Many of us working in initiation ministry have been around the church for a while. Some of us are lifelong Catholics while others of us joined the church through the RCIA process and perhaps never left this ministry. Regardless of how we got to where we are, I think it’s fair to say that we’re […]
Is your RCIA open all year-round? Treating adults as adults
1: Catechumens have a job to do The reason catechumens are dismissed for the Mass after the homily is not because they cannot yet share in Communion. It is because they have a specific role in the worshipping assembly. As soon as a person enters the order of catechumens, they have two important liturgical responsibilities.
Five things to know about dismissals
According to a study conducted by University of Kansas professor Jeffrey Hall and published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, it takes 50 hours to make a friend. 50 hours! After I read that, I turned to the RCIA. In order for one to become friends with Jesus Christ, the catechumens have to
It took me a long time to think of myself as a catechist. When I was growing up, a catechist was essentially a religious education teacher. I never wanted to be a teacher. I’ve substituted for classroom teachers twice in my life, and I failed both times. I’ve never had formal catechist training. And I
Look for RCIA catechists who are good at these three things
Change can be hard. As human beings we are, by nature, resistant to change…especially when we think what we have right now is just fine as it is. But God and his creation are not static. Our relationship with God is dynamic…living, breathing, and constantly evolving, and sometimes that means altering course to keep moving
Is your RCIA open all year-round? It’s easier than you think
As RCIA catechists, we tend to think of ourselves as teachers. While we are pretty clear on that, we tend to be less clear on what we teach. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults says that we are to teach “an appropriate acquaintance with dogmas and precepts” (75). But in the same sentence, the
Share your salvation story with your RCIA group
One Sunday morning during the Easter season, a neophyte walked in with a bounce in her step and an inner glow. The joy of her conversion shone all over her face! The pastor asked Mary if she would share her initiation experience with the parish. Mary’s reflection not only touched the hearts of many people
A blueprint for RCIA formation
Billy Wilder is one of the greatest filmmakers of all time. He was nominated for 21 Academy Awards, 12 of them for writing. I’m sure he had no idea what Christian catechesis was, but his storytelling tips for screenwriters can take your RCIA process to a powerful new level of formation. 1. The audience is
A Jewish screenwriter’s tips for RCIA catechesis
Graphic designer Alan Fletcher once wrote: Space is substance. Cézanne painted and modeled space. Giacometti sculpted by “taking the fat off space.” Mallarmé conceived poems with absences as well as words. Ralph Richardson asserted that acting lay in pauses… Isaac Stern described music as “that little bit between each note—silences which give the form”… The
RCIA’s crucial three-step communication system
I love stories, especially stories about how people got started in ministry. And more especially about how people got started in catechumenate ministry. We are, after all, a pretty specialized group. Sure, if we all showed up at a convention, it would look like there were a lot of us. But next time you are
How did you get started in RCIA ministry?
