Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
The RCIA team at St. Elderberry was in a funk. Their team had been shrinking over the last few years as members retired or moved. And it was always a challenge to find sponsors. That is, when they needed sponsors. This year, they had no inquirers and therefore no one in their RCIA process. Jane,
Don’t let excuses stall your RCIA process
If only my pastor understood me better. If only we had more team members. If only we had more inquirers. If only the parishioners were more involved. If only the neophytes wouldn’t leave after being baptized. If only…. I want to declare an end to the “if only’s.” “If only” is a millstone. “If only”
Declare an end to “if only” in your RCIA process
This is a guest post provided by Joseph Mangone, a pastoral liturgist from Irving, Texas. I recently had time to read Pope Francis’ “Joy of the Gospel.” It is deeply profound, yet Pope Francis’ style of writing is not papal but that of a disciple, teacher, and shepherd who want his flock to discover the
The church evangelizes with beautiful liturgy
You are going to make a difference in someone’s life this year. That is a fact. The question is, what kind of difference will you make? Will your impact be positive or negative? Will it be deep or shallow? Will it be lasting or fleeting? Will you influence many or few? There are a lot
30 days to a wise, fearless, tender-hearted, hopeful life
Here’s a little gift for you from Nick and Diana (and Augustine, the Dog) 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
Merry Christmas from TeamRCIA!
Several years ago, I was leading a workshop, and I asked the room what they thought the most important reform was to come out of the Second Vatican Council. For those of us who remember the church before Vatican II, there are many choices. However, on that day, no one with gray hair raised their
The secret to holiness—an RCIA challenge
When I moved to California over 20 years ago, I left my Midwestern roots, my family and friends, everything I knew. I moved 2,000 miles from home. That is about 500 miles more than the distance between London and Moscow. You have to cross two mountain ranges to get from the Midwestern United States to
Pope Francis wants to know, does your RCIA team smell like sheep?
Fifty years ago today, the bishops of the world issued this mandate: “The catechumenate for adults…is to be restored” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, December 4, 1963). Fifty years later, I don’t think we have yet answered this call—not completely. In fact, I think we may be getting off track and “restoring” something that never
Pope Francis is setting sail…is your RCIA team onboard?
This is a guest post provided by Joseph Mangone, a pastoral liturgist from Irving, Texas. Last week my friend told me that his pastor wants to install a baptismal pool in the center of the church replacing a traditional font located in a side baptistery area. It would cost $15,000, and he was asking people
Planning for a new baptismal font
I remember the first time I read a papal letter. I was a junior in college, and I had recently taken a job as a campus minister. The new, young, exciting pope, John Paul II, had just issued his first encyclical. There was no Internet in 1979 (well, there was, but only computer geeks and
Five ways Pope Francis will change your RCIA ministry
