Donna Steffen, SC, a team member with the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, writes about the first time she was confronted with the idea that she would have to discern the readiness of candidates for initiation: “I was horrified. How can I judge another person?” In the July 2009 issue of Catechumenate (“Discernment in […]
Discernment in the RCIA process
Pope Benedict XVI’s newest encyclical, Caritas in Verite, has all the elements of a guide for living the Christian life that would be beneficial to catechuemens. All the elements, except one. It is not an easy read. Simply giving the document to those who are new to the faith could be overwhelming. Fortunately, Sam Lucero
What the catechumens need to know about Caritas in Verite
Music is integral to liturgy. Singing is basic to the way we pray, the way we show love, the way we worship. So—the Rite of Acceptance always includes singing, right? For some parishes, this aspect of celebration is well in hand. If you haven’t got it all down yet, however, there’s no reason to despair.
Singing the Rite of Acceptance
If you are planning a Rite of Acceptance for the fall, consider scheduling it on September 16, 2012. That’s the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B), and the readings are especially appropriate. The first reading is Isaiah 50:5-9, which begins: “The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear.” The early church referred to
When to schedule the Rite of Acceptance
A blog post at Whispers in the Loggia drew my attention to Cardinal Peter Turkson of Ghana. I had never heard of him, but I’m glad now that I have. Turkson is Ghana’s first cardinal and was the spokesman for October’s Synod of Bishops for Africa. He may soon be heading up the Vatican congregation
Notional Christianity vs. radical conversion
In June, New York’s new Archbishop, Timothy Dolan, came to welcome the participants at a Forum Institute held at the Passionist Center in Riverdale. (I was there.) He said a lot of positive things about the RCIA. (Click here to read his comments.) Archbishop Dolan is a church historian as well as a pastor. He
I was in a parish outside my diocese recently, and I read a bulletin announcement similar to one that appears in thousands of parishes every Sunday. The announcement invited all those who had never been baptized, or who had been baptized in another tradition, or who had been baptized Catholic but not received the sacraments
Why no one should join the RCIA
I’m going to tell you the secret to starting and sustaining a successful RCIA team: Break bad habits That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Sounds too simple to be true? Well, you’re partly right about that. It sounds simple, but it is also difficult. Have you ever told a smoker to stop smoking?
The secret to a successful RCIA team
People often ask me who they need to have on their RCIA teams. By that, they generally mean, what job descriptions do they need to fill. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins makes the point that getting the right kind of people is more important than filling the right job descriptions. If you
Who do you need on the RCIA team?
Thank you for the great job you’ve been doing! Last week, I was helping to lead a training session for catechumenate teams, sponsored by the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. I was so impressed by the dedication and commitment of the participants. Some of them have been at this 20 years or more. And
