Kathy Kuczka, liturgy director at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, Alpharetta, and Father Victor J. Reyes, pastor of Our Lady of LaSalette Church, Canton, are among the featured speakers at the fifth International Initiation Convocation to be held Nov. 6-8 in Cleveland, Ohio. Speakers at the convocation will offer attendees both vision and practical suggestions for formation of newcomers to the Catholic way of life.

The International Convocation coincides with the 35th anniversary of the promulgation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and the 25th anniversary of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. Under the theme “Handing on What We Have Received from the Lord,” the convocation is expected to gather more than 600 parish and diocesan ministry leaders from across the U.S., Canada and outside North America.

The convocation will open Nov. 6 at 7:30 p.m. with prayer and a welcome by Bishop Richard Lennon of the Diocese of Cleveland. The opening address, “Each Day the Church Gives Birth to the Church: Reflections on the Contemporary Ecclesial Context of Christian Initiation,” will be given by Richard Gaillardetz, noted author and professor of Catholic studies at the University of Toledo.

Kuczka will present an address on “Preparing the Rites: Rite of Acceptance to Rite of Sending.” Father Reyes will speak on “Hispanic Hospitality as Vehicle of Initiation” and also on “The Parish and the Family: The Principal Environments of Christian Initiation.” Among the presenters for the convocation are Bishop Gerald Wiesner, OMI, of the Diocese of Prince George, British Columbia, Sister Catherine Dooley, OP, Paul Turner, Mary Birmingham, Christopher Walker, Sister Donna Steffen, SC, and Jerry Galipeau.

Last convened in 2002, the North American Forum’s convocation will provide plenary sessions, breakouts, roundtable dialogues, resource exhibits and showcases that focus on the successful implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Several sessions will be in Spanish and Spanish translation assistance will be available for all sessions. Session topics will include: evangelization, catechesis, liturgy, liturgical music, children and initiation, young adults and initiation, initiation ministry in Hispanic/Latino communities.