When I first got involved in parish ministry, I was pretty excited. I had lots of ideas, and I would usually rush headlong into some new project without much planning. More importantly, I’d start creating new schemes without much help. I would ask for volunteers from the parish, but usually folks would tell me they […]
Here’s the number-one rule for building an RCIA team
Most of the pastors I meet are either participants in our live training events, or they are participants on our TeamRCIA website. So they are clearly already deeply involved in the RCIA process in their parishes. However, not every parish is blessed with a pastor who is so deeply connected with the initiation ministry of
Six ways to involve your pastor in your RCIA process
Mary Birmingham and I just finished a TeamRCIA Catechist School. At the event, I asked the participants what their number-one roadblock to their ministry was. Overwhelmingly, they said they didn’t have enough time. Time is the one thing you cannot make more of. You can make more cookies or music or money, but you cannot
Do you have the time for RCIA ministry?
On the evening before the opening of the Synod on the Family, Pope Francis said this: The evening falls on our assembly. It is the hour in which one willingly returns home to the same meal, in the thick of affections, of the good that has been done and received, of the encounters which warm
Why the Synod on the Family is important for RCIA leaders
Every RCIA team member is a leader. Catholics are not always comfortable in the role of leader, and we tend to defer to others. We say things like, “I’m just a member of the group. Louise is the leader.” Maybe Louise is the leader. But you are also a leader, or you wouldn’t be on
The neighborhoods around San José, California, are famous for their garages. Behemoth companies such as Hewlett Packard, Google, and Apple all started out in humble garages around here.The Steves (Jobs and Wozniak) didn’t sit around saying, “If only we had more help.” Instead, they said things like, “We’re here to put a dent in the
How to start up an RCIA process from a garage
When you vote for a politician, you are choosing him to lead you and your community. When you go to the doctor, you are choosing her because she can lead you to good decisions about your health. When you want to accomplish something complicated (for example, plan for retirement, decide to get married, buy a
How to discover the best RCIA leader for your parish
Sometimes I fantasize about being the RCIA Czar. I don’t really want to be a czar. I just wish parishes could get closer to the vision of what the Second Vatican Council had in mind when it called for the restoration of the catechumenate. Now you might be wondering how I know what the Council
Six things that are probably wrong with your RCIA — and how to fix them
During a recent trip, I looked up a parish close to my hotel and headed over there for the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass. Just before the opening song, a parishioner went to the ambo, welcomed everyone to St. So-and-So, and then read the parish mission statement. Mission improbable The statement was kind of long, and
Do your catechumens know your mission? Do you?
“There just aren’t enough hours in the day.” I hear that all the time. I used to say it myself. But it’s not true. There are just enough hours in the day. If we had more hours, we’d complain that there still wasn’t enough time. The secret is not to add more hours to the
