Like all of you I’ve been hard at work at finding ways to keep our initiation processes going while our churches have been closed and social distancing has become the norm. But even as challenging as that can be, the greater challenge has been working with those elect and candidates who were expecting to be […]
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Managing expectations in a changing world
My beginnings in initiation ministry had two phases. I went to school to learn about liturgy, and my first parish job included planning and coordinating the rites for the catechumenate. I felt pretty confident about that role. Many years later, I moved to California for a non-parish job. I volunteered for to help out on
How to grow your confidence as an RCIA team member
Nehemiah, an officer in the 5th century BC Persian Empire, was feeling distressed. The emperor had granted Nehemiah’s request to help the Jewish remnant who still lived among the ruins of Jerusalem to rebuild the city. But, when he arrived, the situation was dire. Samaritans, Ammonites, Arabs, and Philistines had grown powerful in the land
Encouragement is a core value for catechumenate teams
We received another e-mail last week about what we are supposed to teach in the RCIA process. We get that question frequently, and we’ve answered it many times. I understand why RCIA team members, especially new team members, are focused on that question. But it really is the last question we need to ask. Educator
Have you asked all four of these questions about your RCIA teaching process?
Has this ever happened to you? You went to a workshop or read a book or saw something online, and a lightbulb clicked on. Suddenly, everything was so clear about how to structure the catechumenate process. Or maybe just one part of the process. The point is, before you didn’t know and now you did.
What happens when you rock the catechumenate boat?
“Archbishop,” someone in the audience asked, “so many people are leaving the church because of the scandals. What can we do to address that?” Archbishop Wilton Gregory of Atlanta had just opened the floor to questions after his keynote talk at the Cathedral Ministry Conference on January 15, 2019. The archbishop took a deep breath
Give your RCIA seekers a reason to stay
When your seekers look at the church, what do they see? I wonder if they see a pyramid — with the bishops and priests at the top, supported from below by the laity. Honestly, that’s the way I saw the church throughout my childhood and most of my teen years. It is the way the
Your RCIA team’s number-one job
Several years ago, I was helping lead a training institute for RCIA teams. One of the participants was quite young compared to the rest of us who were mostly well past 40. I asked her how she wound up serving on her parish’s RCIA team. She told me that when she was in college, she
RCIA formation is a call to holiness
Change can be hard. As human beings we are, by nature, resistant to change…especially when we think what we have right now is just fine as it is. But God and his creation are not static. Our relationship with God is dynamic…living, breathing, and constantly evolving, and sometimes that means altering course to keep moving
Is your RCIA open all year-round? It’s easier than you think
The RCIA makes no mention of an RCIA director or even a team. However, RCIA 13 and 14 talk about the priest and his responsibilities, and RCIA 15 mentions how permanent deacons assist in whatever way is needed. In most parishes, the pastor would typically delegate many of these responsibilities to others on staff or
The job of the RCIA coordinator or director
