If the first time your parishioners meet a seeker is at the celebration of the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate, you’ve missed an important opportunity! But if you spend time in the months and weeks before the rite to give your seekers an “experience of the company and spirit of Christians” (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults 42), that will make the entire journey of faith a powerful encounter with Christ for both the seeker and your parishioners. 

In fact, long before the celebration of this first public ritual of the initiation process, the rite expects us to have helped seekers and parishioners enter into a new relationship with one another in Christ. It’s that relationship with the members of the body of Christ outside of the liturgy that is the precursor to a seeker’s relationship with Christ whom they encounter in the liturgy. The rites manifest and strengthen that relationship, which culminates in the seeker’s incorporation into Christ’s body to become the body of Christ in the world.

As you prepare for the Rite for Entrance, think of how in your life you have entered into new friendships with others and how you deepened those relationships. Then imagine ways you can provide similar kinds of opportunities for your seekers and parishioners as they begin this new journey together.

In this short video, Diana gives some ideas on how to help your parishioners, especially sponsors, establish a true friendship in Christ even before the celebration of the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate.

What are your thoughts?

I’d love to know how this video is helping you. Can you share a word or a phrase about how it resonates with you? Does it speak to your experience? Or challenge you some way? Share your thoughts in the comments box below. Thanks for being part of the conversion!