Archive for September, 2009

I have approximately ten children of various ages that have either been baptized only or have not been baptized. What is your recommendation on the process for initiating them and receiving them into full communion? Right now I put them in the appropriate grade and then work with them. How often should we meet and [...]

Marketing guru Seth Godin goes a bit over the top in a rant about the ineffectiveness of nonprofits to cause change in the world. But one question he asks struck me as particularly apt for parish leaders:   When was the last time you had an interaction with a non-profit (there’s that word again) that [...]

  Nick’s “daymare,” shared in the TeamRCIA newsletter, is more truth than fiction, I fear. Our parishes are filled with kind and faithful people of good will, and many of them are ready and even anxious to respond to volunteer opportunities. Relying on the Spirit to guide them, they pour themselves wholeheartedly into “whatever you [...]

My understanding is that in the children’s catechumenate, peer companions over the age of reason could be confirmed along with the catechumens. Is this true? Yes, it is a possibility. According to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, “Baptized children of the catechetical group may be completing their Christian initiation in the sacraments of [...]

Summer is over. Well, not officially, but Labor Day has passed and school is in full swing for the new academic year. Many “RCIA programs” have begun “again.” Perhaps this is true for your parish. You’ve been working hard to get ready by having team meetings and going over your plans for the next few [...]

(Note from Nick: I asked Rita Burns Senseman to answer a question we recently received. She is a leading expert in children’s initiation. Thanks Rita!) Should young people in the RCIA attend regular religious education classes in addition to the catechesis and programs they take part in with the RCIA? It depends. In most instances, [...]

I know. There are supposed to be seven deadly sins. I did think of seven, but one of them isn’t deadly. So this will be the six deadly and one not-so-deadly sins committed during the Rite of Acceptance. These are not based on the standard seven that you’ll find in the Catechism. Rather, these come [...]