The mystagogical period, when the newly initiated deepen their understanding through reflection on their lived experiences of ritual, is a profound and rewarding aspect of Christian initiation ministry. This process of mystagogy is especially powerful when working with children and youth. Young people seem to possess an innate openness and sensitivity to spiritual mysteries that […]
Children, initiation, and mystagogy
It’s Easter and the premier time for mystagogical catechesis. But what exactly is it, and how do you do it? Mystagogy, especially for neophytes, might not be what you think it is. First, it’s not another meeting. Mystagogy, according to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, takes place at the Sunday Masses of the
Mystagogical catechesis for neophytes
We found ourselves in the quiet, dimly lit church, a few evenings after the Easter Vigil. The neophytes, godparents, sponsors, candidates, catechumens, an inquirer, and team members were gathered, surrounded by the scent of incense and the sound of the flowing baptismal font, illuminated by the Paschal Candle. As we paused from our busy lives,
I just finished another novel by Earl Stanley Gardner. Gardner is the creator of Perry Mason, and he wrote more than 80 stories featuring the brilliant lawyer-detective. Gardner is really good at drawing the reader into the mystery and making you think you’ve solved the crime before the end of the book. But then there
Revealing the mystery of faith: The role of the mystagogue
“How can we grow in our capacity to live in full the liturgical action?” asks Pope Francis in his June 29 apostolic letter on liturgical formation. “How do we continue to let ourselves be amazed at what happens in the celebration under our very eyes?” (31). I think this may be the most important question
The first step in catechumenate formation is to recover our “capacity for symbol”
When parishes look for RCIA catechists, they tend to look for people who are good at giving presentations. While this tendency is understandable, it’s not exactly what the church expects of a catechist. The Directory for Catechesis describes the catechist as someone who has a vocation. The catechist is a Christian who receives a particular
Why your RCIA team needs a mystagogue
We have said many times before that mystagogy takes place throughout the entire catechumenate. If that’s so, why is there a particular period of the catechumenate specifically named “mystagogy”? To understand that, we have to understand how liturgy relates to catechesis. The church teaches that the liturgy is “the privileged place for catechizing the People
Why the RCIA period of mystagogy is crucial for your neophytes
I don’t know if it’s just from celebrating so many Catholic liturgies over my lifetime, but I can’t look at fire—or the light and shadow cast by the sun, or an eclipse, or the full moon, or the candle on my dinner table—without thinking of the fire we light at the Easter Vigil. On the
Illuminating Christ: How to be a mystagogue
Someone recently asked on Facebook, “What is the Easter Vigil for?” The person asking is from a Christian tradition that does not usually celebrate baptisms at the Vigil. If you’re old enough, you will remember when that was true for Roman Catholics. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was issued shortly after Vatican II,
What does baptism do? A mystagogy on the sacramental act of washing
Fr. John Farley, a priest in the San Diego diocese, commented on our video, “RCIA, the Triduum, and Coronavirus.” Based on the guidelines in the Ceremonial of Bishops and in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, he proposed a possible schedule for celebrating the rites of initiation at a time later this year. In
An RCIA calendar for celebrating the initiation rites outside the usual times
