Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
Recently someone asked me if we had a program for RCIA. I told them the parish is the program. That might sound evasive or nonresponsive, but I really believe that. Let’s look at how this might work. In the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, we are told that before an inquirer can celebrate the […]
What is the program for conversion in the RCIA?
Storytelling is the only way to make sense of having your life turned upside down and inside out. Think about your “Mary at the tomb” moment or your “Paul getting flattened by the Holy Spirit” moment. How are you going to tell others about what happened? How are you going to tell yourself what happened?
Why is it important to tell your dying and rising story?
Rita Ferrone, a team member here at TeamRCIA, has taken on the responsibility of editing the Yale ISM Review, published by Yale Institute of Sacred Music. (Yale is where Rita did her graduate studies). In the inagural issue, she included a reflection on the mosaic floor of the Honan Chapel in Cork, Ireland. The mosaic
A pre-Vatican II preparation for the catechumens
The first TeamRCIA institute of 2015 was a great success. Ninety of us gathered in Richmond, Virginia to explore the basics of the RCIA process. There were many memorable moments, but one of the best was the mystagogical reflection on our adapted Presentation of the Creed. We celebrated the rite at the end of the
The Diocese of Richmond starts off our 2015 RCIA institutes
In this series of posts, I have been exploring why it is important to involve the whole parish in the initiation process and some ways we might make that happen. We explore the same questions on our TeamRCIA Making Disciples Institutes, and we conclude by asking the participants: What would happen if we actually engaged
Four roadblocks to involving the parish in RCIA
“Your ideas sound great for big city parishes, but I come from a small rural parish. Our parish doesn’t have any activities.” Jane was responding to a point I made last year at one of TeamRCIA’s Making Disciples institutes. I was pointing out what the U.S. Bishops said about catechesis: In addition, learning by Christian
Is your parish too small for RCIA?
In a previous post, I asked why it was important to involve the whole parish in the RCIA. If we are clear on the why, the what becomes more clear. What are we asking the parish to do, exactly, when we ask them to be more involved in the initiation process? The purpose of the
What should RCIA teams ask of parishioners?
Almost every catechumenate team I talk with wants the parish to be more involved with the RCIA process. When I ask them why, however, their answers get a little fuzzy. What is the number one purpose of the RCIA? Sometimes their answers focus on the practical. They need more sponsors, more catechists, more help on
Why is it important to involve the whole parish in the RCIA?
We all know that initiation into Christ is a gradual process. But while we know that in our heads, we don’t always know it in our hearts. I think some of the reason for that is modern storytelling. If you think of stories from 19th century literature such as Jane Eyre or Wuthering Heights, the
In RCIA, stories unfold gradually
