Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
Mary Birmingham and I just completed a TeamRCIA Catechist School in Columbus, Ohio. Toward the end of the school, we asked the participants what they learned and why that was important. Many of them said they learned the importance of providing formation for the inquirers and the catechumens all year long. And a lot of […]
Four easy ways to start a year-round RCIA process
Last week, I was interrupted by a knock on the door while I was working on a module for TeamRCIA’s new Catechist School. I don’t get a lot of casual visitors, so a knock is probably from the UPS guy. I don’t usually answer, and he leaves the box on the step. This knocker was
The courage to evangelize: An RCIA challenge
If you have been reading the training articles on TeamRCIA for very long, you know that the RCIA is the model for all catechesis. But does the rest of the parish know? Who needs to know this stuff? You might consider “evangelizing” other catechetical teams in your parish to begin using the six principles of
Discover a simple way to help the whole parish catechize the RCIA way
I recently read a book about mystagogy that can be helpful for RCIA teams. In Mystagogy of the Eucharist, Gilbert Ostdiek, OFM, makes the point that we have to think of mystagogy as more than just the final period of the initiation process. It is part of the broader ministry of catechesis. His book and
A great RCIA resource for mystagogy
We frequently get requests for a good syllabus, textbook, or curriculum for RCIA. The question presumes a model of faith formation that is not found in the RCIA. When a seeker shows up at your door, let’s call her Jane, you cannot possibly know what her needs are based on the sound of her knock.
How to use your parish as your RCIA textbook
We have all experienced hoop jumpers. A hoop jumper is someone who is present in body only, putting in the bare minimum required in order to “get baptized” (or become Catholic, or whatever their goal is). Sometimes these folks undergo actual conversion and move from hoop jumping to discipleship. But usually, they just jump through
How to reduce hoop jumping in the RCIA
The RCIA teams of Western Michigan gathered recently to discuss how to get our parish communities more involved in the initiation process. Together, we created several scenarios for a seeker we might actually encounter. We looked at how we could immerse the seeker in a training process using the activities already taking place in the
What tulips and clogs teach us about faith formation
When I was a child in Catholic grade school, the teaching about grace was pretty clear. We mostly didn’t have it, and the goal was to participate in sacraments or sacramentals to get more of it. Once we had it, the goal was not to sin so that we wouldn’t lose it. Of course, sinning
Is your RCIA team cooperating with God’s grace?
There is one simple thing you can do to dramatically influence the way catechumens—or any adult—learns. If you can manage to make this one shift in your catechetical process, your catechumens will be more engaged, more interested, more motivated, and more committed to the conversion process. The secret to this seemingly too-good-to-be-true transformation doesn’t require
How to completely transform the way catechumens learn in the RCIA
I like to think of myself as a lifelong learner. Right now, I have ten books on my “to read” shelf. I also like learning new skills, exploring new places, and trying new recipes. But sometimes learning is drudgery. I struggled to learn just enough French to complete my master’s degree. I had to learn
What is adult learning in the RCIA? Six concepts
