The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults envisions the initiation process as a journey of faith (see RCIA 1). As soon as a seeker takes the first step on that journey, the reality of time changes. This shift in time, however, is not always obvious to either the seeker or the parish initiation team. Often, […]
Two kinds of time in an ongoing (year-round) initiation process
At our recent Community Chat on moving to a year-round initiation process, it seemed there were two types of comments. On the one hand, lots of folks were excited about moving to a continuous initiation process and couldn’t wait to get started. On the other hand, while also excited, other folks were a bit stumped
Rethinking the core Catholic content as we move to ongoing initiation (year-round RCIA)
During a recent TeamRCIA Community Chat, several questions came up about celebrating the scrutinies outside the usual times. Let’s take a look at some issues that parishes may be experiencing. First, let’s recall the purpose of the scrutinies. The scrutinies are meant to uncover, then heal, all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the
Celebrating the RCIA scrutinies outside the usual times
I’ve seen a lot of pictures lately of priests standing in front of homes blessing the members of the household as they gather on the front porch or steps. I think that’s great! But we don’t have to wait for the pastor to come by to celebrate blessings. Blessings come in many, many forms. A
RCIA blessings in the time of coronavirus
Many of us who guide and form spiritual seekers are hoping for a return to normal as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. But normal probably won’t look like what we are used to. The effects of the pandemic have permanently ruptured “the way we’ve always done it.” For the most part, that is
RCIA will never be the same again
Did you miss the April 21 TeamRCIA Community Chat on how to schedule the initiation rites outside of Easter? No worries! We’ve got you covered. Here’s the recording. Please share it with your colleagues in ministry. We had over 900 people signed up, and over 600 people from all around the world attended the one-hour
Community Chat – Scheduling initiation outside of Easter
Fr. John Farley, a priest in the San Diego diocese, commented on our video, “RCIA, the Triduum, and Coronavirus.” Based on the guidelines in the Ceremonial of Bishops and in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, he proposed a possible schedule for celebrating the rites of initiation at a time later this year. In
An RCIA calendar for celebrating the initiation rites outside the usual times
A prayer when one’s baptism must be delayed in this year of the coronavirus I know it’s not a race or a test of will, Lord. Yet I feel a bit lost now that the Triduum has ended and the baptismal waters remain just out of reach. In this time of waiting, may I receive
A prayer when baptism must be delayed in time of Coronavirus
Michael Marchal is a retired teacher of high school English and college philosophy. He has worked with the RCIA in his parish since 1976 and has written three books on different aspects of the process. Later this spring his latest work, Reborn in the Spirit: Preparing At Home for Infant Baptism was coauthored with Jane
RCIA in the Easter Season: How to continue forming elect, catechumens, and candidates
Mary Kay Arroyo and the initiation team at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bradenton, Florida, have responded to the shelter-in-place regulations by connecting with their seekers through video chats. We asked Mary Kay to share with us how it’s going, and she sent us this video. Has your team tried some innovative tech solutions for
Has your RCIA team tried video conferencing?
