A light mist was falling as I waited to cross the intersection. Suddenly, out of the darkness, a tall man asked me for a handout. Then a look, or a word, or his own demons set him off, and he began to yell. The light changed, and I rushed past him to the other side. […]
The Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate — a time for getting messy
I shouldn’t do this to myself. I wanted to write a bit about the period of evangelization and precatechumenate. I know there are many misunderstandings about this part of the process. The biggest one is that there’s a “schedule” for the precatechumenate. There isn’t one. At least, there shouldn’t be. So, to find some examples
The one, most important thing we have to teach in the RCIA
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
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
Do you remember when you first heard about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults? If you are a lifelong Catholic in your 40s or younger, you probably grew up experiencing the rites. Older Catholics, on the other hand, remember growing up without the catechumenate. I learned about the RCIA in the 1980s when I
RCIA: A radical, ground-breaking, world-shaking, world-transforming way of being church
If you go to almost any ministry conference or listen to Catholic media, you will probably hear that the future of the church in the United States does not look good. We’re told that Sunday Mass participation, especially among millennials, is in steep decline. Sometimes the experts will speculate that we need to become a
Two secrets to RCIA evangelization — smile at strangers and buy a van
In a recent post, I pointed out that the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity from the Second Vatican Council instructs that we who are members of the royal priesthood should be especially focused on social action (see paragraph 7). I then drew the conclusion that if our RCIA processes are not making this
What commitment is your RCIA prioritizing?
On a recent trip for a TeamRCIA institute, Diana and I took time to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. As I stood contemplating a 19th century Impressionist work, two young women dashed in front of me, snapped a picture of the paining, and hurried away as quickly as they’d arrived.
Teach RCIA seekers to imagine salvation
An RCIA leader recently wrote this response to one of our blog posts: “Many of our inquirers are on a ‘fast track’ and we are lucky to get them to attend a session let alone extra parish functions. We know what should be done but the realities of the fast paced life of many of
The truth about busy-ness for RCIA seekers
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
