In your RCIA process, do your catechumens and baptized candidates know the difference between Eucharist and communion? In 2008, Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Center released a pastoral letter in which he ended his diocese’s practice of celebrating communion services in place of weekday or Sunday Mass. His reason for doing so was, partly, because
Eucharist and communion—what’s the difference?
QOur church has just added over 100 children (candidates), 9 to 17-years-old, into the RCIA program. I have not been able to find information on discerning these baptized children. I am fairly new to the team and am finding discernment of children, or rather more specifically trying to determine when and who is ready, very
100 children in RCIA—what would you do?
Click here to check out a description of the process used in a small, rural parish to welcome two baptized candidates into full communion. It looks pretty good to me. I loved this line: We reflected long and hard on the appropriate moment for reception, and decided against using any form of combined rite at
Is there a better way to receive candidates than this?
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?
QHow ought a Russian Orthodox person be received into the Catholic Church? The convert has undergone RCIA and been elected in the cathedral. Our pastor seems to be unfamiliar with the status of Russian Orthodox sacraments. For example, is confirmation is necessary? Presumably the bishop would ultimately decide? AIf you open your RCIA text to
QWe have a candidate preparing to celebrate the Reception into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. This person was baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran. Do we recognize Lutheran Confirmations as valid sacraments? Or do we confirm him at the Easter Vigil? AFrom John Huels’ book, The Catechumenate and the
Previously, I looked at some of the pitfalls of trying to celebrate a combined Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Welcome. (See Part 1.) In most cases, the celebration fails the “mother test.” That is, the the combined rite itself is not clear enough that the average parishioner—for example, my mother—would be able to clearly
Give your rites the mother test (part 2)
Many parishes have recently celebrated the combined Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Welcome. The full name of this rite tells you right away it is going to be problematic: Celebration of the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens and of the Rite of Welcoming Baptized but previously Uncatechized Adults Who Are Preparing
Give your rites the mother test (part 1)
Let’s suppose you want to honor the baptized by celebrating their reception into the Catholic Church at the first Sunday Eucharist after they are ready. How do you deal with the pastoral issue that they will feel like they are missing something in comparison with the Elect who will be baptized at the Great Easter
When should baptized candidates be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church? Paul Turner in When Other Christians become Catholic, says, “Whenever they are ready” (p. 161). The National Statues for the Catechumenate say, not “at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism
Why Baptized Candidates Should Not be Received at the Easter Vigil
