Religious Education
Our Religious Education programs support the religious foundation developed by parents at home.
Immaculate Conception provides religious education classes for all students (1st grade through 8th grade) who are not attending Catholic schools. Classes are held on Wednesday evenings from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Two years of religious education classes are required for first reception of the Sacraments of Penance, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation.
If Cedar Rapids public schools are cancelled on a Wednesday, Religious Education will also be cancelled that evening. There will also be an announcement on the parish website home page and Flocknote.
To register for Religious Education classes, call Erica Ernzen at 319-362-7181.
Becoming Catholic / RCIA
The initials RCIA stands for the "Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults."
Adults who wish to be initiated into the Catholic Faith through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist journey through an eight-month period of formation in the RCIA program. The sessions begin in the fall, generally one night a week on a day that best works for the candidates. These individuals study the doctrines of the Catholic Faith, participate in retreats, and celebrate several liturgical rites that mark passages in their journey of initiation. All are received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Service on Holy Saturday.
RCIA sponsors must be in “good standing” with the Catholic Church and have no impediments to the reception of Holy Communion.
To register or to obtain more information, call the parish office at 319-362-8061.
Confirmation Program
Our Confirmation program teaches teens to be open to the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
If you are interested in having your young person confirmed, or if you are an adult who has never received the Sacrament of Confirmation and would like to learn more about the Catholic Faith, please call Christina at the office @ 362-7181, ext. 112 or 319-573-8162.
Baptized youth who have been regularly attending formal religious formation classes either in Catholic schools, parish religious education programs, or sanctioned home-school programs for the last two years, and will be age 15 by the date of Confirmation, are eligible to register for the parish-based program of preparation for the sacrament. The youth program normally runs through the school year from September through May.
Confirmation sponsors must be in “good standing” with the Catholic Church and have no impediments to the reception of Holy Communion.
Bible Study
Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life
Starting next January (2021), Immaculate Conception is pleased to offer Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life, a 10-week video-based bible study program. Anchored in the life of Christ as presented in the Gospels, this study explores the entirety of Jesus’ life—who he is, what he is really like, what he taught, what he did for our salvation, and what all of this means for us as Catholics today.
Presented by Dr. Marcellino D’Ambrosio, Jeff Cavins, and Dr. Edward Sri, this study was filmed in the Holy Land so Catholics can experience the extraordinary world in which Jesus lived and taught—the historical context, the politics, the clashing cultures, the history, and the ancient land—and see where the most significant events of his life took place, from his infancy to his ascension. Most importantly, this encounter with Christ will inspire and empower you to center your entire life in him as you come to know and love him in an ever-deeper and more intimate way.
DATES/TIMES: January 10 to March 14, 2021 / Sunday evenings from 7 to 9 p.m.
