Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
Louise, the RCIA coordinator, was leading a reflection on the third scrutiny with the elect after they had been dismissed. John, one of the elect, began to tear up. Haltingly, he spoke about how Lazarus coming out of the tomb was like when he fell in love with Linda, his wife. “My divorce,” said John, […]
Annulment do’s and don’ts in the RCIA
In the last few posts, we have been exploring running as a metaphor for living the Christian life. We have been looking at the three levels of training that are necessary to “run” as a Christian: The General Directory for Catechesis identifies these levels as: In this post, we’re going to take a quick look
Six examples of catechesis that happen after RCIA is over
An old African proverb says: Every morning, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning, a lion wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a lion or gazelle — when
Do your RCIA catechumens wake up running?
The RCIA is a training process. If we look at other training processes, we begin to see how the RCIA is perfectly designed to train seekers in the Christian life (see RCIA 75 and Decree on the Church’s Missionary Activity, 14). Three levels of training Let’s take running for example. If you are a running
RCIA training level one: evangelization
The first time I heard about the RCIA, it was like a “should’a had a V8” moment. I got it. I understood the pontential power of this collection of progressive rites to transform not only seekers, but entire parishes. Or at least I thought I did. In those early days, my insight was focused almost
How I discovered the RCIA is the Grand Prix of catechesis
To fully understand the purpose of the scrutinies, it helps to have a little history. The three scrutinies that we celebrate within the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults are derived, in part, from the fourth century church’s practice of exorcism. The word “exorcism” sets many of us on edge. Most of us know the
RCIA vs. Hollywood—the true meaning of “exorcism”
Our friend and fellow catechumenate minister, Rev. Andrew Varga, shared this blessing with us for the New Year. Thanks, Fr. Andy! (Click the image for a larger version.)
A Blessing of Calendars for the New Year
To order your copy of Discerning Disciples, click here. If you would like to learn more about the discernment process and how it works, view the recording of our online workshop during which Diana Macalintal and Nick Wagner explored basic discernment skills for every Christian. Click here for more information.
Instant Review: Discerning Disciples
Sometimes we think of “God’s will” as an inscrutable puzzle that only wizened old monks who have meditated in caves or on mountain tops for decades can discern. But that simply isn’t so. God wants us to know God’s will. St. Paul tells us, “He has made known to us the mystery of his will”
The key to understanding God’s will in RCIA discernment
If the video stops and starts: Click the white triangle at the bottom left of the video box, then pause the video by clicking the two white parallel bars that appear where the white triangle had been. The video will pause, but it will continue to download. You can see the progress of
How to Make Epiphany Stars: Our 2012 Christmas Video Greeting
