Fr. John Farley, a priest in the San Diego diocese, commented on our video, “RCIA, the Triduum, and Coronavirus.” Based on the guidelines in the Ceremonial of Bishops and in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, he proposed a possible schedule for celebrating the rites of initiation at a time later this year.
In this post, I want to expand on his excellent suggestion with a more concrete calendar.
A proposed calendar starts with selecting the date when the sacraments of initiation will actually be celebrated. Many dioceses are hoping the physical distancing regulations will be lifted in time to celebrate initiation on Pentecost. If that happens, that would be ideal. I am not so hopeful. I think it will be much longer before we get an all-clear signal from health authorities.
Note that the authority to choose a date to celebrate initiation outside of the Triduum belongs to your bishop (see RCIA 34.2). The ideal would be that the entire diocese celebrates the sacraments of initiation on the same day. However, it is also within the bishop’s authority to delegate the selection of a date for initiation to individual pastors, in which case, initiation might be celebrated on different days in different pastors.
The calendar I propose below is based on celebrating the sacraments of initiation on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. If your diocese chooses an earlier date or a later date, just adjust the rest of the calendar accordingly.
July 5 (OT 14 A): Rite of Election
The Rite of Election should be celebrated about six weeks before initiation (RCIA 29). If your diocese has already celebrated the Rite of Election, you do not need to celebrate it again. However, if you have catechumens who did not celebrate the Rite of Election on the First Sunday of Lent and who are now ready, you could celebrate the rite with them in your parish. Your pastor would need delegation from the bishop to do that (see RCIA 122).
Ritual Mass and Readings: Celebrate the Ritual Mass for the Election or Enrollment of Names (Roman Missal). The readings for the Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time would suit the celebration of election. You also have the option of using the readings from the First Sunday of Lent.
Preaching: If you will not be celebrating the Rite of Election, consider preaching on what it means to be chosen and on the unique call of the elect in your parish. They were chosen and then had to wait longer than expected to answer their call to baptism.
July 19 (OT 16 A): First Scrutiny (or Presentation of the Creed)
In many parts of the United States, the quarantine regulations did not go into effect until after the Third Sunday of Lent, and it may be that your elect have already celebrated the first scrutiny. If that is so, there is no need to repeat it. If you did celebrate the scrutiny but did not yet celebrate the presentations, consider celebrating the Presentation of the Creed on this Sunday.
Ritual Mass and Readings: Celebrate the Ritual Mass for the Celebration of the Scrutinies (Roman Missal). The readings from the Third Sunday of Lent, Year A, must always be used for this Mass.
If you, instead, celebrate the Presentation of the Creed, you can substitute the readings from the Lectionary for Mass, ritual Masses “Christian Initiation: Presentation of the Creed.” These readings are listed at RCIA 158.
Note that the First Scrutiny and the Presentation of the Creed can never be celebrated together in a combined liturgy. If you will be celebrating a scrutiny on this Sunday, the Presentation of the Creed should be celebrated during the week after the scrutiny.
Preaching: If you will be celebrating neither the scrutiny nor the presentation, consider preaching on the second reading for the Sixteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year A: the Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness. Note that the elect have already celebrated the first scrutiny and that the scrutinies are meant to uncover and then heal all that is weak and bring out, then strengthen all that is good (see RCIA 141).
July 26 (OT 17 A): Second Scrutiny
In those areas where parishes were prevented from celebrating the second and third scrutinies, many bishops dispensed with the obligation to celebrate them (see RCIA 20). However, dispensation is not the same as prohibition. The church also teaches that when the initiation rites are celebrated outside the usual time, “care should be taken to ensure that the celebration has a markedly paschal character” (Ceremonial of Bishops 426). The celebration of the scrutinies are important rites that firmly ground the initiation process in the paschal mystery.
Also note that some parishes prayed the scrutiny prayers with the elect over digital media. While this is a helpful spiritual devotion, it is not a celebration of an actual scrutiny. The celebration of Catholic rites requires the full, conscious, and active participation of a gathered assembly of disciples. Just as participating in an online stream of your priest celebrating Mass is not the same as us co-offering the Eucharist on Sunday, an online prayer based on the scrutiny prayers is not the same as the baptized and ministerial priesthood joining together in ritual prayer for the elect.
Ritual Mass and Readings: Celebrate the Ritual Mass for the Celebration of the Scrutinies (Roman Missal). The readings from the Fourth Sunday of Lent, Year A, must always be used for this Mass.
Preaching: If you will not be celebrating a scrutiny, consider preaching on the Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Recall for the assembly that the elect have been disciplined about “hold[ing] fast even now to those that endure” as God protects “those who hope.”
August 2 (OT 18 A): Third Scrutiny
Ritual Mass and Readings: Celebrate the Ritual Mass for the Celebration of the Scrutinies (Roman Missal). The readings from the Fifth Sunday of Lent, Year A, must always be used for this Mass.
Preaching: If you will not be celebrating a scrutiny, consider preaching on the second reading for the Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A. Note that the elect will never be separated from the love of Christ, not even by death.
August 9 (OT 19 A): Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer
Ritual Mass and Readings: For the Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer, use the readings from the Lectionary for Mass, ritual Masses “Christian Initiation: Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer.” These readings are listed at RCIA 179-180.
Preaching: If you will not be celebrating a presentation, consider preaching on the Collect for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Focus on how the elect have been adopted as God’s sons and daughters and are about to enter into their inheritance.
August 14 (Memorial of Saint Maximilian Kolbe) Day of Prayer and Fasting
On the Friday before initiation, ask the elect to, as much as possible, spend the day in prayer. If they cannot take off work, encourage them to use their breaks and lunch times as prayer times. The Friday before initiation is also a day of paschal fasting. This is not the same as a Lenten fast. It is not penitential, but preparatory as the elect anticipate their initiation into the Body of Christ. Ask the parishioners to join with the elect in prayer and fasting on this day.
Provide the elect and the rest of your parishioners with this domestic church prayer based on the Good Friday Passion of the Lord.
August 15-during the day (Solemnity of the Assumption): Preparation Rites
Continue the paschal fast into Saturday. Ask the elect to, as much as possible, spend the day in prayer. In the morning, gather with the elect, the godparents, and as many parishioners as possible to celebrate some or all of the Preparation Rites (RCIA 185-204).
If you have not already celebrated the Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer, be sure to do that on Saturday during the day (see RCIA 185, 149, and 178-180).
August 15-during the evening (Solemnity of the Assumption): Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation
At either the usual parish liturgy for Saturday evening or at a Mass later in the night, celebrate the Sacraments of Initiation.
Ritual Mass and Readings: Ordinarily, the Saturday evening Mass or a Mass later on Saturday night would be considered the vigil Mass for Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time. Since that is a Sunday in Ordinary Time, you could instead celebrate the Ritual Mass for the Conferral of Baptism (Roman Missal). For the readings at this ritual Mass, you may use the Old Testament and epistle readings from the Easter Vigil. Strictly speaking, you would choose the psalm (or psalms) and the gospel reading from those listed in the Lectionary for Mass: Ritual Masses, 753 and 755.
However, the Solemnity of the Assumption is rich in baptismal imagery. So consider using the prayers and readings for Assumption as the context for initiation.
Preaching: If you celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption, emphasize the role of Mary as the first disciple and the model of evangelization as an example for the neophytes to follow. For inspiration, see Pope Francis’s Angelus address, July 28, 2013.
August 16 (OT 20 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
In normal times, the main setting for mystagogy is the eight Sunday Masses of the Easter season. When initiation is celebrated outside the usual time of the Easter Vigil, the Sunday Masses for the 50 days following become the primary setting for mystagogy. You have the option of using the texts for the Sunday Masses of the Easter season, especially those from Year A (see RCIA 247)
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from Easter Sunday, Year A.
August 23 (OT 21 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from the Second Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Preaching: Emphasize the rejoicing “with an indescribable and glorious joy” described in the second reading.
August 30 (OT 22 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from the Third Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Preaching: Focusing on the second reading, emphasize that Christ has been revealed for the neophytes so that now their faith and hope are in God.
September 6 (OT 23 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from the Fourth Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Preaching: Using the shepherd imagery in both the second reading and the gospel, talk about your own journey of trying to recognize and follow the voice of the Lord. Encourage the neophytes that even if they stray, the Good Shepherd will not abandon them.
September 13 (OT 24 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from the Fifth Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Preaching: Focusing on the second reading, preach about the role of the neophytes and all the baptized as a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For inspiration, see Pope Benedict XVI’s message to the International Forum of Catholic Action, August 10, 2012.
September 20 (OT 25 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from the Sixth Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Preaching: Remind the neophytes that from their first moments as catechumens they have been learning how to “keep their hopes set on Christ” (RCIA 75.2). Connect that learning with the second reading and the mission of the baptized to evangelize: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope” (1 Pt 3:15). For inspiration, see Pope Francis’s homily from October 29, 2019.
September 27 (OT 26 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from the Seventh Sunday of Easter, Year A.
Preaching: Focusing on the second reading, preach on how Christians find glory when we share in the sufferings of Christ. And preach about how, as improbable as it sounds, Christ is glorified in us (Jn 17:10).
October 4 (OT 27 A): Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy
Ritual Mass and Readings: Use the Mass of the day and the readings from Pentecost Sunday, Year A.
Preaching: In John’s account of the sending of the Spirit, there is no mighty wind, no tongues of fire. Jesus simply stood among his friends, said, “Peace be with you,” and breathed the Holy Spirit upon them. We and the neophytes are now filled with the breath of Christ, the Spirit of Christ, making us “conspirators” in Christ’s mission to heal the world.
Your Turn
How are you helping your elect, catechumen, and candidates adapt their initiation expectations during this time? What’s been most helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
I admire the working out of a full schedule adapted to a different time, such as the one offered in this post. There are many good and practical suggestions in this post. That said, however, I must take issue with the Solemnity of the Assumption as a suitable choice for the day of Baptism.
Baptism, if it is going to keep its central place and foundational character, is not well placed on a Marian feast. Neither should it take its keynote from any saint’s day. As important as Mary and the saints are, they are not the focus of this mystery; they are secondary. Baptism belongs on a Sunday, the day of the Resurrection.
The Easter Vigil may look like Saturday on the calendar, but in liturgical time it is the beginning of Easter Sunday. Even infant baptism takes place on Sunday for preference.
There’s a theological point here. The choices we make should be centered on Jesus and his paschal mystery. Baptism is Christocentric by nature. Nothing against Mary, but we are not baptized into Mary. Even in the arrangement of the liturgical year, Marian feasts are subordinate to feasts of the Lord.
Hi Rita. Thank you for your very helpful insights. I do think a Marian feast can be a suitable choice for the day of baptism if the lens is focused on Mary as the first disciple and example of the “yes-ness” that is required of the elect/neophytes. But your points are well taken, and I am grateful for your clarifications.
Hi Rita and Nick,
I’m the first one to jump up and make sure we aren’t elevating Mary above Jesus. However, Marian Feast Days are properly pointed to Jesus and every Mass is centred on the Paschal Mystery. It is just a case of making sure that catechesis is done correctly (in every way you can make that work out).
Moreover, the RCIA ritual says that initiation is proper to solemnities-and August 15 is no less of one than Sunday. If August 15 works out time wise it seems like a really cool chance to provide some formation on Mary’s role in the Church.
Nick, I’m wondering why you have the three scrutinies still here though. At least in Canada (and I think in many US dioceses) at least one of them has been dispensed from which means we can’t do them.
If that is true, I wonder what it could look like to have initiation (please God) earlier and have Mystagogy “end” (I don’t like saying it that way but I think you get it) on August 15, that could be interesting liturgically. Or what about the week earlier on Transfiguration?
I think the moral of the story is that while it is sad and not the best that we have to wait to bring people in the Church, there are some awesome days coming up that fit what we’re trying to talk about.
Thanks for getting me thinking 🙂
Hi Becca. Thanks for your comments. The calendar I created is meant to be an example that would cover all possible scenarios. If it doesn’t exactly fit your region, you should, of course, adjust it accordingly. TeamRCIA has readers from all over the world, and situations vary greatly in different areas Also, it is important to note that a dispensation is not a restriction. If your bishop has dispensed your diocese from celebrating one or more of the scrutinies, that only means the obligation has been lifted. It does not mean that you cannot celebrate them once we are able to gather again.
It is also important to note that we are not waiting to bring the elect into the church. They were made members of the household of God at the Rite of Acceptance, and we hope that during their catechumenate they were fully integrated into the life of the parish. They cannot yet join us at the eucharistic table, but then none of us can do that right now. So the elect can and should participate in the full life of the church as well as we are able in this lockdown situation. Once we are able to gather again, it should only be a matter of weeks (six at the most, fewer in other places) before they are able to be fully initiated and brought to the table.
There are many Sundays and solemnities throughout the summer that have baptismal imagery or discipleship imagery. Any of them would excellent occasions for initiation. And if an ideal date presents itself but the readings don’t quite work, we have the option of using the readings from Easter Sunday as long as the date in question is not a solemnity (see RCIA 247).
Thanks for all your great work in this ministry, and thanks again for sharing your thoughts.
Hi! Thank you for these suggestions, and it’s good to have a sense of the importance of the scrutinies and other rites. We had already celebrated the Presentations of the Creed and Lord’s Prayer during the later part of the Catechumenate Period, as well as the Rites of Sending and Election. We had already celebrated the First Scrutiny with the parish community before the “closure” was imposed.
So our schedule is different, since there can be dispensation by the Bishop. We do feel that we would like to celebrate at least the scrutinies. possibly on one Sunday and one weekday, and the preparation rites. Then our initiation rites can be celebrated more flexibly within a month or so of the lifting of the restrictions. Since we have been keeping in touch with our participants via mail, e-mail, phone and text, We are in process of setting up social media platform accounts for the groups that do not already have them. Godparents and sponsors continue to meet with their respective Elect or candidates, in whatever format works for them. The continuing formation and conversations, shared prayer keep us closely in contact. Each one of us is creating paths that respond to our needs in tune with the process as the vision expresses. So again — thanks. God bless.
Hi Clare. You are doing great work, as always! Every time I hear you (or read you) talk about how you are guiding the catechumens and candidates, I’m impressed with how effortless you make it seem. And I know how hard you must be working to make it seem that way. Thanks for your dedication and commitment to this ministry.