Archive for the ‘Candidates’ Category

This is the fifth in a series of articles on the places, postures, and gestures in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. One of the exciting things about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is it’s exhortation that we should “make full and intelligent use of the freedom given” to prudently accommodate the rite [...]

This is the second in a series of articles on the places, postures, and gestures in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. In the year 756, Justus and Johanna brought their newborn son, Primus, to the cathedral in Avignon, France, to present him for baptism. The acolyte wrote down the name of their son and [...]

This is the third in a series of articles on the places, postures, and gestures in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. The signing of the candidates with the cross is one of the most visually dramatic elements of the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates (RCIA nos. 421-423; Canada nos. 474-475]. Even though they are [...]

This is the fourth in a series of articles on the places, postures, and gestures in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. The first placement of the candidates in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates is at the Greeting (RCIA no. 417; Canada no. 408). The presider invites the candidates and their sponsors to step [...]

When unbaptized inquirers take the first formal step on their initiation journey, we celebrate the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens with them. The celebration of that rite changes their status within the community. When baptized inquirers are ready to make a formal beginning, we have the option of celebrating the Rite of [...]

Here is a quote that might surprise you: If the eucharist is to be celebrated, the catechumens are normally dismissed at this point…. Why is that surprising, you might wonder. Isn’t it normal to dismiss catechumens before the Eucharist? It is surprising, for some of us, because the statement comes at the end of the [...]

What would you say if I told you that most people who are in the RCIA do not belong there? I’ve had this feeling for a while, and it just keeps getting stronger. For most of us, the majority of the people in our catechumenate processes are either Protestants who want to become Catholic or [...]

One of the things I love about the catechumenate is the sense of community that happens within the formation group. The team bonds more closely together, inquirers take that “leap of faith” together in the Rite of Acceptance, baptized candidates share their common love of Christ and how they find the fullest expression of that [...]

Can I get your thoughts on what the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults means by uncatechized? We get a lot of questions about the rites that arise from differing understandings of what we mean by this term. For example, we often hear from folks who are trying to figure out what to do with [...]

What would be the requirements for one of our inquirers to become a Catholic? Would she have to go through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)? She was baptized, received first Communion, and was confirmed as a Lutheran. She is married to a Catholic, and she was married by a Catholic priest. She [...]