Does your catechumenate team feel like they have to “get everything in” before Easter Vigil?  That feeling can make formation feel overwhelming—like an impossible checklist of doctrines, precepts, and practices that must be taught in a limited timeframe. But what if you could shift the burden off of yourself and your team?

What if Jesus is the true catechist?

The initiation process isn’t primarily about delivering content; it’s about making disciples. And the process of making disciples isn’t about downloading information into seekers’ minds; it’s about accompanying them on their journey of faith.

As catechumenate team members, our job is not to lead (that’s Jesus’s job) but to help seekers recognize the action of the Holy Spirit in their lives as they are directed toward encounters with Christ.

This shift in thinking doesn’t mean formation is unstructured or lacking purpose; it means that instead of feeling pressured to “teach everything,” we trust that Jesus is already at work. Our role is to help seekers recognize how the Holy Spirit is leading them.

What happens when we focus on information instead of accompaniment?

It’s easy to slip into a classroom model of formation—structured lessons, standardized curriculum, and a timeline that mirrors an academic calendar. This approach assumes that if seekers simply learn the right information, they will become disciples. But that’s not how faith works.

We are responsible for making disciples, but the process of making disciples is not about delivering information—it’s about guiding seekers into deeper relationship with Christ. If we focus exclusively on content, we risk:

• Reducing the initiation process to a program instead of a spiritual journey.
• Overloading seekers with intellectual knowledge while neglecting personal transformation.
• Making the rites of initiation feel like checkpoints instead of profound encounters with Jesus.
• Frustrating both seekers and team members with an overwhelming curriculum.

One of the most frequent complaints we hear from catechumenate teams is that the neophytes or newly received candidates don’t come back after Easter. When we look deeper, though, that usually only happens if seekers don’t experience a real encounter with Christ during their formation. They disappear not because they weren’t “taught” enough but because they never truly met Jesus.

Jesus as the primary catechist

The church teaches that the liturgy is the privileged place for catechizing the People of God (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1074; Directory for Catechesis, 96). That means Jesus speaks through the Word, the sacraments, and the gathered community. The best way to form disciples isn’t to load them with more facts about the faith—it’s to help them experience the faith through full immersion into the community of disciples.

A perfect example of this is the story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus. Jesus doesn’t start with a lecture. Instead, he walks alongside the disciples, asks them questions, and gradually reveals himself through Scripture and the breaking of the bread. This is our model for catechesis.

Seekers don’t need a classroom. They need a journey.

Seekers don’t need a classroom. They need a journey.

Practical tips

So how do we shift from a content-driven model to an accompaniment model?

1. Mystagogy: Helping seekers recognize Jesus’s presence

Mystagogy isn’t just for the 50 days of Easter. It should begin from day one. Seekers encounter Christ in many ways, and our role is to help them recognize and reflect on those encounters.

• Make the liturgy central
  • The Mass and other rites of initiation are not just ceremonies to be completed—they are moments of transformation.
  • Encourage seekers to reflect on their experiences in liturgy. How did the Holy Spirit speak to them in a particular reading? What did they notice in the prayers? What was most memorable?
  • Instead of treating liturgy as secondary to catechesis, make it the heart of the process.
• Ask more questions, give fewer answers
  • Instead of focusing on what seekers should know, start by asking what they have experienced.
  • Questions to ask seekers:
    • Where have you encountered Jesus this week?
    • What in today’s gospel stood out to you?
    • How is God speaking to you through this process?
  • Trust that Jesus is already speaking to them—we simply need to help them listen.
• Encourage storytelling and reflection
  • After every rite, help seekers reflect on what happened. What did they experience? What changed in them?
  • Invite seekers to share their personal stories—where have they seen God at work in their lives?
  • Frame the catechumenate as a journey of ongoing discovery, not just preparation for a final goal.

2. Trust the Process and the Holy Spirit

• The goal of formation is not to cover a set curriculum—it’s to help seekers grow in relationship with Jesus.
• Readiness for the sacraments should be based on conversion, not just knowledge.
• Every seeker’s journey will look different. That’s okay. The Holy Spirit leads each person in a unique way.

The result: A catechumenate that forms lifelong disciples

When we let Jesus be the catechist, everything changes.

• Less stress, more joy. Team members no longer feel the pressure to “teach everything.” Instead, they trust that Jesus is doing the real work.
• More passionate disciples. Seekers who encounter Jesus personally are more likely to stay engaged in the faith after baptism.
• A process that actually transforms lives. Instead of just gaining head knowledge, seekers are drawn into a deeper relationship with Christ and the church.

Conclusion

The initiation process is not about finishing a class—it’s about forming lifelong disciples. Our job isn’t to force knowledge into seekers’ minds. It’s to walk with them, ask questions, and help them recognize that Jesus has been leading them all along.

Jesus is the primary catechist. When we trust in Christ, everything else falls into place.

Help me out

I would love to hear your thoughts. What’s one way you can shift your team’s approach to let Jesus lead more fully? Please answer in the comments below.