Should baptized candidates celebrate their sacraments at the Easter Vigil? Probably not, but there are exceptions. The National Statues for the Catechumenate tell us that baptized candidates should not celebrate their sacraments at the Easter Vigil so there won’t be any confusion between them and those who are being baptized (see no. 33). Within the […]
Six common RCIA questions about Easter Vigil
This post is the fourth in a series on how the conversion process in the RCIA makes lifelong disciples. If you have not yet read the previous post on the third and fourth RCIA keys for turning seekers into disciples, please click here. In that post, you will discover how important it is to reflect
Two keys to RCIA conversion that challenge our existing norms
As we approach the Rite of Election, let’s explore more deeply the biblical notion of choice. Those of us from first-world countries are fanatical about choice. We believe choice is a birthright. We choose our forms of government, our careers, our friends, and our breakfast cereals. The ability to have so much choice is both
Does your parish have a regular or occasional notice in the bulletin inviting new participants to join the RCIA? Can you identify the target audience? Who is the message written for? Who do you imagine reads it? Who are you hoping will respond to it? I read these notices all the time. They tend to
Why your RCIA bulletin announcement isn’t working — and what to do about it
Do you have a list of texts, catechetical resources, or other material you recommend to teach catechumens in the RCIA?
Q&A: Do you have a list of resources for teaching catechumens?
In a previous post (“How long does RCIA take?”), I wrote about the initial discernment process and said: “If you find out you are dealing with a biblical scholar who has been living as a faithful Lutheran for 40 years, the training process can be very brief.” That prompted a reader to e-mail me with
Should we stop calling ourselves “RCIA” teams?
Human beings are bad at making estimates. How long will it take to shop for groceries? How long will the meeting last? I’ll just check Facebook for a minute or two. We are just plain awful at giving accurate answers about time. So when someone asks us, “How long does RCIA take?” what should we
As Easter draws closer, we tend to get a flurry of questions at TeamRCIA. Many of the e-mails and voice mails have a tinge of panic about them. So the answer to every question is, don’t panic. Even if you’ve overlooked something huge, no one’s eternal salvation is at risk. No matter how big a
Last year, Msgr. Edward Deliman of Saint Charles Borromeo in Bensalem, PA, found a note in the collection basket that said, “No more Spanish in the bulletin. Tell them to speak English.” That was the reaction of a non-Hispanic parishioner to the influx of Spanish-speakers from the recently merged Latino parish, Our Lady of Fatima.
How the RCIA teaches us to love the unlovable
If you have been reading the training articles on TeamRCIA for very long, you know that the RCIA is the model for all catechesis. But does the rest of the parish know? Who needs to know this stuff? You might consider “evangelizing” other catechetical teams in your parish to begin using the six principles of
Discover a simple way to help the whole parish catechize the RCIA way
