The renewal of the catechumenate is key to the renewal of our parishes. That was one of the points made in a recently released Vatican document, “The Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community in the Service of the Evangelizing Mission of the Church” (Congregation for the Clergy, July 20, 2020). Given the time it takes […]
How the RCIA will renew our parishes after the pandemic
Inspired by an angel, Philip went out onto the road to preach. While on the road, he met a court official from Ethiopia. The Ethiopian was reading from the prophet Isaiah, but he didn’t understand what he was reading. Philip began to explain it to him and also to proclaim the good news about Jesus.
Why a year-round RCIA is important for baptized seekers
Introduction for 18th to 22nd Sundays: We have finished reading Matthew’s Sermon on Parables and move now to a crucial narrative section dealing with the Church as First-fruits of God’s Kingdom/Reign. Repeatedly we will see how the crucial step to enter that Kingdom/Reign is a deep faith in Jesus, a faith that rejects all other
Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers — 18th-22nd Sundays in Ordinary Time, Year A
One of the challenges of being quarantined is how to draw more seekers to our parish and our initiation process. Strategies for “marketing” ourselves are not different in principle during a pandemic than they are when life is normal. However, some of what we might have done in the past becomes even more critical when
The key to RCIA marketing is storytelling
Let’s be honest—many of our parishes do a poor job of connecting with and communicating with their communities. Not just with regular their parishioners, but especially with those whom we want to attract and bring into our communities—our seekers, our catechumens, and our candidates. One of the inadvertent gifts of COVID-19 was bring this challenge
14th Sunday in ordinary time Background : This Sunday’s selection is the first from Matthew’s exploration of the meaning of the Kingdom/Reign of God. The evangelist often refers to the Kingdom/Reign of Heaven, but that is a pious Jewish euphemism. A Jewish perspective is also needed to appreciate the references to the “learned,” which refers
Reflection Questions for RCIA Seekers — 14th – 17th Sundays in Ordinary Time, Year A
Q: We have the people, support, space, everything needed to make a continuous initiation process happen. But exactly how do we proceed with the actual logistics of having people at different places, and how you speak to them individually but also as a group? How do you integrate new people without repeating yourself over and
Q&A: Multiple seekers on the journey of faith—how to start a year-round RCIA
Q: How do we handle the reception of baptized candidates into full communion once the quarantine is lifted? A: Baptized candidates present us with a conundrum. In the United States, Canada, and most parts of Australia, the majority of those in our formation processes are baptized Christians. And the majority of the ritual text, the
Q&A: What is the right rite for baptized candidates in the RCIA?
Q: Could you give us examples of how the whole parish acts as the minister to welcome the candidates/catechumens and share the faith with them? What does it look like? How can we help the whole parish understand this mission? A: When we want to welcome a seeker into our parish family, it looks a
Q&A: How do we help the whole parish understand their RCIA mission?
Most parishes in the United States, Canada, and Australia will be celebrating the sacraments of initiation with the elect in the coming weeks or months. Since this celebration is happening outside of the Easter Vigil, there is some confusion as to what ritual to use for initiation. The normative rite to use would be the
What is the correct RCIA rite to use for baptizing the elect outside the Easter Vigil?
