Diana and I recently attended the 2014 Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions, and we heard a presentation by Fr. Paul Turner on the current status of the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in the United States. Fr. Turner was commenting on a report by the Center for Applied Research in the […]
How to know what we can (and should) adapt in the RCIA rites
Last Sunday, the pastor of the church I was visiting stood up during the announcements and asked everyone to exchange name tags after we finished the closing song. The point, he said, was to find someone we did not know, introduce ourselves, and share one thing we would like the other person to pray for
Use the liturgy to teach RCIA catechumens how to live
When I was young, my grandmother gave me a rolled-up rope ladder. She told me to put it near my bedroom window, and if there was ever a fire, I could use the rope ladder to escape down the side of the house.Of course, from then on all I could think about every time I
How to save your RCIA rites from heresy
This is a guest post provided by Joseph Mangone, a pastoral liturgist from Irving, Texas. I recently had time to read Pope Francis’ “Joy of the Gospel.” It is deeply profound, yet Pope Francis’ style of writing is not papal but that of a disciple, teacher, and shepherd who want his flock to discover the
The church evangelizes with beautiful liturgy
For the neophytes, the Sundays of the Easter Season are the primary setting for mystagogy. One reason that is so is because it is during this time when the neophytes will first pray the Eucharistic Prayer with the rest of the baptized faithful. The Eucharistic Prayer is supposed to be a climactic moment in the
Six ways to actively involve the neophytes in the Eucharistic Prayer
Obviously, the Eucharistic Prayer is a prayer of thanksgiving. But what makes it so essential to our worship that the church teaches that it is the "center and summit of the entire celebration" of the Mass (General Instruction on the Roman Missal, 78)? Our first clue We cannot say for sure. We don’t know the
What is the Eucharistic Prayer? (A summary for RCIA catechists)
Why is the Eucharistic Prayer important? When I was a child, I thought it was because that’s the moment in the Mass when the bread and wine are turned into the Body and Blood of Jesus. And while that’s true, that is a very narrow understanding of the importance of the prayer. In fact, the
Is the Eucharistic Prayer a big deal for RCIA catechesis?
Our friend and fellow catechumenate minister, Rev. Andrew Varga, shared this blessing with us for the New Year. Thanks, Fr. Andy! (Click the image for a larger version.)
A Blessing of Calendars for the New Year
In 1952, educator Robert Havighurst wrote: “When the timing is right, the ability to learn a particular task will be possible. This is referred to as a ‘teachable moment.’ It is important to keep in mind that unless the time is right, learning will not occur” (Human Development and Education). So how do you know
The right way and the wrong way to do a “teaching Mass”—according to the pope
My friend and I were laughing the other day remembering how our kids loved to put on “shows.” In fact, on Erin’s daughter’s eighth birthday she received a special gift which she had specifically requested: a huge roll of red tickets – the kind you get at a school carnival or raffle. These tickets were
Why the RCIA is Dead Wrong about Celebrating Rites with Children [paragraphs 257, 260]
