Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of Team Initiation.
I just got back from Orlando where I was attending the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership conference. I was hoping to learn some things about how the catechumenate is handled in clustered parishes, but, regrettably, there wasn’t much discussion about that. Many years ago, I worked in the very rural diocese of New Ulm, Minnesota. […]
As you know, Pope Benedict XVII is in the midst of his first visit (as pope) to the United States. Realizing that America is one of the most religiously diverse countries in the world, one of the events he participated in was an ecumenical prayer service at Saint Joseph’s Church in Yorkville, New York. During
Questions from Pope Benedict for RCIA Teams
Rita Ferrone, one of the team members here at TeamRCIA, recently published Liturgy: Sacrosanctum Concilium (Rediscovering Vatican II). It’s an excellent resource for catechumenate ministers who would like more background about the meaning and purpose of the liturgy. I wrote a review of the book on Amazon, which begins: Rita Ferrone’s brief examination of the
Learn more about liturgy with this new resource
If you have inquirers who are ready to become catechumens now, you need to celebrate the Rite of Acceptance with them before Pentecost in order for them to be eligible for initiation at the next Easter Vigil. Flip open your RCIA to the very back. Look for the section that is titled “Appendix III: National
Author and scholar Karen Armstrong spoke at the annual TED conference in Monterey, California, in February 2008. She spoke about how the Abrahamic religions — Islam, Judaism, Christianity — have been diverted from the moral purpose they share to foster compassion. Note especially her distinction between intellectual assent and faithful practice (about three and a
The catechumenate and world peace
QWe have two people in the catechumenate process this year. One person is unbaptized. The other was baptized as a Catholic but has had no religious formation whatsoever. We have been dismissing both of them each week to break open the word. However, my pastor is telling me the second person should not dismissed because
Is my pastor right about dismissal?
One of the questions that is often posed about the catechumenate is “What about the summer?” Then follow a number of reasons why it simply isn’t realistic to expect ongoing catechesis throughout the summer months. After all, it’s vacation time, the Team needs a break, people don’t show up, etc. Perhaps a reflection on the
15 ways RCIA teams can catechize this summer
Joe Paprocki has some serious concerns about Catholics celebrating a Seder Meal that I think are worth reading. His first point is the strongest: First and foremost, the Seder Meal is a sacred Jewish ritual. For Catholics to re-enact this sacred ritual is disrespectful of the Jewish tradition. (Imagine Jewish or Muslim children re-enacting a
The trouble with Catholic Seder Meals
I’m working on the editorial plan for Today’s Parish Minister for next year, and the theme for the March issue is the catechumenate. I need to come up with four feature articles that explore that theme. Here’s what I’ve thought of so far. If you have any comments or other suggestions, I’d love to hear
What do today's parishes need to know about RCIA?
The preparation rites on Holy Saturday include an optional ritual for choosing a baptismal name (turn to paragraph 200 in your RCIA text to follow along). In the United States, we do not ask the elect to do this. (Keep a finger in the book to mark your place and flip back to paragraph 33.4.)
Should the elect choose a baptismal name?
