One of the most powerful aspects of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is its emphasis on immersing those seeking Christ into a living, active parish community. The rite teaches that faith is not merely a set of intellectual beliefs, but a way of life that is learned through participation and example. The Mystical […]
The call to community: paragraph 75.2
As parish catechumenate leaders, the church expects us to provide an appropriate catechesis for the catechumens. The directives in OCIA 75.1 describe what an appropriate catechesis looks like. Let’s take a look at what it says. 1. Divided into steps and fully presented OCIA 75.1 emphasizes the need for a catechesis that is “divided into
Forming hearts through God’s Word: paragraph 75.1
We have some good news to share! Some of you may have already heard that the new translation of the initiation rites has been officially approved and is scheduled for publication later this year. Publishers may start selling copies of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults on All Saints Day, November 1, 2024. So
Get ready for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults
Ever since the English-speaking world become aware that the initiation rites would be retranslated, folks have been asking us, “Are you going to change your name?” When we launched TeamRCIA back in 2007, we might have chosen a different name if we had known that the title of the rite would change from “Rite of
TeamRCIA is proclaiming Christ through a new name
Q: If we only have one catechumen, would we still dismiss them? That puts a lot of attention on that one catechumen and on the team. We have to be sure they arrive on time and check in so we know that they are there. We have to alert the musician and presider that we
Q&A: When you have only one catechumen, do you dismiss them?
We often hear people say they feel uncomfortable dismissing catechumens from the Mass because it seems inhospitable. So they choose not to do it. But skipping the dismissal of catechumens is like omitting the end of the Mass for the baptized! It’s the way catechumens are co-missioned with the faithful from the Mass to do
Don’t dismiss the dismissal of catechumens
You may be starting out in catechumenate ministry or you may have been doing this a long time, and maybe you think you don’t have enough. Maybe you don’t have: enough resources enough volunteers enough seekers enough confidence Here at TeamRCIA, the number one thing that we try to do for people like you is
How do you know if you have enough?
Diana and I had two experiences recently that made us think more deeply about the way we invite and welcome seekers into our communities. We were driving to Chicago, and we stopped to see the Cahokia Mounds. The Cahokia Mounds is the site of a pre-Columbian Native American city that existed 1050–1350 AD. At its
Tell the one story that RCIA seekers will remember for the rest of their lives
Mary Kay Arroyo and the initiation team at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bradenton, Florida, have responded to the shelter-in-place regulations by connecting with their seekers through video chats. We asked Mary Kay to share with us how it’s going, and she sent us this video. Has your team tried some innovative tech solutions for
Has your RCIA team tried video conferencing?
I want to tell you a story about delight. This past Christmas and New Year’s, Diana and I went to the Philippines for a family event. Our return trip included a 14-hour layover at Haneda airport in Japan. We arrived at Haneda exhausted. We made our way through security and then customs. We wearily found
How delightful is your RCIA process?
