Diana and I recently had a one-week vacation in Japan. About a week before we left, Diana picked up a Japanese phrase book and learned a few simple words and dialogues. I convinced myself that I didn’t have time to add one more thing to my to-do list before leaving. We were going to be […]
Are you fluent in “RCIA seeker language”?
We received another e-mail last week about what we are supposed to teach in the RCIA process. We get that question frequently, and we’ve answered it many times. I understand why RCIA team members, especially new team members, are focused on that question. But it really is the last question we need to ask. Educator
Have you asked all four of these questions about your RCIA teaching process?
As I sit down to write this post, I’m a bit distracted. In less than a week, we are leaving for a vacation in Japan. I am nervous and excited. My mind spins with equal force around the adventures we’ll have and possible things that could go wrong. I bought travel insurance, including medical and
10 times to pray with an RCIA catechumen who is struggling
Many of us working in initiation ministry have been around the church for a while. Some of us are lifelong Catholics while others of us joined the church through the RCIA process and perhaps never left this ministry. Regardless of how we got to where we are, I think it’s fair to say that we’re
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Treating adults as adults
My last article concerning the use of online resources (Much ado about doing the RCIA online) elicited some interesting comments. As I considered some replies to these comments, I found myself writing enough for another full article. The heart of my previous article was to emphasize the importance of face-to-face interaction that our catechumens and
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Being flexible and going after that lost sheep
As a director for our parish’s adult catechumenate ministry I field a lot of phone calls and e-mails from seekers wanting to know about the various programs and processes our parish has to offer. I do my best to be welcoming and attentive in answering their questions in the hopes that I can schedule a
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Much ado about doing the RCIA online
I shouldn’t do this to myself. I wanted to write a bit about the period of evangelization and precatechumenate. I know there are many misunderstandings about this part of the process. The biggest one is that there’s a “schedule” for the precatechumenate. There isn’t one. At least, there shouldn’t be. So, to find some examples
The one, most important thing we have to teach in the RCIA
It’s no secret that the life in most parishes follows the old-school academic calendar. So it’s at this time of year when parish schools, groups, and ministries begin to awaken from their long summer slumber. For most every parish I’ve encountered, that includes the catechumenate formation process. The fact that those of us in catechumenate
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Redefining when the process starts
When the bishops of the Second Vatican Council called for a restoration of the catechumenate, they were actually asking us to shift our paradigm of conversion. Conversion would no longer mean “becoming Catholic” (as in, “I used to be Lutheran, but I am a convert to Catholicism.”). Conversion has a much more profound meaning. The
The RCIA is our definitive statement on conversion
Parishes have a tendency to shift into low gear during the summer. Schools are closed. Most school-aged formation programs shift to summer camp mode or shut down all together. The choir takes the summer off. The same was also true for initiation ministry. The catechumens have been initiated and the candidates have been received; what’s
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Much ado about summer
