Here is a quote that might surprise you: If the eucharist is to be celebrated, the catechumens are normally dismissed at this point…. Why is that surprising, you might wonder. Isn’t it normal to dismiss catechumens before the Eucharist? It is surprising, for some of us, because the statement comes at the end of the
A powerful conversion process for baptized candidates in the RCIA
What would you say if I told you that most people who are in the RCIA do not belong there? I’ve had this feeling for a while, and it just keeps getting stronger. For most of us, the majority of the people in our catechumenate processes are either Protestants who want to become Catholic or
Why your candidates might not belong in the RCIA
Silence is awkward. Remember the last time you met someone new? After you exchanged names, your new friend asked, “What do you do?” You replied, “I’m a catechist.” Looooong silence. Awkward. When we’re meeting with inquirers or catechumens, we try to avoid awkwardness. We don’t want to feel awkward ourselves, and we certainly don’t want
Five reasons to stop talking to catechumens
One of the things I love about the catechumenate is the sense of community that happens within the formation group. The team bonds more closely together, inquirers take that “leap of faith” together in the Rite of Acceptance, baptized candidates share their common love of Christ and how they find the fullest expression of that
Should inquirers be joining “the RCIA”?
When I first heard about the dismissal of the catechumens from the Sunday Mass, it was an “I-could-have-had-a-V8-smack-on-the-forehead” moment. I instantly saw the catechetical value for parish communities. If mid-pew Catholics saw people processing out of church in the middle of Mass, what would they think? How would they deal with the disruption? Who would
Time to recover the prophetic power of the RCIA dismissal
Here is a recipe that is part of Friends on the Way: A Children’s Catechumenate Resource for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Good-Health Muffins Line muffin pans with 2 ½ inch cups with papers. Preheat oven. Make 1 cup pulp by blending pitted plums and chop 3 pitted plums. Set aside. Stir together: 1
Good-Health Muffins for Children’s RCIA
ARE YOU SOMEONE OR DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO… Has expressed an interest in becoming Catholic? Has a child over the age of seven who has not been baptized? Was baptized Catholic as a child, but has not celebrated the Sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist? We offer an opportunity to come together in a small
Example bulletin announcement for initiation ministry
The latest Harry Potter film, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part II opens next week in theatres. I cannot wait to see it! In this seventh and final episode of the Harry Potter saga, Harry and his friends have the ultimate confrontation with the Dark Lord, Voldermort, and his wicked allies. It’s a brutal
What Harry Potter Knows about Forming Kids in Faith
We get a lot of questions at TeamRCIA, but one question we never get is, “How can our team be better at evangelization?” If you think about it though, shouldn’t this be the burning question for every RCIA team? The first stage of the catechumenate is named the “Period of Evangelization.” Everything else we do
Set the stage for effective evangelization
When you think about the children’s RCIA process in your parish, are you fairly satisfied with the way it works? Or, are there aspects of children’s RCIA that are weak and need improvement? Do you wish parents were more involved? Do you wish the liturgical component was stronger? Whether you are satisfied with your children’s
Six simple ways to improve your children’s RCIA process
