Q: How do we handle the reception of baptized candidates into full communion once the quarantine is lifted? A: Baptized candidates present us with a conundrum. In the United States, Canada, and most parts of Australia, the majority of those in our formation processes are baptized Christians. And the majority of the ritual text, the […]
Q&A: What is the right rite for baptized candidates in the RCIA?
Like all of you I’ve been hard at work at finding ways to keep our initiation processes going while our churches have been closed and social distancing has become the norm. But even as challenging as that can be, the greater challenge has been working with those elect and candidates who were expecting to be
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Managing expectations in a changing world
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults envisions the initiation process as a journey of faith (see RCIA 1). As soon as a seeker takes the first step on that journey, the reality of time changes. This shift in time, however, is not always obvious to either the seeker or the parish initiation team. Often,
Two kinds of time in an ongoing (year-round) initiation process
Fr. John Farley, a priest in the San Diego diocese, commented on our video, “RCIA, the Triduum, and Coronavirus.” Based on the guidelines in the Ceremonial of Bishops and in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, he proposed a possible schedule for celebrating the rites of initiation at a time later this year. In
An RCIA calendar for celebrating the initiation rites outside the usual times
Michael Marchal is a retired teacher of high school English and college philosophy. He has worked with the RCIA in his parish since 1976 and has written three books on different aspects of the process. Later this spring his latest work, Reborn in the Spirit: Preparing At Home for Infant Baptism was coauthored with Jane
RCIA in the Easter Season: How to continue forming elect, catechumens, and candidates
Most sponsors want to do a good job, and they put a lot of effort into doing their ministry well. Besides the responsibilities, any good sponsor would want to know: “what kinds of gifts do I give my catechumens/candidates?” Before one gets their hands on a church goods catalog in search for a gift, let
A while ago, I tried a new recipe that called for coconut oil. It was the first I’d heard of that kind of oil. Over my many years in the kitchen, I’ve expanded my repertoire beyond to Wesson Oil my mother used for cooking and the Crisco my grandmother used for baking. California olive oils
Five times to anoint a catechumen during the initiation process
With the new year upon us, often our thoughts turn to the past year and the excitement of the new year to come. For many it’s a chance to make a fresh start on a personal goal. A time of New’ Year’s resolutions – resolving to break a bad habit or do something better for
Is your RCIA open all year-round? A New Year’s Resolution
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
When I was very young, my mother gave me a rosary. She told me that it was blessed. I didn’t know what the difference was between a blessed and an unblessed rosary, but I assumed my new rosary was somehow better than an unblessed one. A few years later, after I had become an altar
15 occasions to bless an RCIA catechumen
