Q: If the pastor will not use the Year A readings, am I correct in understanding that you don’t do the Scrutinies? A: All three Scrutinies are required for initiation, and they cannot be dispensed with (see your RCIA text, paragraph 20). If the pastor chooses to use the incorrect readings, the Scrutinies must still
Q&A: If you don’t use Year A readings, can you omit the Scrutinies?
Discernment by the bishop In the ancient church, the catechumens who wanted to be baptized that year would give their names to their pastor sometime before Lent. If the pastor thought they were ready, he would submit their names to the bishop. At the beginning of Lent, all those seeking baptism would go before the
A few things you probably didn’t know about the Rite of Election
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
Ruth turned over for maybe the twentieth time, fluffed her pillow, rearranged her blanket, and tried some deep breathing exercises. She had already tried thinking of multiplication tables and counting sheep. But she just couldn’t fall asleep. Tomorrow, she had to turn in to the diocesan office the names of those catechumens who would become
Are you worried that your RCIA seekers aren’t ready?
Many catechumenate teams and many more catechumens seem to not quite clearly grasp the reason that a Rite of Election is included in the initiation process. Many believe the purpose of the rite is to introduce the catechumens to the bishop. Or, as an extension of that, to show the catechumens that they are joining
What are we doing at the Rite of Election?
As we approach the Rite of Election, let’s explore more deeply the biblical notion of choice. Those of us from first-world countries are fanatical about choice. We believe choice is a birthright. We choose our forms of government, our careers, our friends, and our breakfast cereals. The ability to have so much choice is both
A Catechumen’s Prayer Before the Rite of Election Creator God, even before I was born, you called me and named me. Even before I understood, you sought and summoned me. All this time, you have been choosing me, Lord, in secret and intimate ways. Now, you call me to stand before you, before your people,
Prayers for Catechumens around the time of the Rite of Election
To fully understand the purpose of the scrutinies, it helps to have a little history. The three scrutinies that we celebrate within the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults are derived, in part, from the fourth century church’s practice of exorcism. The word “exorcism” sets many of us on edge. Most of us know the
RCIA vs. Hollywood—the true meaning of “exorcism”
“Why can’t we use Year B readings this year for the Scrutinies?” “The assembly is missing out on hearing the readings for Year C. How come we always have to do Year A at the Scrutinies?” “We’ve written new scrutiny rites for the Year B readings. Can we use those?” I hear those questions every
Do we have to use Year A readings for the RCIA scrutinies?
In our Diocese of San Jose, we have dancing books for the Rite of Election. Now hold on before you start groaning as you imagine young waifs in tights and leotards flitting about the altar. Our Scriptural tradition has many stories of dancing—but the kind of dancing that comes out of ordinary, everyday people. David
Have you ever seen dancing books at the Rite of Election?
