“Archbishop,” someone in the audience asked, “so many people are leaving the church because of the scandals. What can we do to address that?” Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta had just opened the floor to questions after his keynote talk at the Cathedral Ministry Conference on January 15, 2019. The archbishop took a deep breath […]
Give your RCIA seekers a reason to stay
Diana and I have just returned from a three-month Spanish language immersion process in Panama. In all that time, we saw no evidence that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults exists there. Yet, the church in Panama seems to be thriving. The first Sunday we were there, we went to what we thought was
Like most people, I am terrible at keeping New Year’s resolutions. But several years ago, I found a way to become better. Now, I make 90-day resolutions. At the end of 90 days, I check in with myself to see how I’m doing. Then I either recommit to my resolutions, or I trade them in
13 New Year’s resolutions for RCIA leaders and teams
Happy New Year and a blessed Epiphany to all of you! We hope you enjoy a couple of gifts from us here: A simple liturgy to bless your home and chalk your door on Epiphany and a fun video below on how to make Epiphany stars.
Our Epiphany gifts to you for 2019!
Last year, we sent you our greetings from the snows of the Sierras in California. This year, we send you warmest greetings from the tropical heat in Panama City, Panamá! Blessed Christmas to you from all of us here at TeamRCIA! May the Word who became flesh dwell in your words and live in your
Our video Christmas card to you!
There are two dismissals in the Sunday liturgy. The one Catholics are most familiar with is the second one, the dismissal of the faithful at the end of Mass. The other is becoming better known. That is the dismissal of the catechumens at the end of the Liturgy of the word. Both dismissals are sometimes
The symbolic importance of the RCIA dismissal
I know a lot of catechists who approach their ministry with all the zeal of a foreign missionary, especially when it comes to the RCIA. That was the feeling we all had in our RCIA team when I first joined them 21 years ago. Here was our chance to bring Christ to those who had
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Are we catechizing for knowledge or understanding?
In a recent post, I pointed out that the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity from the Second Vatican Council instructs that we who are members of the royal priesthood should be especially focused on social action (see paragraph 7). I then drew the conclusion that if our RCIA processes are not making this
What commitment is your RCIA prioritizing?
Some years ago, business leaders were caught up in a trend called “Management by Objective” (MBO). MBO is a method of organizing and motivating employees to accomplish the objectives of the company. So if the objective of a company is to sell a million widgets, whatever any employee does to help the company reach that
What is your RCIA team’s objective for the catechumens?
In a previous post, I talked about how all of the baptized have a vocation to accomplish the mission of the church. Our number-one job as RCIA team members is to form our seekers to be able to accomplish that mission. The first step in the process of formation is to develop in the seekers
Do your RCIA seekers have a spiritual formation plan?
