Catechumens – Page 5 – Team Initiation

Why don’t we make disciples in the summer? The core fear that prevents a year-round RCIA process

Catechumens, Evangelization, Year-Round / Nick Wagner

The Holy Spirit does not call people to discipleship only from September to May. The call is constant, and hearts of seekers are moved to respond every hour that Christians are awake and living in the world. We know that is true because we are the presence of Christ. And when Christ is present, people […]

Why don’t we make disciples in the summer? The core fear that prevents a year-round RCIA process

Is your RCIA open all year-round? Being flexible and going after that lost sheep

Catechesis, Catechumens, RCIA, Year-Round / John McGlynn

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

Going home — a Rite of Acceptance story

Catechumens, Liturgy, Rite of Acceptance / Nick Wagner

Jaime arrived early and met his friend, Bill, who was standing on the steps outside the tall wooden doors. They rubbed their arms and hands to warm themselves as parishioners began to filter by into the church. The minutes ticked by as the church filled. Jaime wondered if they’d stand outside much longer. Bill patted

Going home — a Rite of Acceptance story

How the RCIA makes us dream of a new church — a summary

Catechumens, Evangelization, RCIA / Nick Wagner

Over a series of several posts, we have looked at the paradigm shift that was launched at the Second Vatican Council and further developed in the restoration of the catechumenate. The overarching shift in our model of church, taught by the Second Vatican Council, is a reenvisioning of the church’s mission. A simple way to

How the RCIA makes us dream of a new church — a summary

The RCIA is our definitive statement on conversion

Catechesis, Catechumens, Evangelization / Nick Wagner

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

Does RCIA change what it means to belong?

Catechumens, Rite of Acceptance / Nick Wagner

Whenever I talk with RCIA teams about establishing an ongoing initiation process in their parishes — one that is not limited to the few academic months between fall and spring, I usually get resistance. One source of the resistance is a feeling that if we ask the catechumens to spend a year or more in

Does RCIA change what it means to belong?

RCIA requires big paradigm shifts, starting with these two

Catechesis, Catechumens, RCIA / Nick Wagner

Previously, I wrote about the big paradigm shift caused by the Second Vatican Council. To understand the impact of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, we have to first of all realize the overall goal of the Second Vatican Council was to turn the pyramid upside down. Flowing from the upside-down-pyramid model, we received

RCIA requires big paradigm shifts, starting with these two

The first part of Mass isn’t just about scripture

Catechumens / Nick Wagner

One of the successes of the Second Vatican Council was a recovery of our ancient tradition of liturgy that is centered on the word of God. One of the keys to that success was the expansion of the lectionary. So since Vatican II, if someone goes to Mass every Sunday for three years, she will

The first part of Mass isn’t just about scripture

RCIA with incarcerated seekers

Baptism, Candidates, Catechesis, Catechumens / Lulu Santana

When a person asks about becoming Catholic, our reflex kicks in to refer them to the RCIA process in a parish. What happens when an inquirer happens to be incarcerated? It is likely that the typical response has been to use the rite of baptism intended for infants. The thinking is probably that RCIA is

RCIA with incarcerated seekers

A Bishop’s RCIA “Cheat Sheet”

Catechumens, Elect, Liturgy, RCIA, Training Articles / Nick Wagner

Dear (Arch)Bishop, We know that these days have been hard for all of us in the Church and that you have many urgent tasks before you. We also know that you care deeply about the ongoing mission of Christ that all the baptized share, and we have seen many of you and your brother bishops

A Bishop’s RCIA “Cheat Sheet”

Why don’t we make disciples in the summer? The core fear that prevents a year-round RCIA process

Is your RCIA open all year-round? Being flexible and going after that lost sheep

Going home — a Rite of Acceptance story

How the RCIA makes us dream of a new church — a summary

The RCIA is our definitive statement on conversion

Does RCIA change what it means to belong?

RCIA requires big paradigm shifts, starting with these two

The first part of Mass isn’t just about scripture

RCIA with incarcerated seekers

A Bishop’s RCIA “Cheat Sheet”

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