Q. I am the director of the catechumenate process in my parish. I was asked by two of my catechumens to be their godmother. While I am so humbled, I am not sure what the proper protocol is. Is it okay for catechumenate directors to be godparents of their catechumens? A. As long as you […]
Q&A: Can directors of the catechumenate be godparents of their catechumens?
Q. Hello! I am the director of our initiation ministry in my parish. We do not have a deacon, and my pastor does not get involved, so it’s just me and my team. My pastor does not like to do the scrutinies at this time of year. He usually encourages me to do a simplified
Q&A: What do we do if the pastor won’t celebrate the scrutinies?
Q. One of our catechumens informed us that her godparent will not be able to be present for the three lenten scrutinies, and now she needs to look for a “proxy.” I have three questions: Who selects the proxy? Does the proxy need to fulfill all of the canonical qualifications of a godparent? Does the
Q&A: Proxies for the scrutinies
The first time I traveled to a foreign country (France and Italy) was in the 1990s. This was, of course, before cell phones were ubiquitous and before Google Translate and Google Maps were a thing. I had my Lonely Planet tour books and French and Italian phrase books to get me through. The “foreignness” of
Catechumenate ministry on the digital continent
Because I was just a baby when I was baptized, I am more than ever intrigued by the experience of being present at the celebration of baptism now. And with ministry in Christian Initiation there is so much more! A few years ago our parish celebrated an Easter Vigil that became truly memorable, not because
Reconnecting with the experience of baptism: the neophytes and the community
Isn’t it inhospitable to dismiss catechumens from Mass? Everyone is dismissed from Mass. When we are dismissed depends upon which order of the church we belong to.In the early church, there were several orders of participants in the liturgy who were dismissed, all at different times: catechumens, energoumens (those possessed by demons), penitents, and the
Frequently asked questions about the RCIA dismissal of catechumens
One of the most misunderstood elements of the catechumenate process is the ritual dismissal of the catechumens from the Mass after the homily. Many catechumenate team members resist dismissing the catechumens because, to the team, it seems inhospitable. In other parishes, there is a tendency to go overboard, dismissing everyone including baptized candidates and even
Why is the dismissal of the RCIA catechumens important?
Joe, a long-time member of the choir in our parish, stood in his pew at the cathedral, facing the bishop along with all the other catechumens of the diocese. His godfather, not sure which of them was more nervous, stood next to Joe with his hand on Joe’s shoulder. The bishop then asked all the
The Rite of Election — a journey into the divine mystery
Most people who want to delay the confirmation or first Communion of children who are baptized through the catechumenate process believe it is more pastoral for the children to celebrate confirmation or first Communion when they are older, with their peers who were baptized as infants. Two reasons for this run along the following lines
Will the Rite of Election be celebrated in your parish worship space this year? Many dioceses are shifting the rite out of the cathedral and into the parish because of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in dioceses where the celebration will still be held at the cathedral, the number of people present will be dramatically smaller
Will your Rite of Election be a true decision point this year?
