It’s not something we often think about. But if we’ve been dismissing catechumens from Mass throughout their catechumenate on a regular basis, shouldn’t we also dismiss them during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday? There are many reasons we might immediately dismiss this dismissal during the Triduum, such as, not having enough
Should we dismiss catechumens on Holy Thursday?
Lent is a busy time for initiation teams. We are busy preparing the elect for the Easter sacraments, tracking down baptismal certificates, and coordinating the many moving parts of the Lenten catechumenate rites. But in the midst of all this activity, it is easy to overlook the baptized candidates. You may disagree. You may be
Honoring the dignity of the baptized candidates in Lent
When is the best time to receive Christians validly baptized into the full communion of the Catholic Church? We might often think that the Easter Vigil is the perfect time for the Rite of Reception since that’s the premier time we make new Catholics through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. But our
When should we receive Christians into the Catholic Church?
You can reflect questions for every Sunday of the year by clicking here. The 4th Sunday in Lent Background: The Pharisees think that they know The Truth about God and about life. To them suffering is a punishment for sin, and God doesn’t listen to the prayers of sinners. Yet in Jesus we come to
Reflection Questions for Seekers: Year A – The 4th Sunday of Lent through Easter Sunday
We have looked closely at the importance, meaning, and celebration of the scurtinies over several articles. The scrutinies, more than any other part of the Period of Purification and Enlightenment, prepare the elect for initiation. But what, exactly, does that mean? What will be the lasting impact of the scrutinies after the elect have been
What happens to the elect because of the scrutinies?
Over several articles, we have seen how profound the lenten scrutinies can be for your elect and your parish. We have explored how these rites are exercises in vision, letting the light of Christ reveal both what needs healing and what is already good. We have reframed the exorcism as a loving acclamation of victory
Empowering godparents for the scrutinies
Before you start siphoning out the water from your font, covering it, or filling it up with anything else for the season of Lent, let’s talk about whether or not that’s a good idea. In this short video, Diana looks at what the Church teaches about the season of Lent and the liturgical guidelines we
Should we remove holy water from the font during Lent?
In a previous article, we said that the scrutinies are not moments of “interrogation” but rather rituals of “encounter” and of light. And in another article, we looked at how the exorcisms are acclamations of God’s victory and love. In this article, we are going to look at why we do the scrutiny rites three
The scrutinies are a three-part story of conversion
In a previous article, we explored how the scrutinies are essentially an exercise in vision—letting the light of Christ in so the elect can see their lives and the world clearly. Once that light has revealed what needs healing, we naturally move from “seeing” to the primary “action” of the church: the exorcism. If the
Reclaiming the victory of the exorcism
The Third Sunday of Lent is coming up soon, and if you feel uneasy about it, you aren’t alone. As you know, that Sunday begins the first of a series of three scrutinies that we celebrate with the elect. However, the word “scrutiny” has a negative connotation in most people’s imagination. And when you tell
Why “scrutiny” is actually about light
