The other day I took my car into the dealer’s service shop for some regular maintenance and they provided me with a loaner car for the day. This loaner was their top-of-the-line mid-sized sedan with all the new technology. The rearview mirror had a digital compass built into the corner, and the sideview mirrors had […]
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Maintaining Focus
Last year, we sent you our greetings from the snows of the Sierras in California. This year, we send you warmest greetings from the tropical heat in Panama City, Panamá! Blessed Christmas to you from all of us here at TeamRCIA! May the Word who became flesh dwell in your words and live in your
Our video Christmas card to you!
In a recent post, I pointed out that the Decree on the Apostolate of the Laity from the Second Vatican Council instructs that we who are members of the royal priesthood should be especially focused on social action (see paragraph 7). I then drew the conclusion that if our RCIA processes are not making this
What commitment is your RCIA prioritizing?
Some years ago, business leaders were caught up in a trend called “Management by Objective” (MBO). MBO is a method of organizing and motivating employees to accomplish the objectives of the company. So if the objective of a company is to sell a million widgets, whatever any employee does to help the company reach that
What is your RCIA team’s objective for the catechumens?
“When do your classes start?” If you’re an RCIA coordinator you probably hear this question on a regular basis. Most times you hear it from seekers, but I’ve also heard it from our own parish staff. I have two problems with this question. First is the use of the word “classes.” Second is with the
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Watch your language
A while back I was talking with a group of RCIA catechists from another parish (something I highly encourage on a regular basis). I was learning about their process and they were asking me about ours (not an unusual conversation among RCIA catechists). During this dialogue one of the catechists asked me how often we
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Ditching the videos and PowerPoints
It took me a long time to think of myself as a catechist. When I was growing up, a catechist was essentially a religious education teacher. I never wanted to be a teacher. I’ve substituted for classroom teachers twice in my life, and I failed both times. I’ve never had formal catechist training. And I
Look for RCIA catechists who are good at these three things
After team formation, the next step to moving to a year round process is simple: Throw out your syllabus. Hear me out on this one… Have you noticed there’s not much out there when it comes to an “off the shelf” program for the RCIA? There’s a reason for that… but more on that in
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Throw out your syllabus!
“What do you wan to be when you grow up?” It’s a pretty common question we face when we’re kids, and typically our answers are based on what we’re familiar with (or what we’ve seen on TV). And even as we get older our educational and career choices are still based on our own experience.
Moving to a year-round RCIA process: It starts with team formation
In all my years in RCIA ministry, one of the easiest things to do was to match inquirers with sponsors — in my head. One of the hardest things to do was to get those perfect sponsors-in-my-head to become real, live, actual sponsors for someone. I think other RCIA team members must have struggled with
Who else wants to have all the RCIA sponsors they need?
