Diana Macalintal is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
In many parishes, initiation runs on a school-year schedule, kicking off in September or October and ending at the Easter Vigil or Pentecost. But seekers come to us throughout the year. So what happens when someone shows up in July and hears, “Come back in the fall”? In this short video, we explain why an
Why is an ongoing initiation process important?
Once September begins, so do lots of school classes and parish activities. And so, it’s a natural time to resume faith formation gatherings after a summertime break. Many catechumenate teams have worked hard to move from a school-year model of faith formation to an ongoing journey of faith and conversion for seekers. But there’s one remnant of
Why we need to get rid of “registration deadlines”
Are you feeling overwhelmed, trying to do everything yourself? Are you having trouble recruiting team members to help you share the load of catechumenate ministry? It can be tiring and dispiriting trying to do everything solo. In this video, we address the real-life struggles with recruiting volunteers. Watch and discover three practical, relief-focused strategies designed
What to do when you don’t have a team
Sometimes a busy pastor or pastoral leader wants to skip the catechumenate rites and initiate a seeker quickly with no fuss. The temptation is understandable. But we know that bypassing the rites shortchanges the seeker’s conversion journey. If you’re like me, you want to confront this resistance head on by citing liturgical law and official
What to say when your pastor won’t celebrate the rites
We have been exploring the many sources of catechesis that are outlined in the Directory for Catechesis. In this video, we explore Catholic culture as an uncommon but essential source for the formation of our catechumens and candidates. Why does Catholic culture matter for catechesis — not just for seekers, but for every Christian? Seekers
Catholic culture as a source of catechesis
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote in her novel, Aurora Leigh, this poem: Earth’s crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God;But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,And daub their natural faces unaware. If “earth’s crammed with heaven,” then our liturgy is jam-packed with it! Yet too
Mystagogy: How to open the eyes and hearts of your seekers
Almost every has one of the most effective resources for catechesis and formation right at their fingertips, but not everyone is using it! Are you one of them? Especially during the summer months when our faith formation gatherings might meet less often, we need some simple ways to keep forming our seekers. Teaching them a
Visio catechesis: A new way of seeing
When a new seeker shows up, do you start stressing over how to find a sponsor for them? Finding sponsors is often one of the most challenging parts of catechumenate ministry. But maybe that’s because we’ve been looking at recruiting in the wrong way. In this video, we explore why you may need to ask
A better way to think about recruiting sponsors
The Period of Mystagogy normally lasts from Easter to Pentecost. But our care and concern for the neophytes doesn’t end there. Simply because the initiation process concludes with this last period, the relationships formed between seekers and community still need nurturing—maybe even especially during this fragile time after being reborn in baptism. In this short
How do we support neophytes after the Period of Mystagogy is over?
When we prepare to celebrate the major rites of the catechumenate, we often feel a heavy burden to ensure everyone in the pews knows exactly what is happening and why. This good intention often leads to the first major mistake: over-explaining. When we fill the sacred silence with verbal instructions and “institutional shorthand,” we inadvertently
The three most common mistakes catechumenate teams make in the rites
