Imagine this scenario. It is late May, and an e-mail pops up from a seeker asking how to become Catholic. You’re exhausted from a very full “OCIA class” that just wrapped up on Pentecost Sunday.

You dash off a quick reply letting them know you’ll be back in touch sometime in the fall when the new round of OCIA classes starts. You know in your gut that telling a seeker to “come back later” feels wrong, but you just don’t have the energy to accompany a new person right now.

Some version of this happens in parishes across the globe on a regular basis. The school-year model is so embedded in our parishes that even seekers who have no idea what the Holy Trinity is somehow know that they have to “sign up for OCIA” if they want to become Catholic.

Archbishop Rino Fisichella, president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization, said that this school paradigm — where the school calendar is identical to the formation calendar — is a “chokehold” on effective evangelization in our parishes.

The truth that will set us free from this chokehold is that the Holy Spirit is whispering to broken hearts, every minute of every day, “Come and see.” And if we are going to be faithful to our vocation as accompanists on the journey of faith, we must be ready to respond to seekers who accept that invitation whenever they show up in our parishes.

Three ways to break the chokehold

There are three ways that we can break the school-model chokehold and become truly welcoming parishes no matter when seekers show up.

Open the doors.

Most of our parishes are gated in some way, even if the physical doors are unlocked. It is hard for seekers to know who to talk to or how to start the conversation. Once they work up the courage to finally make themselves known, they’re told the person they need to talk to is on vacation, or only works on Thursdays, or won’t be around until classes start in the fall.

What we need to do instead is create multiple ways of contacting the parish, from social media to phone numbers to e-mail addresses that are always monitored and always replied to within 24 hours with a message of welcome.

Celebrate the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate two or three times throughout the year.

This is exactly what the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults tells us to do (see OCIA 18.3). Whenever someone shows up, you can assure them they will be “joined to the Church” (Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, 14) and made members of “the house of Christ” (OCIA 47) within a few weeks or months. They don’t have to wait until September.

Take apprenticeship seriously.

Apprentices show up ready to learn-by-doing on day one. They don’t have a fixed start date in the fall when all the apprentices begin on the same day. There is no summer vacation.

This is the model the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults expects us to use (see OCIA 75 and Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, 14). The value of this model is not only that it disrupts the schoolroom chokehold. It also creates opportunities for more parish involvement.

Parishioners who are skilled at prayer can be prayer mentors. Parishioners who are good at service to the poor can be apostolic works mentors. More mature catechumens can mentor new catechumens in what to expect and how to navigate unfamiliar disciplines. And so on.

The important thing we have to keep in mind is that we simply cannot contain the movement of grace in a seeker’s heart to times that are convenient for us.

Start living in a new paradigm

The important thing we have to keep in mind is that we simply cannot contain the movement of grace in a seeker’s heart to times that are convenient for us. Imagine if Jesus, seeing Simon and Andrew out fishing, calls out to them: “Come, follow me! But not just yet. Discipleship classes will start in a couple of months.”

While the image is humorous, it is also real. I have a seeker right now who was told by another parish to come back later. Instead of giving up, he came to us. But what if we had told him the same thing?

When we ignore the invitation of the Holy Spirit, we risk causing seekers to think the church is not really interested in welcoming them in.

If you are still not sure about this, reread paragraph 36 of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. In that passage, the church teaches that the period of evangelization and precatechumenate has “no fixed duration or structure.”

This may make more sense if you think of the journey of faith like the journey of a couple falling in love. At the beginning of the relationship, there is no fixed duration or structure. As the couple gets to know each other, meets each other’s family and friends, starts to plan for a future, structures and timelines evolve. But they are not fixed from the beginning like a school calendar.

Or think of it as triage in a field hospital. Your job is to help and heal the wounded. Some are not wounded very badly and can wait a bit. And some are bleeding out and need immediate care. We cannot say to them, come back later. The emergency is now and needs to be attended to now.

Even for those whose wounds are not as serious, we still need to meet them immediately to find out how serious their condition is. Even small wounds can be dangerous if not attended to.

The year-round welcome checklist

If you are ready to break the grip of the school-year chokehold, here are six simple steps you can take right now.

1. Initial inquiry: As soon as someone inquires, schedule an informal conversation within 24 hours of contact. Do not send a registration form first.
2. Companion match: Pair the inquirer immediately with an active parishioner for Sunday Mass companionship. This person does not necessarily have to become a sponsor. Just a friendly face to sit with on Sunday.
3. Keep them in the loop: With permission, add the inquirer to your parish newsletter, Facebook, or Instagram feed.
4. Ritual planning for the unbaptized: Set flexible dates for the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate (e.g., November, February, June), even if you don’t have any inquirers yet. When someone does inquire, you will already have an upcoming rite that you can prepare them for.
5. Ritual planning for the baptized: Set flexible dates for the Order of Reception into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church. This rite can happen on any Sunday in Ordinary Time and does not have to be tied to the ritual calendar for the unbaptized.
6. Watch your language: Stop using terms like “OCIA class.” Don’t use language that implies catechesis has a start and end date.

What do you think?

What is the biggest hesitation holding your parish back from welcoming seekers year-round? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.