The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)
Are you interested in becoming Catholic or completing your initiation into the Catholic Church? Please consider joining us for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program at Old St. Patrick's. The program begins in October and runs through April. Approximately forty people have been welcomed into the church each of the last few years through the R.C.I.A. program. The RCIA is an engaging, dynamic, respectful, challenging and - ENJOYABLE journey. Members of Old St. Patrick's graciously host the RCIA.
The spirit and passion of the RCIA program at Old St. Patrick's is captured by the contemporary spiritual author Anne LaMott who reflects: "I do not know much about the mystery of grace, but I do know that it meets us where we are and does not leave us where it finds us."
If you are interested in registering for this program, or if you know someone who is interested in exploring Catholicism through the RCIA program at Old St. Pat's, please call or e-mail Keara Coughlin at kearac@oldstpats.org or 312.798.2328.
You Are Welcome to Join the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) Celebration!
Friday, April 25
Have fun! Do good! On Friday, April 25, from 6 to 9 p.m., please join the Old St. Patrick's RCIA team and Cases for a Cause in celebrating another successful year along with welcoming our 55 newly initiated church members into our community! The festivities will take place at Victory Liquors in Lincoln Park, 2610 N. Halsted, Chicago.
Cases for a Cause was created as a service project by a group of young adults participating in last's year's RCIA program at Old St. Pat's. Today, Cases for a Cause Inc. is an official 501(c)(3) charitable organization dedicated to helping foster children in Illinois.
Cases for a Cause has delivered suitcases to nearly 1,000 foster children in Illinois, providing each child with a suitcase — a place to store, organize, and transport the few things they can call their own during a stay in the foster care system. There are many more children (approximately 15,000) still in foster care that Cases would like to also gift with new suitcases.
Tickets for this fundraising event are available in advance for $40/person; $50 at the door. You may purchase tickets at www.casesforacause.org, or mail a check payable to Cases for a Cause, Inc., 10 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 1125, Chicago, IL 60606.
A Conversation about Faith: Islam in America
Sunday, May 4
You are invited to a program focusing on the various aspects of the Islamic faith featuring speakers Zeenat Rahman, Hind Makki, and moderator Gail Rosseau on Sunday, May 4 from 10:45 a.m. - noon at Sepia, 123 N. Jefferson Street, Chicago (within easy walking distance of Old St. Patrick’s Church). As space is limited to 20 participants, we suggest you register today. To attend this event, please contact Gail Rosseau at grosseau@cinn.org. Sepia owner, Emmanuel Nony, has graciously offered to provide refreshments.
Zeenat is the program coordinator for Public Advocacy at the Interfaith Youth Core. She completed her master's degree at the University of Chicago’s Center for Middle East Studies in June 2006. Her thesis work focused on Muslim youth in America, and the territorializing of Muslim religious institutions in America. Currently, she is one of the co-creators of a play based on Muslim women and their real life experiences, told in monologue format. Zeenat earned her B.A. in psychology from the University of Illinois.
Hind Makki received her B.A. in international relations, focusing on global security and diplomacy from Brown University. She returned to her native Chicago, where she worked extensively within the Muslim community on matters regarding civic integration into American society, interfaith dialogue, education, and youth leadership development. She currently sits on the board of the Southwest Interfaith Team (SWIFT), representing the Orland Park Prayer Center. In the summer of 2007, Hind joined the Interfaith Youth Core as a program associate in the Outreach and Education Team, traveling to college campuses, congregations, and conferences nationwide, offering presentations and trainings on promoting religious
pluralism, effective interfaith service-learning, and meaningful interfaith dialogues.