In many parishes, we tend to prioritize “information” over “formation.” By that, I mean that most of our energy is directed toward classroom content and delivery. We often treat the liturgies and rites of the catechumenate as secondary events rather than the primary moments where formation actually happens. When we underplay the essential nature of
Understanding the beating heart of initiation ministry
When we prepare to celebrate the major rites of the catechumenate, we often feel a heavy burden to ensure everyone in the pews knows exactly what is happening and why. This good intention often leads to the first major mistake: over-explaining. When we fill the sacred silence with verbal instructions and “institutional shorthand,” we inadvertently
The three most common mistakes catechumenate teams make in the rites
If you’ve followed us for any time at all at Team Initiation, you know that we are very focused on the church’s vision of how to implement the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. When we first started talking about this vision (almost 20 years ago!) we didn’t apply the word “synodal” to our analysis
From classrooms to companions: A synodal vision for the catechumenate
No matter how long you’ve been doing this ministry, all of us have been there—that moment you realize you have to plan your first rite. Where do you start? How do you know what to do? Especially if you’re brand new to catechumenate ministry, this moment can feel overwhelming. But there’s help! And you can
Best practices for preparing your first rite
A few years ago, I came across a group of children playing baseball in an empty lot. They didn’t have uniforms, base pads, or even a real bat. They were swinging at a well-worn ball with a large tree branch. I doubt they were following all the “rules.” But they were definitely learning how to
Why your seekers must actively participate in the liturgy
They may or may not tell you directly. Yet you can feel it when your assembly is merely enduring the rites instead of praying them. Especially during Lent and leading up to Easter, there can be a kind of ritual fatigue. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We can learn something from the
Pray the rites, don’t endure them
Early in my ministry, I thought Matthew 28:19 — “Go and make disciples of all nations” — meant “go and make converts.” Make believers out of non-believers. And I assumed the best way to do that was to put them in a classroom, give them a textbook, walk them through the doctrines, answer their questions,
It’s not something we often think about. But if we’ve been dismissing catechumens from Mass throughout their catechumenate on a regular basis, shouldn’t we also dismiss them during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday? There are many reasons we might immediately dismiss this dismissal during the Triduum, such as, not having enough
Should we dismiss catechumens on Holy Thursday?
Lent is a busy time for initiation teams. We are busy preparing the elect for the Easter sacraments, tracking down baptismal certificates, and coordinating the many moving parts of the Lenten catechumenate rites. But in the midst of all this activity, it is easy to overlook the baptized candidates. You may disagree. You may be
Honoring the dignity of the baptized candidates in Lent
When is the best time to receive Christians validly baptized into the full communion of the Catholic Church? We might often think that the Easter Vigil is the perfect time for the Rite of Reception since that’s the premier time we make new Catholics through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. But our
When should we receive Christians into the Catholic Church?
