One of our most popular articles was one I wrote a while ago about how to improve what we say about RCIA in our parish bulletins. Almost every parish has something in their bulletin that invites seekers into the RCIA process. Unfortunately, the vast majority of people who we are writing to in those announcements […]
Four ways to attract more seekers using social media
I’m going to save you $5,000. That’s how much 27-year-old consultant Gabrielle Jackson Bosche charges to translate the world of millennials into concepts older people can understand. Most of what she has to say, however, is common sense. Decoding the millennial generation Bosche frames her insights for the business world, but it is easy enough
Common sense ideas for attracting millennials to your parish
My friend, musician and composer John Angotti, recently led a retreat for a grade school near me. He asked the children if anyone wanted to sing. Liliah, a little second-grader, raised her hand and stepped forward. But then she got crippling stage fright and began to tear up. John picked her up, told her everything
This little light of mine — how to let it shine
If you have noticed a decline in the number of inquirers you have had in recent years, there is a very clear reason. From the inception of the modern catechumenate in the 1970s, the number-one source of new Catholics has been people who marry into the faith. However, while the Catholic population in the United
The simple truth about getting more RCIA inquirers
We are disciples. Being so has its pluses and minuses. The advantage of being a disciple The big plus is, we get to do the work of Jesus. This has been true from the very beginning. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus “called the twelve and began to send them out two by two” (6:7). While they
How to feed 5,000 on a Tuesday in Advent
Avanti! That’s what Pope Francis says over and over again. Go forth! For Pope Francis, there is only one image of the church that is life-giving — a church that goes forth, that goes out of itself, into the streets. Pope Francis wants us to be a church that goes to the peripheries. This is
Pope Francis’s message to RCIA teams: Avanti!
Does your parish have a regular or occasional notice in the bulletin inviting new participants to join the RCIA? Can you identify the target audience? Who is the message written for? Who do you imagine reads it? Who are you hoping will respond to it? I read these notices all the time. They tend to
Why your RCIA bulletin announcement isn’t working — and what to do about it
There are four major components of Christian life in which we train the catechumens: word, community, worship, and witness through works of mercy (see RCIA 75). Today, we have to ask how these areas of Christian life translate in the digital culture. (Click here to read my previous article on evangelization and catechesis in a
Four ways RCIA teams can inculturate Christian life in the digital world
Diana and I recently returned from Australia where I gave a keynote presentation for the Christian Initiation Australia Network (CIAN) National Conference. The topic was New Tools for a New Age. My goal was to describe how to use the tools of social media to enhance the catechumenate process. As soon as I learned what the
Last Saturday, Diana and I met with about 100 RCIA leaders from the Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia. The topic we were asked to address is how to use the new tools of social media to assist in the catechumenate process. That’s not an easy topic. For those of us who did not grow up with
