Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
We have been asking catechumenate leaders and team members how they discern God’s will. (Click here if you’d like to share how you discern.) The one theme that is consistent in almost every answer is “prayer.” This makes sense, doesn’t it? Prayer is an essential aspect of the life of a disciple. It is through […]
Prayer as a pathway to discernment: Seeking God’s will in catechumenate ministry
The catechumenate is designed to train catechumens to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. However, it’s easy to get caught up in delivering the curriculum and lose sight of the ultimate goal—the conversion of the catechumens. What we do matters, and if we are doing something that matters, that means we are creating change. So,
What is the catechumenate for?
Embarking on a journey of faith and seeking a deeper relationship with Christ is a profound and life-changing experience. The Rite of Acceptance plays a vital role in this conversion process. When we celebrate this rite with inquirers, they are changed from outsiders to insiders as the community embraces them as their own. But this
From seekers to disciples: Unpacking the conversion journey within the Rite of Acceptance
In a previous article, we noted that what it means to be a “good Catholic” has changed. One clear marker of that change is the call to return to our roots from the early church and embrace a synodal way of living. In this article, I want to explore how we might apply the principles
Embracing conflict in the catechumenate: a path to synodal living
When I was child back in the 1960s, rules were a thing. My grandparents, my mother, my teachers (many of whom were nuns), and my pastor all spent a lot of time telling us the rules for being a good Catholic and monitoring us to be sure we followed the rules. Today, while rules continue
What it means to be a “good Catholic” has changed
Q. I am wondering about how to facilitate a first confession experience for the elect. There are no rites that I can find or any materials for planning. How can I make sure our new Catholics experience this healing sacrament? Our elect this year did do a weekly examination of conscience during the scrutinies, but we don’t
When do you celebrate penance with different seekers?
In a previous article, we looked at why measuring is key to a successful catechumenate. In this article, I want to dig into what we measure and how to measure. To figure out what to measure, we have to clarify what the catechumenate is for. When we use the catechumenate for things it is not
How to measure success in your catechumenate process
Business authority Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt says, “Tell me how you measure me and I will tell you how I will behave. If you measure me in an illogical way…do not complain about illogical behavior.” When I read this, I thought of some of the complaints we often make about the catechumens and candidates. They don’t
Why measuring is key to a successful catechumenate
Wow, you folks are AMAZING! 330 of you responded to our Newsletter Audience Survey. The reason we launched the survey in the first place is that over the last year, we’ve been developing a ground-up renovation of the TeamRCIA website (which 72% of you said you found easy to navigate. Yay!). Now that we have
Survey results from hundreds of catechumenate team members
I just finished another novel by Earl Stanley Gardner. Gardner is the creator of Perry Mason, and he wrote more than 80 stories featuring the brilliant lawyer-detective. Gardner is really good at drawing the reader into the mystery and making you think you’ve solved the crime before the end of the book. But then there
Revealing the mystery of faith: The role of the mystagogue
