When should baptized candidates be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church? Paul Turner in When Other Christians become Catholic, says, “Whenever they are ready” (p. 161). The National Statues for the Catechumenate say, not “at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism […]
Why Baptized Candidates Should Not be Received at the Easter Vigil
The stories of the man born blind, the woman at the well and the raising of Lazarus from the dead are a set of readings that must always be proclaimed whenever we celebrate the Scrutinies. Why then are today’s readings so important for those who are preparing for initiation? Why are they so important for
"God Glasses" for the Man Born Blind—A Scrutiny Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Lent
Discernment in the RCIA is most intensely done in preparation for the celebration of the rites. (Click here for an article about discernment for the rites.) Yet the vision of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is that discernment is on-going. Furthermore, discernment is not just something only the catechumens do; it is something
RCIA Discernment: What is it and how do you do it?
How do you know if the inquirers or catechumens “know enough”? When are they ready to move to the next stage? Discerning readiness is often a subjective art. Discernment in terms of faith is not a completely rational process in the way that decision-making is often simply weighing the pros and cons and choosing the
RCIA Discernment: How do you know if they "know enough"?
Are you getting ready to initiate the Elect in your parish at the Easter Vigil? Make sure they (and you) know what they are signing up for. In his book, The People’s Work, Frank Senn says: The purpose of proclaiming the word and celebrating baptism and the Lord’s Supper is to form a community of
Improve next year’s Triduum by evaluating this year’s celebration with this easy-to-use process. 1. RememberingThe first step in evaluating is to remember what happened. In the catechumenate process, this is called mystagogy. What did you see? What did you hear? What emotion did you feel? What was especially powerful? Negative responses are as valid as
A three-step Triduum evaluation
The Elect are about to join the royal priesthood, and it is time to start getting them used to their royal status. Here are nine ways to help the Elect enter more fully into their preparation for baptism and Eucharist. Chauffeur them. At a recent Election Rite, a candidate was late for the liturgy because
9 Ways to Treat the Elect Like Royalty
Have you ever been in love with someone you weren’t supposed to love? Someone your parents or your friends disapproved of? In the first two paragraphs of today’s Gospel, Jesus does some astounding things. He goes to Samaria. He walks up to a well where a woman is drawing water. He sends off his disciples
Reckless Love: A Scrutiny Homily
Okay, that’s a little strong. But if your lenten catechesis for the elect looks a lot like the catechesis that was going on during the period of the catechumenate, something is amiss. What the RCIA says about lenten formation The rite is pretty clear. If you have your RCIA handy (or maybe even if you
I’m writing this on the First Sunday of Lent. Today is typically a hectic day in many catechumenate ministries. The candidates for election are stressed and may show up late for the parish Mass and the Rite of Sending. The catechumenate director or liturgist has a thousand details to attend to. There are friends and
