I recently had the pleasure of offering a workshop for participants in the permanent deaconate program in the Archdiocese of New York. We had a great couple of hours working on Scrutinies, and I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that many went home fired up to do more with these rites in the […]
The Year of Saint Paul Reading II 1 Cor 1:3-9 He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. The way of faith What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to
Catechesis for First Sunday of Advent
The news outlets are filled with speculation and commentary about Barack Obama’s transition team and his choice of cabinet members and White House staff. Yesterday the stock market rose 500 points simply because Obama announced who his Secretary of the Treasury would be. There are a lot of reasons that knowing who Obama plans to
An RCIA lesson from Barack Obama—community
The Year of Saint Paul Reading II 1 Cor 15:20-26, 28 Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. The way of faith The title “Son of God” signifies the unique and eternal relationship of Jesus Christ to God his Father: he is the only Son of the
Catechesis for Solemnity of Christ the King
We’re probably all going to see a lot of seekers in our churches over the next several weeks. First of all, we’re moving into the holiday season, and more people tend to think about faith and spirituality at this time of year. Some of them wind up in church—your church—hoping to find an answer to
Put your parish bulletin on your RCIA team
Imagine a parish where every so often the pastor introduces an inquirer to the worshiping assembly saying, “This is Jose; this is Barbara. They have a desire to become part of our church.” Then the Pastor simply leaves the rest to the people in the pews. We could make a case that this is the
5 questions for every RCIA team
The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, which is the premier Vatican II liturgical document, says that the “aim to be considered before all else” is the full, conscious, and active participation of all the faithful in the liturgy because that is the way they will learn the true Christian spirit (14). On Sundays in our parishes,
Evaluating your hospitality at Mass
Last week, I met with a group of RCIA team members from parishes around the country at the Convocation of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate to discuss the question, “Whose ministry is it, anyway?” Aware that in so many situations, the RCIA process is “run” by a team of willing volunteers, we examined
Add 5,000 families to your RCIA team
It’s easy to learn a few basics about Saint Paul and the letters he wrote. You don’t need to have any special knowledge or background. For example, this coming Sunday, November 16, 2009, the second reading is from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians (1 Thes 5:1-6). Who are the Thessalonians? Grab your New American
Become a Pauline expert in two minutes
Q: What should we do with people who just want to be baptized without participating in any formation sessions or rituals? Some people are shy and do not want to be put on the spot. Should we just baptize them because they desire it, or do we put them through an individual program, ignoring the
Does RCIA work for shy people?
