There are two dismissals in the Sunday liturgy. The one Catholics are most familiar with is the second one, the dismissal of the faithful at the end of Mass. The other is becoming better known. That is the dismissal of the catechumens at the end of the Liturgy of the word. Both dismissals are sometimes […]
The symbolic importance of the RCIA dismissal
Some years ago, business leaders were caught up in a trend called “Management by Objective” (MBO). MBO is a method of organizing and motivating employees to accomplish the objectives of the company. So if the objective of a company is to sell a million widgets, whatever any employee does to help the company reach that
What is your RCIA team’s objective for the catechumens?
“When do your classes start?” If you’re an RCIA coordinator you probably hear this question on a regular basis. Most times you hear it from seekers, but I’ve also heard it from our own parish staff. I have two problems with this question. First is the use of the word “classes.” Second is with the
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Watch your language
Recently, a candidate for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church wrote an article for America magazine titled: “How can I think about becoming Catholic after the latest sex abuse reports?” I share the writer’s overwhelming grief, and I am completely dismayed and disheartened about the abuse scandals. I suspect many of you
Why be Catholic in the midst of scandal?
According to a study conducted by University of Kansas professor Jeffrey Hall and published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, it takes 50 hours to make a friend. 50 hours! After I read that, I turned to the RCIA. In order for one to become friends with Jesus Christ, the catechumens have to
If you go to any parish website in North America, you will get the very strong impression that children’s faith is formed in a classroom. Parish websites list expectations describing what children are to have learned by the time they reach each grade level. If you were to actually visit one of these parishes, you
Why children in the RCIA need a community, not a classroom
I once overheard a pastoral minister say that she was working with a family who wanted to have their child baptized. The child was six-and-a-half years old. “We got her in just under the wire,” the pastoral worker said — meaning the child was under seven years old and therefore baptized as an infant. She
Pastoral principles for children in the RCIA
Are you having trouble getting your parish involved in your catechumenate process? Do you sometimes feel like you and your team are working off in a corner somewhere, unnoticed by the larger community? When you celebrate catechumenate rites at Sunday Mass, do you sense the assembly is disgruntled because the liturgy might go longer than
10 ways to involve parishioners in the catechumenate process
“How do we explain the scrutinies to the catechumens without scaring them?” That was a question we received recently at a Rites of the RCIA institute. The question stumps me a little. As I look at the structure and prayers of the rite, I don’t see anything particularly frightening. I think that if there is
How to Celebrate the Scrutinies without Scaring the Catechumens
Recently, I met with about 120 RCIA leaders from the dioceses of Belleville, IL, Springfield, IL, Springfield-Cape Girardeau, MO, and the archdiocese of St. Louis. Our agenda was to discuss the vision of the restored catechumenate and how that vision unfolds all year round; it cannot be confined to a few months of the liturgical
How to Rekindle Your “Desire for the Infinite” in Ministry
