Main Contact: Parish Office (636-532-3304) or parishoffice@asc.church



Ascension’s RCIA is for anyone who desires a journey of faith and an investigation into the truths of the Catholic Christian tradition and for anyone seriously considering joining the Catholic Church. This includes anyone previously baptized in other Christian denominational churches and wishing to complete their initiation into the Catholic Church through Confirmation and First Eucharist; or for anyone not baptized and interested in learning about the Catholic faith and possibly joining the Catholic Church.

The RCIA is presented by a team of experienced presenters, including all the parish priests and permanent deacons. We also have a support team that offers welcoming hospitality and prayerful support. We usually meet once a week beginning in September and conclude two weeks following Easter. 

Some of the topics we cover during this journey include: Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition, Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity, The Resurrection of the Body and Life Everlasting, Catholic Morality (Understanding the 10 Commandments in our lives today), The Seven Sacraments with special focus on the Eucharist and the Mass. We talk about how Christ is truly present in a sacramental marriage and how forgiveness and reconciliation are part of the plan for eternal life. There are many other engaging topics that we discuss. Each night we welcome questions and dialogue.

Why be Catholic?

The Catholic Church is the Church that Jesus Christ founded (Mt 16:18-19) as Fr. Mike Schmitz explains below.

This Church has a visible structure that started with the Apostles (Eph 2:20) who then were succeeded by the bishops (Acts 1:20, 25-26). 

The Church of the New Testament is hierarchical (Eph 4:11) and has bishops, priests, and deacons (1 Tim 3:1, 8; 5:17; and Acts14:23), who were entrusted with the teaching of Jesus Christ (2 Tim 2:2).

The Church has the authority to teach on behalf of Christ (Lk 10:16) because Jesus delegated this power to His Church (Mt 28:18-20), which also has the authority to legislate and discipline the faithful followers of Christ (Mt 18:17-18).

The Church is necessary to settle disagreements about what Jesus taught in order to preserve Christian Unity (Eph 4:3-6; 1 Cor 1:10; Jn 17:17-23; and Rom 12:5) and the truths that were revealed to us by Jesus Christ (1 Tim 3:15), which affects our salvation.

One of our parishioners, Don Sinak, answers a similar question, using his own life experience, scripture, and reasoning.

Watch him explain why he is Catholic in the video below.