Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
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?
The other day, I saw some young children playing T-Ball. We didn’t have T-Ball when I was a kid, and I didn’t really know what it was. I discovered T-ball is a simplified version of baseball, designed to introduce children as young as four to the game. I started out playing Little League, which requires
Why is it important that the baptized candidates participate in the liturgy?
The way the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults talks about discerning conversion in the seekers can seem like we are being asked to be Judge Judy, sitting behind a high bench, dressed in a black robe, listening to the evidence and bringing down the gavel on any who are not worthy. Specifically, the rite
How do we avoid “judgement” when looking for conversion in the seekers?
At our 2021 year-end review meeting for TeamRCIA, we discovered a surprising fact about millennials. When we started TeamRCIA in 2007, millennials were barely a thing. That year, the oldest of them was in their mid-20s. Today, the youngest of them is in their mid-20s and the elders are just reaching their 40s. What have
Do you have millennials on your catechumenate team?
