After more than two years of talking about it, we are on the cusp of receiving the new translation of the initiation rites. You can order it now, and it will ship on November 1, 2024. To get us ready, Team Initiation is hosting an amazing four-week speaker series called “Building Blocks of the Catechumenate.” […]
Building blocks of the catechumenate: Preparing for the new translation
It won’t come as a surprise to you that the number of Catholic parishes in the United States is declining. Some parishes have simply been closed, but many of them have been merged into a single, new parish. Merging parishes can be challenging, but it also offers an opportunity for growth and deeper unity. When
Uniting the catechumenate in merged parishes
You can find reflection questions for every Sunday of the year by clicking here.28th Sunday in Ordinary TimeBackground: You have to travel light if you want to journey with Jesus. Any teacher loves an eager student, and this young man who runs up and wants to do his best wins Jesus’s love. He seems wholehearted, but
Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers: Year B – The 28th to 31st Sundays in Ordinary Time
You’ve been given the date for the next celebration of the Rite of Acceptance (what the new translation calls the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate). Now what? So much of the preparation for an effective celebration of a catechumenate rite involves preparing people, liturgically and spiritually, from the seeker to the presider and all
A checklist for preparing to celebrate the Rite of Acceptance (Entrance into the Catechumenate)
In my last few articles, I’ve shared thoughts about what it means for individual catechists—and entire parishes—to move from comfort to mission. Pope Francis challenges us to go forth—to step outside the safe, familiar routines we’ve grown accustomed to and to risk getting “bruised” for the sake of the gospel. Now I want to ask,
Can your parish change the world? What would happen if…?
In a previous article, we explored how each of us, as catechists, is called to move beyond our comfort zones and embrace the audacity of faith in our personal lives. Pope Francis has challenged us to be bold, to risk being “bruised” for the sake of the gospel rather than remaining “ill” within the confines
From maintenance to mission: Revitalizing our parishes for the future
In a previous article, we discussed what it might mean for us as catechists to step outside our comfort zones. Now, let’s ask a more challenging question: What would happen if our parishes decided to step outside their comfort zones? Pope Francis doesn’t just want you and me to go out, to venture to the
Can our parishes truly become missionary?
From the beginning of his papacy, Pope Francis has emphasized the difference between being a catechist and working as one. “To ‘be’ catechists! Not to ‘work’ as catechists: this will not do. I work as a catechist because I like to teach… But unless you ‘are’ a catechist, it is no good! You will not
Going forth: The audacity of being a catechist
On the journey of faith, discernment is a shared responsibility. The catechumenate process isn’t just about sponsors and catechists evaluating seekers as though we are the gatekeepers of God’s grace. Discernment is a collaborative effort whereby seekers actively participate in discerning the will of the Holy Spirit for their own next steps. Our job is
Collaborative Discernment in the Catechumenate
In a chilly church basement, surrounded by anxious parishioners, I once explained the importance of spiritual accompaniment in the catechumenate process. I also outlined the church’s criteria for judging the readiness of a seeker to move forward to the next step of the initiation process. A local farmer, his hands rough and calloused, looked at
The art of discernment: Accompanying seekers on their unique faith journeys
