most common answer was "myself," reported by 41 percent. Thirty-five percent reported "the RCIA staff." Third most common was "by a parish member, or through the church," reported by 16 percent. The rest of the sponsors were selected by family members, relatives, or friends.

"What was your sponsor's relation to you? Spouse, relative, friend, or none of these?" (Q25, p. A-13) The main responses were:

Friend, co-worker, acquaintance, or neighbor Other person in the parish A stranger My spouse A family member or relative

165 persons 138 persons 127 persons 75 persons 74 persons

Most of the sponsors were either friends or other persons in the parish (probably selected by the RCIA staff). Thirteen percent were spouses, and 12 percent were family members.


Part V: Evaluation of the RCIA

Most RCIA participants liked the experience. We asked all the participants to rate nine aspects of the RCIA using four responses: "very adequate," "somewhat adequate," "not adequate," or "no opinion." The chart below shows the percentage saying "very adequate" for the nine aspects, which are arranged from highest to lowest rating. Percent saying "very adequate":

Helping me grow close to God and experience conversion Helping me feel a part of parish life and mission Providing answers to questions I had about the Catholic faith The opportunity to discuss all my concerns The value of group sharing times My gain in knowledge of Catholic sacraments and prayer My gain in knowledge of Catholic teachings The value of group prayer times My gain in knowledge of the Bible

77 74 74 73 67 67 64 63 37

The most-appreciated parts of the RCIA were the experiences of spiritual growth and incorporation into parish life. Almost as highly appreciated were getting answers to questions the persons had about the Catholic faith and having opportunities to discuss all of their concerns. Group sharing and group prayer came a bit lower. The elements rated as least adequate had to do with gaining new knowledge, especially new knowledge of the Bible. (Q26, pp. A-14,15) Possibly many of the RCIA leaders did not see this as a high priority and did not emphasize it. But apparently some of the participants wanted more.

The above chart does not show it, but type 1 participants (never baptized) rated the RCIA higher than the others. The evaluations of types 2 and 3 were similar to each other. We speculate that persons who were never baptized probably had less religious involvement in their earlier lives, thus they enjoyed the greatest gains in understanding and knowledge in the RCIA.

Four Specific Evaluations

We asked for four specific evaluations. We will present them in order, from the element evaluated highest to the one evaluated lowest. First (most positive), how did the participants evaluate their experience with their sponsor? The evaluations were very positive: 78 percent said "very good" and 16 percent said "moderately good." The three types (1, 2, and 3) gave roughly the same evaluations. (Q29, p. A-15) We asked for comments, and the main positive comments were (a) the sponsor was very helpful and supportive, (b) the sponsor became a good friend after the RCIA, and (c) the sponsor was a good friend or relative apart from the RCIA. The main negative comment was (a) there was not enough contact with the sponsor. Two percent of the persons said that the sponsor was reluctant to be their sponsor. Here are examples of positive explanations:

My sponsor considered her own spiritual journey as much as mine. We grew together and my faith was a strong witness to her.

A lot in common; kept in touch afterwards.

She answered my questions, listened to my frustrations, and guided me.

Very instrumental in providing me with materials, tapes, and dialogue. Very well versed in the Bible and Catholic teaching, much more so than the RCIA team.

Helped me determine that this was really what I wanted to do.

The team did a great job in matching the sponsor and me. Same age, same interests, similar level of spiritual development.

We shared some very personal stories with each other. She is a cradle Catholic.

I wished I had the opportunity to grow closer to her. I have to admit, it was intimidating to be exposed to someone so grounded in her faith.

We were strangers at first, but his church knowledge helped me grow as a Catholic.

We are still very close friends. She sometimes is the Eucharistic minister, and it is always extra special if I receive communion from her.

We became good friends. He was a part of my wedding party, and how he's being installed as a permanent deacon at our parish.

We are still very close friends to this day. She knows the religion very well and I feel comfortable asking her questions. We both feel the same way about our faith.

My sponsor was my husband. It brought him and me closer together and to God.

I have never seen or heard from her since my initiation.

He spent most of the time talking about himself. He said I didn't need to know answers to my questions and not to worry. I never saw or heard from him after the visit.

I feel the sponsor never served any purpose other than to stand up with me at Mass.

We are very different people and couldn't be close friends even though we get along fine.

We had limited topics of conversation, because we were not very compatible.

She did not understand the frustration behind annulment of my marriage.

Knowledgeable, but I wish I had someone I could have been closer to.

I had two sponsors. The first moved, and the second I could not connect with spiritually.

Very nice, committed, and pious, but too distracted by her own problems.

We had little in common. He had a tendency to be overbearing.

I felt like she didn't care. She never called me or anything.

There were written descriptions of every program and ministry that one could choose from. We also had a program where leaders of different organizations and ministries came to describe themselves and encourage us to participate.

The RCIA team exposed our group to various church activities, programs, and classes. I have participated in only a few, due to my schedule.

They showed us all aspects of parish life, and I found ones to meet my needs and theirs.

We had to be involved and a part of at least one ministry of our choice. It really made me aware of all the different ministries in the church. Many I didn't know existed.

At our last formal RCIA meeting, parish members from various groups talked to us about different ways to get involved in the parish. I spent my first year as a youth group volunteer and subsequent years as a RCIA volunteer.

Many of the sponsors and core members were very active in many areas of the parish, allowing the candidates to see other opportunities for service.

We were given many assignments to attend programs.

We never discussed a lot of things like that in the sessions. I only heard of things at Mass.

Only one group spoke to our class. It would have been beneficial if several ministries presented information to us.

The RCIA volunteers seemed a very small clique, separate from the rest of the parish. Because of this, there was no smooth opening to other aspects of parish life.

Although we were pushed hard to commit many hours of community service each week, little was done to help us learn about existing programs and introduce us to people from them.

Opportunities for service? I still feel like an outsider, someone not good enough to be in service to this parish. I have volunteered to be a Eucharistic minister, but was told I would have to wait 2-3 years. My money is eagerly accepted though.

These things were explained quickly, but we never saw them in action.

There weren't too many opportunities for that because we were always very short on time.

Nothing for young people in their thirties.

Should have had more direct contact.

We were fortunate to have with us as a team member the bishop's theological consultant. This wonderful man was a walking encyclopedia.

Very well prepared classes!

All materials were well prepared and up-to-date. Very easy to understand.

Extensive materials were provided constantly. I have more than two briefcases full!

They addressed issues of Scripture and the Catholic Church in a way that seemed relevant to our lives as well as spiritually.

Initially we had very good written materials, then they changed and were good but a little too complex.

Written well. They generated thought and questioning on my part.

I still have my papers. I learned from them and go back to be sure about things.

They were carefully chosen and relevant to the faith.

The teachings and books were okay, but I think I would have liked looking more at the Bible.

There weren't a lot of written materials. It was more focused on discussion and self-discovery.

We basically followed the church year. I would have liked more supplemental information. Although a book list was provided, it was actually hard to get to the book store suggested. Maybe a special order of books could have been made.

Too neutral. Did not explain Catholic ways and why things are done that way.

The materials need to expand into real-life situations.

Adequate for those with no previous liturgical experience. For me it was like going back to high school after graduating from college.

The handouts were okay, but didn't really provide extra help or direction.

Some materials were "cartoonish." Could have provided more written materials.

Almost all of the rituals took place, though the Rite of Dismissal was absent for 8 percent of the respondents, and an additional 20 percent of the persons did not know what to say about it. Possibly these persons were absent, or possibly the identity of the ritual was unclear to them. In short, the ratings of the rituals were overwhelmingly positive. When we compared type 1, type 2, and type 3 participants, we found no differences.

Length of the RCIA and Demands on the Participants
Because of the ongoing debates among RCIA leaders about its proper length, we asked the participants, "What is your opinion about the length of the RCIA as you experienced it (i.e., how many weeks or months)?" The vast majority thought that the length is about right. Seventy percent said "it is about right," 15 percent said "it is too long," 8 percent said "it is too short," and 6 percent had no opinion. The three types of participants generally agreed in their attitudes. (Q32, p. A-17)

How about the demands the RCIA makes? We asked, "What is your opinion abut the demands the RCIA makes on the participants?" Again the feelings were positive. Eighty-two percent said "they are about right," 7 percent said "too few demands," 6 percent said "too many demands," and 6 percent had no opinion. The three types of participants were in agreement. In sum, we found here a strong affirmation of the current length of the RCIA and the level of requirements now put on the participants.

Summary Evaluations of the RCIA
At the end of the questionnaire we asked three summary questions to elicit global feelings about the RCIA experience. We asked what changes the participants would recommend making in the RCIA, what its greatest strengths are, and what its greatest weaknesses are.

First, "What changes would you recommend making in the RCIA, and why?" Of all the 616 respondents, 52 percent wrote in suggestions. (Q38, p. A-18) We divided them into suggestions about process and suggestions about content. A little more than half were about process. Here are the most frequent ones:

Have a follow-up class Focus on needs of individual participants The program was too long More group involvement, less lecture More flexible meeting times More sessions More involvement of priests More question-and-answer sessions

32 persons 25 persons 23 persons 13 persons 12 persons 12 persons 12 persons 12 persons

Examples of the most frequent suggestions regarding having a follow-up class:

More aftercare. Meet on a volunteer basis for the first two years. Also give the people more to get involved in the community after initiation.

I think RCIA should continue after Baptism, because I felt the discussion groups were very valuable to my learning, and now I don't get as much out of Mass without the discussion afterward.

I would provide a way for those who participate to contact each other after RCIA is over, perhaps a phone list.

The RCIA should have some type of follow-up besides the one dinner we had. Maybe an annual thing to get the group together again.

Sponsor "reunions" with my RCIA class, so we keep that flame of faith alive in our hearts. We journey together for many months and then drift apart slowly.

You need to end it differently. Most people feel left in the cold at the end.

Have a follow-up several years later. This is such a difficult time for us.

Keep the focus on adults. Too many children are initiated.

I would first start with a survey of questions about why you want to join the Catholic faith. Use that survey for a month or two during the RCIA.

Make the candidates comfortable. Help them to meet and really get to know some of the parishioners on as personal a basis as possible. They then feel like they are welcome and that they belong.

Taylor programs to individual styles of worship and spirituality. Be open to questions. Make sure the parish has female leaders for female initiates.

I would suggest that the candidates not be paraded in front of the whole church. It is embarrassing, and you felt like you were being made a spectacle.

Make one-on-one teachings. This gives the candidate a better opportunity to open up.

Those who are shy and don't feel comfortable standing out at every Mass should be able to do it privately.

Be more involved with the individuals. Don't pick favorites. Help everyone.

Shorten the length, with more emphasis on the beliefs of Catholics and what the prayers really mean, also on the events of the Bible.

Shorten. Six months would be long enough. Ten months is very difficult for persons with families.

I would shorten the program and not make people talk if they don't feel comfortable.

Have more flexibility in the way the RCIA is administered, allowing for the range of candidates in terms of their theological understanding.

I wanted to know much more about church etiquette, rites, tradition, and the meaning behind them. Do not be afraid of giving offense and thus slide into a "feel good" religious approach. People are seriously seeking knowledge and answers to questions about the Catholic faith or they wouldn't be in RCIA.

More time on sacraments, particularly Eucharist. Also more teaching on prayers and liturgy.

I needed more information about general faith practices in the Catholic Church. More about the saints, traditional prayers, and traditional practices.

Search more into the Catholic church's stands on issues in society.

Make sure you give complete explanations of the main Catholic sacraments.

Put a deep focus on the sacraments with Bible verses to explain them. We didn't touch on that in depth.

I would get into more backgrounds and basics of church teachings. They are very confusing.

Put more emphasis on the sacraments, and provide many opportunities for questions to be discussed in small group settings.

I would spend a considerable amount of time focusing on the teachings of Catholicism. Most people are Protestants and do not know what Catholics believe in and why, and why Catholics do the things they do. I think too little time was spent teaching about Christianity and too little time about Catholicism. We were all Christians to begin with.

Discuss more the ideals that differentiate the Catholic Church from other Christian beliefs.

Teach more from the heart. We went through a lot of history lessons, but I want to know more what being Catholic means to the facilitators. How it enriches their lives.

Go into the beliefs of Catholicism more and explain what makes the Catholic Church better than other faiths. I think they should really have discussed the religious aspect of Catholicism more. If I had been brought up with no religious background initially, I think I really would not know what Catholicism is and what we believe in.

Go into more detail on how and why Catholics believe what they do, and explain the functions of the Mass.

Here are examples of opinions concerning feelings of communion and friendship in the group:

I always felt a sense of involvement when I left class each week. Class participation was excellent.

The sense of church as a spiritual family instead of an institution imposed.

The fellowship of others on the same journey at the same time.

The fellowship and love and care for each other that has been shown, also the good leadership, starting with our priest.

The group itself! We became close while together in the sessions and received much support.

The way the entire community rallies around the participants and welcomes them into the parish.

We had an exceptional group that got very close and continued meeting once a month for breakfast after the RCIA was over. We had wonderful discussions!

The coming together with people who also want to learn more. It creates a "family" atmosphere.

The love and compassion and togetherness of the group, and sincere commitment by the clergy.

The bonding and commitment between us all. It would last a lifetime.

Super people and immediate acceptance into the parish and activities. Wonderful interactions of new members the solid parish community.

The greatest strength was the exposure to models of good faith. The RCIA team members were able to model this throughout the program.

Compassion and understanding from the leaders. They were totally dedicated to us RCIA people!

The dedication and spiritual strength of the initiation team.

The team! No question was "silly" or was left unanswered.

The staff explained the church very well. They acknowledged weaknesses and how the church has evolved through the ages to correct them. The people leading the program in my parish were its greatest strength.

The commitment and dedication of the team who helps the RCIA group.

Getting to know the two main RCIA leaders.

The people leading the program and the church staff members were very loving, friendly, unintimidating, and they guided well given their abilities.

The committed, outstanding caring team members who would place more importance on the individual than on the often narrow-minded "rules" of the Catholic Church.

The greatest strength was the people participating together in prayer and personal discovery as well as discovering the Catholic community.

The group interaction and opportunity to reflect on faith in personal life.

The faith orientation and openness to answer questions and support participants throughout the process.

Sharing, learning, and praying with fellow candidates. It was like pledging the ultimate fraternity!

The opportunity to explore myself in relationship to God and experience conversion. The rites were a very important part of this experience as well as the study of the Bible.

The retreat was wonderful. Very special because it allowed me to be closer to the RCIA group and I felt very close to God!

The opportunity to share and grow spiritually as an individual but connected to a group which offered support and love.

The greatest strength was gaining knowledge of Catholic beliefs and sacraments. Also the fellowship with other candidates and sponsors.

Introducing people who are ignorant of the Catholic Church to the truths about our church.

Better understanding of the Church and faith.

It totally eliminates false beliefs that the world may have of the Catholic Church.

Learning the Bible and making friends within the parish.

It answered all of my questions and prepared me fully for my initiation.

Forcing people to find time to read the Bible and discuss the Scripture.

Bringing people to faith. Not just Catholicism, but faith.

Its ability to transform my spiritual self.

The emphasis on believing in God and trusting God completely.

It represents the word of God. RCIA reflects the responsibility of the individual in her relationships with God and the Church. This is an honor, not a punishment.

Having the Church become alive in my heart.

The introduction to the Catholic faith with a clear explanation and ongoing spiritual growth.

A feeling that my conversion is real and not just "changing churches."

Here are comments about not enough study and explanation of doctrines:

Not enough discernment or depth. I would have loved to have studied and read in depth. I needed and continue to deeply need spiritual direction. No one told me how difficult life would be.

A problem was the complete lack of Bible study in my RCIA program.

They didn't go over what is said in church during Mass and what certain symbols mean.

For some reason they don't teach prayers or how to worship during Mass. These are fundamentals. Everything I learned about mass and Catholic prayers I taught myself through study. Also I had to purchase a copy of the Catechism and go over it myself.

The teachers should be more familiar with the Bible and its contents in order to explain it properly.

They don't see Catholicism through a non-Catholic's eyes. They talked about things that they were brought up with as if we should know or understand.

I didn't learn anything about the faith beyond what I already knew.

The teachers were very knowledgeable, however they assumed that candidates had a fairly baseline knowledge of the Catholic faith. I didn't.

Not enough explanation on the origins and the practices of Mass.

We needed more guidelines on attendance. It hurt the morale for those attending regularly, particular at Easter, when they saw others coming infrequently.

Some people come who aren't really into it and therefore take away from others who are.

The material was heavy. I still do not understand the "flowchart" of so many rituals to move through.

Many started, then quit. It made it hard to get to know one another.

We needed more written communication, less reliance on verbal.

Some class time was wasted on too much discussion of irrelevant topics.

It troubles me that a great problem is that more than half drop out after initiation.

Sometime we were too far apart in our journey to be a group or to work well as a group. Too much diversity of ages, knowledge, and interests.

Needed a more formal curriculum.

The program just kind of ends. We need "continuing education" classes.

The year afterward was difficult because it was so anti-climactic.

I afterward felt very lost.

I don't feel they encouraged you to take part in any ministries, organizations, or parts of the church. I felt I became a Catholic and "Good-bye!"

For some reason, some people discontinued attending Mass after RCIA. It was like graduating from school.

I filled out forms with areas in which I would like to volunteer. We haven't met since Mystagogia; no return phone calls from the RCIA director. I feel ignored. When you say you will follow-up, do so! Do not leave an entire family stranded.

I would love to have a study group. I still need to now where we are in this journey of faith.

A lot of time commitment. I had three small children at the time.

Two participants were allowed to be confirmed at an earlier date for no reason.

Meeting once a week for two hours was too long. It was boring.

Some candidates would complain about the length of the program. This had a negative effect.

It is hard as an active, working young adult to commit to every Sunday and more.

Classes were offered only on Sunday. People now work Sundays.

Monday night was difficult to attend.

It was uncomfortable for me to have to leave in the middle of Sunday Masses.

Possibly allow classes to begin quarterly. Some people were attending 16 months to be confirmed on Easter.

Sometimes I had evening time constraints.

I had to miss some meetings.

Are specific groups or categories of RCIA initiates different from the others? Can we learn anything by looking specifically at the younger portion, the more educated portion, the women only, and so on? We carried out four breakdowns by dividing the sample into men and women, into young and old (age 39 or younger vs. age 40 or older), into whites and all other races, and into the less and more educated (less than college degree vs. college degree or more). We looked at the subsamples separately.

The breakdown with the least important lessons was men vs. women. It uncovered only four findings:

1. A higher percentage of the unmarried women reported that they joined the RCIA because they were engaged to be married or expecting marriage to a particular person. Twenty-five percent of the unmarried women said this, compared with 9 percent of the men.
   
   
2. The men and women generally agreed on how they rated the RCIA, but women rated "the value of group sharing times" a bit higher (71 percent "very adequate," compared with 60 percent for men).
   
   
3. After initiation the percentage of men and women who shifted parishes was similar, but it was for somewhat different reasons. For men it was mainly because they moved to different neighborhoods. For women, a few more shifted because they disliked the parish (14 percent said this, compared with 3 percent of the men).
   
   
4. The women attended Mass more regularly after initiation, and they took part in more spiritual groups in the parish, such as Bible study groups and faith sharing groups.

1. Relatively more of the whites were in the RCIA due to interfaith marriages, and more of them have histories of attending other denominations. Also more of the non-whites were not married at all—28 percent, compared with 11 percent of the whites.
   
   
2. The two groups differed on whether the RCIA program is too short or too long. The whites relatively more often said it is too long (16 percent vs. 6 percent of the non-whites). The non-whites more often said it is too short (17 percent vs. 7 percent of the whites).
   
   
3. After initiation the non-whites have been more active in small groups in their parishes. Forty-four percent of them reported taking part in Bible study groups, prayer groups, or faith sharing groups (vs. 27 percent for the whites).

Chaves, Mark, and James C. Cavendish, "More Evidence on U.S. Catholic Church Attendance." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 33 (December 1994), 376-81.
Doyle, Sr. Michele. Survey done in Mississippi.
Erikson, Richard M. Late Have I Loved Thee. New York: Paulist Press, 1995.
Murnion, Philip J., and David DeLambo. Parishes and Parish Ministers: A Study of Parish Lay Ministry. New York: National Pastoral Life Center, 1999.


Notes

1. We thank John Butler, Sue Clark, Tilly Gibson, Theresa Prymuszewski, Francisca Mota, and Anita Sherwood for their help in the pretest.
   
   
2. We know of three earlier surveys of RCIA initiates. One was done in the state of Mississippi by Sister Michele Doyle.

3. We thank Xiaowen Wu, Fang Fang, and Patrick Lynch for research assistance with the data.

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