Are you having trouble getting your parish involved in your catechumenate process? Do you sometimes feel like you and your team are working off in a corner somewhere, unnoticed by the larger community? When you celebrate catechumenate rites at Sunday Mass, do you sense the assembly is disgruntled because the liturgy might go longer than […]
10 ways to involve parishioners in the catechumenate process
“How do we explain the scrutinies to the catechumens without scaring them?” That was a question we received recently at a Rites of the RCIA institute. The question stumps me a little. As I look at the structure and prayers of the rite, I don’t see anything particularly frightening. I think that if there is
How to Celebrate the Scrutinies without Scaring the Catechumens
Many RCIA teams know that the time for formal catechesis for the elect ends on Ash Wednesday. (If you don’t know that, see “Don’t catechize in Lent.”) But if you don’t catechize, what do we do? Of all the moments in the RCIA process in which we rely on the involvement of the parishioners, Lent
Do your parishioners dread or love the Lenten RCIA rites?
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
Hi Everyone, About 9 months ago Nick Wagner invited me to write a blog. He is patient. Perhaps this is birthing time. Though involved in initiation ministry for over 20 years, I am also now involved as Novice Director in our Sister of Charity congregation. We had a session this past week in which I
To fully understand the purpose of the scrutinies, it helps to have a little history. The three scrutinies that we celebrate within the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults are derived, in part, from the fourth century church’s practice of exorcism. The word “exorcism” sets many of us on edge. Most of us know the
RCIA vs. Hollywood—the true meaning of “exorcism”
“Why can’t we use Year B readings this year for the Scrutinies?” “The assembly is missing out on hearing the readings for Year C. How come we always have to do Year A at the Scrutinies?” “We’ve written new scrutiny rites for the Year B readings. Can we use those?” I hear those questions every
Do we have to use Year A readings for the RCIA scrutinies?
I’m not sure why, but some places do stuff to the scrutinies that makes them less “scrutinish.” The primary symbol—the main event—in this rite is the exorcism. You can find the exorcism at paragraphs 154, 168, and 175. There are three things that we need to do well to make the exorcisms as liturgically meaningful
3 do’s and 6 don’ts for powerful scrutinies
I think all of us at some point in our lives have someone—maybe our parents, a teacher, a certain group—someone we wanted so much to just love us as we were. We want someone who knows everything about us, all the good stuff and all the bad stuff, and who still wants us anyway. But
“Enough”—A Scrutiny Homily for the Woman at the Well
Came across this recently in an essay by the American Catholic novelist, Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964): Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, in instructing catechumens, wrote: The dragon sits by the side of the road watching those who pass. Beware lest he devour you. We go to the Father of Souls, but it is necessary to pass by
