Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
Every year, as we get closer to the Rite of Election, a lot of questions about godparents start to surface. When we are talking about catechumens, the roles of “sponsor” and “godparent” are different. And just to make things a little confusing, when we talk about infants, confirmation candidates, or baptized candidates for reception into […]
Understanding the role of godparents in the catechumenate
One of our most vital tasks as catechumenate ministers is forming seekers in living a penitential life. “Penance” and “penitential” have a lot of meanings in Catholic teaching. We sometimes use the words “reconciliation” and “confession” interchangeably with “penance,” especially when we are talking about the sacrament of penance. My goal in this article is
More than just confession: Principles for living a penitential life
Every second and third year in parishes across the country, pastors and liturgical leaders ask, “Why can’t we use the Year B/C readings for the scrutinies this year?” It’s an understandable question. After all, the Sunday assembly would get to hear the important readings they are missing from the B or C cycle. Surely Year
Why the Year A readings for the scrutinies matter for making disciples
A blessing is God’s loving action that invites us into deeper relationship with him. We respond by praising God and seeking to bless others in our daily lives. Any baptized person can speak words of blessing. As catechists, we should model offering simple blessings as part of ordinary Catholic life. When catechumens see us blessing
Advent is a good time to think about the dignity and meaning of names. The stories of Advent remind us that names hold deep meaning: Jesus was named by the angel before his birth (Luke 1:31), John was named by Zechariah after he regained his speech (Luke 1:13, 63-64), and Elizabeth and Mary recognized each
The sacredness of our God-given names
Let’s talk about the Holy Trinity for a minute. The church teaches that this is the central mystery of our faith (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 234). But most of us claim to not understand it very well, consigning it to the “too hard to explain” file of dogmas. Free download: Discernment – Listening
Holy Trinity: The central mystery of our faith
I know exactly how you feel. I’ve been there too—discouraged, overwhelmed, burnt out. You pour your heart into this ministry, work countless extra hours trying to get everything done, and still feel like you’re drowning. The responsibilities seem endless, new challenges arise daily, and despite your best efforts, things still slip through the cracks. You
Feeling overwhelmed as a catechumenate leader? Empower the assembly as your team
I recently saw someone ask on social media what resource they should use for catechizing their seekers. Within minutes, there were many replies listing catechisms, textbooks, handouts, and video series. But no one mentioned the single most powerful formation tool we have — celebrating the liturgical year. Celebrating the liturgical year with your seekers is,
Use the power of the liturgical year to form your seekers
In a previous article, we explored why taking things step by step is important in helping people on their faith journey. But how does this work in the real world? How can catechumenate teams put the idea of gradual initiation into practice? I am not going to pretend it’s easy to do. A classroom structure
Nurturing gradual conversion: Tools for catechumenate teams
I celebrated my first Communion when I was in first grade, as did my entire class. And I celebrated confirmation in third grade, as did all the children in my school. That’s because that was the year the bishop came to our parish to administer the sacrament. Our sacraments were scheduled on the school calendar
The slow work of God: Why initiation is a gradual process
