Here we are in September of 2026, and many catechumenate teams still haven’t recovered from the shutdown caused by COVID in 2020. Nobody is getting sick, but everybody is still exhausted. I joined a new parish four years ago and discovered the catechumenate team had disbanded. I volunteered to help rebuild it. It took a
Once September begins, so do lots of school classes and parish activities. And so, it’s a natural time to resume faith formation gatherings after a summertime break. Many catechumenate teams have worked hard to move from a school-year model of faith formation to an ongoing journey of faith and conversion for seekers. But there’s one remnant of
Why we need to get rid of “registration deadlines”
Yesterday I got an e-mail from someone who said she is interested in becoming Catholic. In many parishes, the inquirer might get a reply that gives the date when catechumenate classes start. But that kind of reply deeply misunderstands the purpose of the first stage of the process — the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate.
The next team member you need to recruit: Ambassador of Welcome
While traveling recently, I went to Mass at two different parishes. Both liturgies were celebrated by the book. Both had a few genuinely uplifting moments. And yet, taken as a whole, they both felt flat. I spent some time reflecting on why, if nothing was done wrong, the liturgies were uninspiring. The presiding was competent.
Intentional liturgy: Teaching catechumens to fill in the blanks
Sometimes a busy pastor or pastoral leader wants to skip the catechumenate rites and initiate a seeker quickly with no fuss. The temptation is understandable. But we know that bypassing the rites shortchanges the seeker’s conversion journey. If you’re like me, you want to confront this resistance head on by citing liturgical law and official
What to say when your pastor won’t celebrate the rites
We have been exploring the many sources of catechesis, and in this article, I would like to focus on the magisterium. Why is the magisterium important as a source of catechesis? The truth about Jesus and about our faith is always the same and unchanged since the moment of creation. However, our human understanding of
Using the magisterium to form catechumens: five documents every team needs to know
We have been exploring the many sources of catechesis that are outlined in the Directory for Catechesis. In this video, we explore Catholic culture as an uncommon but essential source for the formation of our catechumens and candidates. Why does Catholic culture matter for catechesis — not just for seekers, but for every Christian? Seekers
Catholic culture as a source of catechesis
I frequently ask seekers to name an experience of the Holy Spirit they had within the last week. I am no longer surprised — but I’m always disappointed — when they tell me they’ve had none. Part of the reason for this is that our culture has lost the capability to recognize the deeper reality
Beauty as a source of catechesis
Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote in her novel, Aurora Leigh, this poem: Earth’s crammed with heaven,And every common bush afire with God;But only he who sees, takes off his shoes,The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries,And daub their natural faces unaware. If “earth’s crammed with heaven,” then our liturgy is jam-packed with it! Yet too
Mystagogy: How to open the eyes and hearts of your seekers
Pope Leo has just given us a treasure chest of wisdom for our ministry. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it’s a really big chest and just getting the lid open is going to be a lot of work. I am talking about the pope’s recent encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. The document is
The catechumenate in the age of AI
