St. Francis de Sales parish has been fortunate to have Geri Braun as our RCIA coordinator for many years. An abbreviation for “Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults”, this group meets on a weekly basis where candidates study and convert to the Catholic faith. “The reason that people to come to us varies. Sometimes it’s because they are
marrying a Catholic and want to learn all about it, sometimes they have tried other religions and are searching, and sometimes they were born Catholic but for whatever reason never received the sacraments and want to come back.” During these classes they study the Catholic views of the Bible, religious history, each of the sacraments, and the meaning of the liturgy and Eucharist.
Geri has been teaching about the Catholic faith most of her life. Graduating from Loyola University at the Master’s level with a minor in Religious Studies, she started her career teaching junior high, but shortly thereafter became the Director of Religious Education at St. Joseph’s in Harvard, Illinois. “At that time, I taught all of the religious programs…from cradle to grave…and so that included everything from teaching baptism classes to RCIA.” She also trained catechists for the Rockford diocese. 20 years ago she started teaching RCIA at St. Francis de Sales. The program runs on Tuesday evenings from September until the Easter Vigil, when the candidates receive the sacraments and are welcomed into the Church. “We’ve had groups as big as 11, and as small as 2 or 3”, said Geri. “The people coming into the program have a different way of looking at being a Catholic. They study and learn more about it to help them fit their faith into their lives. They don’t take it for granted.”
Geri works tirelessly in this position strictly as a volunteer. Why? “The most rewarding part is getting to know the
people. They actually help me learn more about MY faith. They think I’m teaching them, but in fact…they’re teaching
me!” Geri, thank you for sharing your knowledge and faith with so many people over the years. You are a blessing!