Baptism is the First of the Sacraments of Initiation 

From the first moments of Christianity, new members were received into the Christian community through sacramental rites of initiation. The catechumenate, developed by early Christians during the first four centuries of the Church’s existence, was an extensive spiritual, educational and liturgical journey of initiation. The RCIA is a recent recovery of the ancient catechumenate that culminates in the celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.