Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
When I was 34, I moved from the Midwest to San Jose, California. That experience was a huge culture shift for me. It is difficult, however, to describe the depths and nuances of that shift. Culture is mostly invisible to the people who are “native” to it. One way to define culture is to say […]
What does a catechumenal culture look like?
Years ago, I volunteered for a parish catechumenate team. After several e-mails and voice mails went unanswered, I just showed up at one of the team meetings. There were about six people sitting around a cafeteria table, and they were surprised to see a new person. I told them I was interested in helping out.
Why a catechumenal culture is important
1. Wait, there’s a new translation? Almost, but not quite yet. The United States bishops have approved a close-to-final translation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, and we are waiting on confirmation from Rome. So it’s not yet finished, but will be soon. 2. How soon? Well, in church years, “soon” could mean
One thing a lot of people may not know about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is that it includes a rite that is not a rite of initiation. There were two important reform movements that let up to the Second Vatican Council in the 1960s. One was the liturgical movement. The restoration of
What the church teaches about making other Christians Catholic
This past Easter Vigil, I was visiting a parish I had never been to before. I was truly uplifted by the beauty and quality of the entire liturgy. It was one of the best Easter Vigil liturgies I have celebrated. The key factor that made the liturgy so good was the effort the planners and
Should baptized candidates celebrate their sacraments at the Easter Vigil?
The short answer is yes. Perhaps because we are just now emerging from our COVID stay-at-home isolation, parish teams seem to be asking about the rites of initiation and if all of them are mandatory. Some seekers may have a pressing need to forgo the normal sacramental process and be baptized without delay. This pastoral
Is the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens mandatory?
Q. Hello! I am the director of our initiation ministry in my parish. We do not have a deacon, and my pastor does not get involved, so it’s just me and my team. My pastor does not like to do the scrutinies at this time of year. He usually encourages me to do a simplified
Q&A: What do we do if the pastor won’t celebrate the scrutinies?
The last Easter Sunday Mass that St. Augustine celebrated was in 430 AD, when he was 75 years old. In those days, 75 was more like 100 is today. Augustine must have been very tired from having concluded the long Easter Vigil just a few hours before. After his brief homily, the catechumens were dismissed
Why the participation of the elect in the Easter Vigil is so important
The first time I traveled to a foreign country (France and Italy) was in the 1990s. This was, of course, before cell phones were ubiquitous and before Google Translate and Google Maps were a thing. I had my Lonely Planet tour books and French and Italian phrase books to get me through. The “foreignness” of
Catechumenate ministry on the digital continent
In the Rite (Order) of Christian Initiation of Adults, we have several celebrations for the catechumens: the Rite of Election, the three scrutinies, the Presentations of the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer (or Rites of Handing On), and the preparation rites on Holy Saturday. But what do we have in Lent for the baptized candidates?
What does Lent have to offer the baptized candidates?
