There is a famous Van Gogh painting titled Irises. The frame is dominated by dozens of beautiful blue irises. And off to the left, almost as if it is being pushed out of the picture, is a single white iris. Some might say the white iris doesn’t fit, yet somehow it does. If you are …
Sometimes we can feel overwhelmed by all there is to do in initiation ministry. At times, I’ve been the only person on the catechumenate “team.” Even parishes blessed with larger teams can feel like there is always more to do than people to help. How in the world are we going to manage it all? …
The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle may be the father of the New Year’s resolution. Legend has it that he made a resolution to become more virtuous and then kept a daily journal to track his progress. The legend doesn’t say if he reached his goal, but we do know that it is difficult for most …
“Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and savior?” I did not immediately realize the young man on the sidewalk was talking to me. “If you died today, do you know for sure you would go to heaven?” he asked as I was about to pass by. He mistook my confusion for interest …
As we approach the beginning of Lent, it is a good time to think about how we teach the catechumens to pray. The best way, of course, is by example. So here is a list of suggestions for deepening our prayer lives this Lent. Pray at a set time Make an appointment with yourself to …
Tired of being cooped up and quarantined for more than a year, Diana and I went on a road trip across the United States just after we got our COVID vaccines. We saw state capitals where tour guides would explain to us about the different kinds of marble, how the dome was constructed, and what …
When the current translation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was promulgated in 1988, we might not have been as prepared as we need to be. Because we weren’t quite ready, many misinterpretations and misapplications of the rite began to flourish. The biggest difficulty is that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults …
Is your parish ready for the new translation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults?
In a recent Community Chat, TeamRCIA discussed the many ways the baptismal priesthood is the primary agent of formation for the inquirers, catechumens, elect, and baptized candidates. There were a lot of questions about where to find resources to help parishioners “do Lent” in such a way that they also accompany the seekers on their …
Initiation team resources for Lent, Triduum and the Easter Season
At our 2021 year-end review meeting for TeamRCIA, we discovered a surprising fact about millennials. When we started TeamRCIA in 2007, millennials were barely a thing. That year, the oldest of them was in their mid-20s. Today, the youngest of them is in their mid-20s and the elders are just reaching their 40s. What have …
A couple of weeks ago, we hosted an online Community Chat on the topic of sponsors in the catechumenate process. We had a terrific conversation and covered a lot of ground. Several questions kept coming up that seemed to me to be the same question being asked in different ways. I want to write about …
