Last September, Marcy seemed so relieved. When her pastor convinced her to take over the leadership of the parish’s RCIA program, she was worried that she didn’t know enough to do the job. “All the topics are already chosen,” Fr. Jonas had reassured. “All you have to do is find speakers to cover them.” He […]
Is the fear of being wrong controlling your RCIA?
As a way to move to a year-round process, I recommended last time that you should throw out your syllabus. And while I feel there’s good reasons for doing this, it does create something of a problem: What do I do now? How do I convey to our catechumens and candidates everything they need to
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Let the liturgical seasons be your guide (Part 1)
Your catechumens had been participating in the Liturgy of the Word for months, maybe even for years, and they pretty much know the routine. But now that they’re neophytes and are no longer dismissed from the Mass after the homily, some of them might be feeling a little lost in their new experience of the
How neophytes learn to participate in the Mass
Jane (not her real name) was initiated at the Easter Vigil. She had some doubts about going through with it. During Lent, her RCIA leader told her she had to take a test to see if she knew enough about Catholic teaching to get baptized. Jane had never been very good at tests, so she
Rejoice and be glad: An RCIA story of mystagogy
Does your RCIA team struggle with the period of mystagogy? If so, you are not alone. Most teams report that this is the most difficult period of the catechumentate process for them. If that’s true for you, I have good news. The period of mystagogy is probably a lot easier than you think. The reason
Mystagogy in the RCIA is easier than you think — and more challenging
Blessed Easter to you from all of us here at TeamRCIA! May God who dispels our darkness bring you new life and light this season and all year long.
There’s something different about this year’s Triduum. Early in the morning before the sun comes up this Saturday, March 31, 2018, if you look up in the still-dark sky, you will see what I call the “Easter-is-coming-soon-moon”–the first full moon after the spring equinox. This is the moon that each year determines the date of
After team formation, the next step to moving to a year round process is simple: Throw out your syllabus. Hear me out on this one… Have you noticed there’s not much out there when it comes to an “off the shelf” program for the RCIA? There’s a reason for that… but more on that in
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Throw out your syllabus!
What is your RCIA team’s goal for the catechumenate? If a Martian were to land in a random parish on Easter Monday, he might draw a false conclusion based on what he observes during the Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy. Baptism forgives sins In a given parish, the Martian might conclude that the purpose
Four Martians walk into an RCIA…
Someone e-mailed recently to tell us about a high-school-age catechumen who had been denied baptism at a previous parish. The reason she could not be baptized, she was told, is because she failed the RCIA test. The test was a written exam, presumably about Catholic doctrine, that was more difficult than a college entrance exam,
