We’re probably all going to see a lot of seekers in our churches over the next several weeks. First of all, we’re moving into the holiday season, and more people tend to think about faith and spirituality at this time of year. Some of them wind up in church—your church—hoping to find an answer to …
The Rite of Election is one of those “hinge” rites in the RCIA because it marks the transition from one period to the next for a person becoming baptized. But most people in your church won’t ever see a Rite of Election which usually takes place at the diocesan Cathedral. What most people will experience …
As you know, there are four pillars of catechesis on which we need to help the catechumens build a life of faith: word, worship, community, and service (see RCIA, 75). January 1 is World Day of Peace, and it is an excellent time to strengthen the catechumens in the area of service. Pope Benedict has …
Mystagogy: Savoring the Mystery of God by Diana Macalintal © 2007, Diana Macalintal. All rights reserved. Whodunit? Secret? Science? God is a mystery, but not like an Agatha Christie novel, or a secret reserved only for special people, or a math problem to be solved. God is a mystery in the way that grandma’s love …
Are you looking for some bulletin insert material to help explain the catechumenate process to your parishioners? The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has a press release on their Web site that details the steps of the initiation process in question and answer format. The text is written in clear, simple English.
Discernment in the RCIA is most intensely done in preparation for the celebration of the rites. (Click here for an article about discernment for the rites.) Yet the vision of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is that discernment is on-going. Furthermore, discernment is not just something only the catechumens do; it is something …
