Most sponsors want to do a good job, and they put a lot of effort into doing their ministry well. Besides the responsibilities, any good sponsor would want to know: “what kinds of gifts do I give my catechumens/candidates?” Before one gets their hands on a church goods catalog in search for a gift, let […]
Diana and I recently had a one-week vacation in Japan. About a week before we left, Diana picked up a Japanese phrase book and learned a few simple words and dialogues. I convinced myself that I didn’t have time to add one more thing to my to-do list before leaving. We were going to be
Are you fluent in “RCIA seeker language”?
With the new year upon us, often our thoughts turn to the past year and the excitement of the new year to come. For many it’s a chance to make a fresh start on a personal goal. A time of New’ Year’s resolutions – resolving to break a bad habit or do something better for
Is your RCIA open all year-round? A New Year’s Resolution
When I was very young, my mother gave me a rosary. She told me that it was blessed. I didn’t know what the difference was between a blessed and an unblessed rosary, but I assumed my new rosary was somehow better than an unblessed one. A few years later, after I had become an altar
15 occasions to bless an RCIA catechumen
Myth: A year-round catechumenate process is harder than a school-year program Every parish team I’ve talked with that has transitioned to an ongoing catechumenate process tells me that the amount of work involved is either the same or less than when they were running a school. See: Free download: The one, most important thing we
Six myths about RCIA in the parish
My last article concerning the use of online resources (Much ado about doing the RCIA online) elicited some interesting comments. As I considered some replies to these comments, I found myself writing enough for another full article. The heart of my previous article was to emphasize the importance of face-to-face interaction that our catechumens and
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Being flexible and going after that lost sheep
As a director for our parish’s adult catechumenate ministry I field a lot of phone calls and e-mails from seekers wanting to know about the various programs and processes our parish has to offer. I do my best to be welcoming and attentive in answering their questions in the hopes that I can schedule a
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Much ado about doing the RCIA online
I shouldn’t do this to myself. I wanted to write a bit about the period of evangelization and precatechumenate. I know there are many misunderstandings about this part of the process. The biggest one is that there’s a “schedule” for the precatechumenate. There isn’t one. At least, there shouldn’t be. So, to find some examples
The one, most important thing we have to teach in the RCIA
The introduction to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults lists a litany of principles that undergird the initiation process that a seeker and an initiating community will follow (for example, see RCIA 4-5). One of the most earthshaking of these is, “The rite of initiation is suited to a spiritual journey of adults….” (5).
One of the most earthshaking shifts of the RCIA
I have been having to say this more often lately. I’m not sure if that means our understanding of baptism is shrinking or (I rather hope) that so many more of us are beginning to grasp what baptism in its fullness means and that is generating a dialogue. In any case, while most TeamRCIA readers
Baptism isn’t just about water
