A while ago, I tried a new recipe that called for coconut oil. It was the first I’d heard of that kind of oil. Over my many years in the kitchen, I’ve expanded my repertoire beyond to Wesson Oil my mother used for cooking and the Crisco my grandmother used for baking. California olive oils […]
Five times to anoint a catechumen during the initiation process
With the new year upon us, often our thoughts turn to the past year and the excitement of the new year to come. For many it’s a chance to make a fresh start on a personal goal. A time of New’ Year’s resolutions – resolving to break a bad habit or do something better for
Is your RCIA open all year-round? A New Year’s Resolution
As I sit down to write this post, I’m a bit distracted. In less than a week, we are leaving for a vacation in Japan. I am nervous and excited. My mind spins with equal force around the adventures we’ll have and possible things that could go wrong. I bought travel insurance, including medical and
10 times to pray with an RCIA catechumen who is struggling
When I was very young, my mother gave me a rosary. She told me that it was blessed. I didn’t know what the difference was between a blessed and an unblessed rosary, but I assumed my new rosary was somehow better than an unblessed one. A few years later, after I had become an altar
15 occasions to bless an RCIA catechumen
Myth: A year-round catechumenate process is harder than a school-year program Every parish team I’ve talked with that has transitioned to an ongoing catechumenate process tells me that the amount of work involved is either the same or less than when they were running a school. See: Free download: The one, most important thing we
Six myths about RCIA in the parish
My last article concerning the use of online resources (Much ado about doing the RCIA online) elicited some interesting comments. As I considered some replies to these comments, I found myself writing enough for another full article. The heart of my previous article was to emphasize the importance of face-to-face interaction that our catechumens and
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Being flexible and going after that lost sheep
Celebrating liturgy well is important. It is especially important in the rites of the catechumenate. The U.S. bishops said, “Good celebrations can foster and nourish faith. Poor celebrations may weaken it” (Sing to the Lord, 5). What makes one liturgy good and another poor? Most people who are trained in liturgy can tell us, but
The four liturgical arts in the RCIA rituals
I shouldn’t do this to myself. I wanted to write a bit about the period of evangelization and precatechumenate. I know there are many misunderstandings about this part of the process. The biggest one is that there’s a “schedule” for the precatechumenate. There isn’t one. At least, there shouldn’t be. So, to find some examples
The one, most important thing we have to teach in the RCIA
Over a series of several posts, we have looked at the paradigm shift that was launched at the Second Vatican Council and further developed in the restoration of the catechumenate. The overarching shift in our model of church, taught by the Second Vatican Council, is a reenvisioning of the church’s mission. A simple way to
How the RCIA makes us dream of a new church — a summary
It’s no secret that the life in most parishes follows the old-school academic calendar. So it’s at this time of year when parish schools, groups, and ministries begin to awaken from their long summer slumber. For most every parish I’ve encountered, that includes the catechumenate formation process. The fact that those of us in catechumenate
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Redefining when the process starts
