Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
In the Fall 2009 issue of the Forum Newsletter, children’s initiation expert, Fr. Tim Piaseki, says that the task of RCIA teams is to help children become friends with Jesus. How do people become friends? They spend time together. They have conversations with each other. They do things together. Little by little they come to […]
Help children in the RCIA to befriend Jesus
Marketing guru Seth Godin goes a bit over the top in a rant about the ineffectiveness of nonprofits to cause change in the world. But one question he asks struck me as particularly apt for parish leaders: When was the last time you had an interaction with a non-profit (there’s that word again) that
Is your parish blowing anyone away?
I know. There are supposed to be seven deadly sins. I did think of seven, but one of them isn’t deadly. So this will be the six deadly and one not-so-deadly sins committed during the Rite of Acceptance. These are not based on the standard seven that you’ll find in the Catechism. Rather, these come
The six deadly sins committed during the Rite of Acceptance
Donna Steffen, SC, a team member with the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, writes about the first time she was confronted with the idea that she would have to discern the readiness of candidates for initiation: “I was horrified. How can I judge another person?” In the July 2009 issue of Catechumenate (“Discernment in
Discernment in the RCIA process
Pope Benedict XVI’s newest encyclical, Caritas in Verite, has all the elements of a guide for living the Christian life that would be beneficial to catechuemens. All the elements, except one. It is not an easy read. Simply giving the document to those who are new to the faith could be overwhelming. Fortunately, Sam Lucero
What the catechumens need to know about Caritas in Verite
Music is integral to liturgy. Singing is basic to the way we pray, the way we show love, the way we worship. So—the Rite of Acceptance always includes singing, right? For some parishes, this aspect of celebration is well in hand. If you haven’t got it all down yet, however, there’s no reason to despair.
Singing the Rite of Acceptance
If you are planning a Rite of Acceptance for the fall, consider scheduling it on September 16, 2012. That’s the 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B), and the readings are especially appropriate. The first reading is Isaiah 50:5-9, which begins: “The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear.” The early church referred to
When to schedule the Rite of Acceptance
I was in a parish outside my diocese recently, and I read a bulletin announcement similar to one that appears in thousands of parishes every Sunday. The announcement invited all those who had never been baptized, or who had been baptized in another tradition, or who had been baptized Catholic but not received the sacraments
Why no one should join the RCIA
I’m going to tell you the secret to starting and sustaining a successful RCIA team: Break bad habits That’s it. That’s all there is to it. Sounds too simple to be true? Well, you’re partly right about that. It sounds simple, but it is also difficult. Have you ever told a smoker to stop smoking?
The secret to a successful RCIA team
People often ask me who they need to have on their RCIA teams. By that, they generally mean, what job descriptions do they need to fill. In his book Good to Great, Jim Collins makes the point that getting the right kind of people is more important than filling the right job descriptions. If you
Who do you need on the RCIA team?
