TeamRCIA » Candidates

RCIA Rite of Welcome: Make smart adaptations

Nick — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 17:54:35 +0000

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 to the circumstances of the catechumens and candidates (RCIA 35). After looking at several of the pieces of the Rite of Welcoming Candidates, what can we say about accommodating this ritual to the needs of the baptized candidates?

Remember that our goal with this rite is to use “prayers and ritual gestures [that] acknowledge that such candidates are already part of the community because they have been marked by baptism. (412; emphasis added. In Canada, see nos. 457 and 465.)

An RCIA adaptation checklist

Here is a checklist that seems prudent to me. Please add your own ideas in the comments box below.

Rite of Welcome Online Workshop

Join Nick Wagner and Diana Macalintal online for a 60-minute webinar to explore one of the most used, but also perhaps the most misunderstood, rituals in the RCIA.

Date: Thursday, October 27, 2011, 2:00p to 3:00p Eastern Daylight Time (GMT - 4:00)

Click here for more information.

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Strive to highlight the special status of the baptized

It may seem counterintuitive to eliminate options and to do fewer things with the baptized candidates in the ritual as a way of highlighting their status. But think about it for a minute. The more we use rituals that are similar to those we use with catechumens—and dissimilar to those we use with the faithful—the more the candidates seem to be ritually identified as different from us.

They are somewhat different, of course, but they are even more different from the catechumens. Because the candidates are baptized, their status—their place in the holy order of the liturgy—is the same as all of the Catholics in the room (except the priest and deacon, who are in different orders).

Everything we do publicly with the candidates should reinforce and catechize the reality that they are already part of the order of the faithful, part of the royal priesthood.

See also these related articles:

RCIA Rite of Welcome: Should we bypass the Bible?

Nick — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 15:48:35 +0000

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 directed the young family to stand on the right side of the church, along with all the other parents of infant boys. The families with infant girls stood to the left. When all were in place, the presbyter prayed over the children while the acolyte imposed his hand over them.

At the conclusion of the prayer, four deacons, each carrying a large book containing one of the gospels, processed in. They were preceded by two candles and incense. The deacons placed the gospel books on the four corners of the altar. The first deacon then read the opening verses of Matthew’s gospel. The presbyter followed with an explanation of Matthew’s symbol—a human being. The second deacon read the opening lines of Mark’s gospel. The presbyter then explained the lion symbol associated with Mark. And so on through Luke’s gospel (the ox) and John’s gospel (the eagle).

Next came the presentation of the Creed and the the presentation of the Lord’s Prayer. (See The Hallelujah Highway by Paul Turner, pages 96-97.)

_____________________

A simplified rite for the RCIA

That was the ritual the framers of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) drew upon when they inserted the “Presentation of a Bible” into the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. Obviously, such an elaborate ritual could not be easily incorporated into an already complex rite such as the Acceptance. So they simplified it and made it optional.

Pinning down the presentations

The Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens also includes an optional presentation of a cross (no. 74). The Rite of Welcoming the Candidates does not include this option in the U.S. edition of the RCIA. The combined rites do include the option, however (no. 525). And the Canadian edition also includes the option (no. 476).

Note also that in the Canadian Rite of Welcoming, the presentation the Bible is called the Presentation of the Gospels and seems to be required, not optional (no. 481).

When we turn to the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates, we find a close parallel to Presentation of the Bible from the Rite of Acceptance. As with everything in this rite, we have to ask about its appropriateness for baptized people.

What did baptism accomplish?

Through their baptism, the candidates have already been incorporated into the Word Made Flesh. Would those who are already one with the word need an additional presentation of the word? If we are dealing with truly uncatechized candidates, we could perhaps argue that they have not really ever heard the word. Then, the presentation might serve as a kind of ephphetha so that their ears will now be opened. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t the presentation be better placed before the Liturgy of the Word or even before the Rite of Welcoming itself is celebrated?

With the Presentation of the Bible, the Rite of Welcoming seems more intent on paralleling the Rite of Acceptance than it does on following the overall vision the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults sets out for baptized candidates:

The prayers and ritual gestures acknowledge that such candidates are already part of the community because they have been marked by baptism. (412; emphasis added. In Canada, see nos. 457 and 465.)

What do you think?

When we want to acknowledge that the candidates are already part of the community, what would be a more appropriate way of ritualizing the already-accomplished reality of their incorporation into the Word Made Flesh? How would we do that in a way that clearly distinguishes them from the unbaptized?

See also these related articles:

RCIA Rite of Welcome: Signing the Candidates

Nick — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 05:17:00 +0000

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 optional, the emotional power of these signings has led to their widespread adoption in almost every parish that celebrates this rite. As with any ritual gesture, however, we need to be clear about its purpose and its appropriateness in any given situation.

In the United States, the signings may be omitted altogether or they may include “one, several, or all of the senses” (421). In Canada, the signing is not optional (although it is difficult to say what is required in a rite that is optional itself). However, in Canada only the forehead is signed. No option is given for the signing of other senses (474-475).

Why do we sign the candidates?

The signing ritual in the U.S. rite comes directly from the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. Except for the initial signing of the forehead, the formularies accompanying each signing are exactly the same as those we use with the unbaptized candidates. This seems to conflict with the overall goal of the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates to use prayers and gestures that acknowledge that the baptized candidates “are already part of the community” (RCIA no. 412; Canada, see nos. 457 and 465).

In the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, the reason for the signings is clear. We find the reason within the two options for concluding prayers. In Prayer A, we sign the unbaptized so that the cross will “protect them by its power.” In Prayer B, we sign them so the catechumens will become “living proof of [the cross’] saving power” (RCIA no. 57).

These spiritual goals have already been accomplished in the baptized candidates through their baptism. Yet the concluding prayer for this section of the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates is exactly the same as option B at the conclusion of the signings in the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens (RCIA no. 424; In Canada, the prayer is slightly adapted, see no. 477).

In other words, when it comes to the signings, we are doing and saying the same things with the baptized candidates as we are with the unbaptized catechumens. How can we do a better job of distinguishing between the two?

Marking the difference between catechumens and candidates in the RCIA

At the conclusion of this series, I’m going to make some suggestions for marking the difference between the baptized and unbaptized in a more general way. However, for now, let’s just focus on how to mark a difference in this part of the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. The simplest option would be to drop the signings altogether. If you are celebrating this rite alone and not in combination with the Rite of Acceptance in the Order of Catechumens, you could have the presider begin the rite (before the Greeting, no. 417) with the Sign of the Cross, just as we do at a normal Sunday Mass. The baptized candidates would—as baptized people do—make the sign of the cross over themselves as we begin to pray together. This would much more clearly identify them as people who “are already part of the community.”

If for some reason you feel you must do the signing as it is given in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates, then the next-best option would be to sign only the foreheads of the candidates and do not sign the other senses. This option can be used even when celebrating a combined rite. If you signed all the senses of the catechumens and only the foreheads of the baptized candidates, you would clearly mark the difference between the unbaptized and baptized candidates.

What do you think?

This is only one among several of the places, postures, and gestures in the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. We will look at some others in future posts. In the meantime, please share some of your experience.

In what ways you think the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates makes it clear that the candidates are already part of the priestly people of God?
In what ways do you think the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates blurs the distinction between the baptized candidates and the catechumens?
How does the way you have adapted this rite for your parish either make clear or possibly blur the distinction between the baptized candidates and the catechumens?

See also these related articles:

RCIA Rite of Welcome: Greeting the Candidates

Nick — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 02:30:00 +0000

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 forward. The first thing we need to ask ourselves is, where exactly is “forward”? And why are the candidates being asked to go there?

The Opening Dialogue that follows the calling forward gives us a clue (RCIA no. 418; Canada no. 469-470). The presider asks two questions of the candidates:

What is your name?
What do you ask of God’s Church?

The reason for these questions seems obvious on the surface, but let’s peel back a layer or two. Where do these questions come from? Why are we asking them? And who are we asking them of?

Stranger questions

The questions are copied directly from the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. The reason given there for the questions is that the Rite of the Acceptance is that this is the first time the candidates for acceptance into the order of catechumens have assembled publicly (RCIA no. 41). Because this is their first public appearance, the assembly has never “met” these strangers before—at least not publicly in sacramental worship. Therefore, we need to ritually ask who they are and why they are here among us.

The reason for asking these questions of the baptized candidates is not as clear. The RCIA says, “The prayers and ritual gestures acknowledge that [the baptized] candidates are already part of the community…” (412; In Canada, see nos. 457 and 465).

Is this how we treat “family”?

If these candidates are “already part of the community,” then this cannot be their first public appearance. It might be their first public appearance in my parish, but they are already “known” by the church because of their baptism. And in many cases, the candidates are already well-known, even in my parish, because they’ve been parishioners for many years already.

The second question, “What do you ask of God’s Church,” is equally confusing. Asking that kind of question is akin to asking your college-age child, who has come home for Christmas break, “What do you want from this family?” We don’t normally ask family members questions that presume they have never been part of the family before.

The normal dialogue for those who “are already part of the community” is:

The Lord be with you.
And also with you. (Or, And with your spirit.)

The instructions to the presider for the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates indicate that he is supposed to remind the assembly that the candidates have already been baptized (RCIA no. 417; Canada n/a). But that in itself is telling. It is as though, before we even get started, the authors of the rite are saying , “Your assembly may be confused by what is about to happen. You had better do some explaining first.”

I can tell you from experience, even with a detailed explanation, the assembly will still be confused. If we do rituals with the baptized candidates that are the same as those we do with the unbaptized, no amount of pre-ritual explanation will undo the confusion.

What do you think?

In what ways you think the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates makes it clear that the candidates are already part of the priestly people of God?
In what ways do you think the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates blurs the distinction between the baptized candidates and the catechumens?
How does the way you have adapted this rite for your parish either make clear or possibly blur the distinction between the baptized candidates and the catechumens?

See also these related articles:

Places, postures, and gestures in the RCIA Rite of Welcome

Nick — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 12:33:00 +0000

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 Welcoming the Candidates with them. This rite is optional because it does not confer any change in status on the candidates. They were and remain members of the priestly people of God.

Can parishioners tell the difference between the baptized and the unbaptized?

In the United States, these two rites are often combined into one celebration, and the distinction between the meanings of the the two rites often becomes blurred—even in the minds of veteran RCIA team members. Some long-time team members are not even aware there are two separate rites. (Presumably, this is less of a problem in Canada, where there is no official option for combining the two rites.)

The RCIA tells us in the introduction to the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates that the places, postures, and gestures for the rite are intended to emphasize the priestly status of the baptized:

The prayers and ritual gestures acknowledge that such candidates are already part of the community because they have been marked by baptism. (412; emphasis added. In Canada, see nos. 457 and 465.)

The RCIA marks insiders and outsiders

The first placement of the candidates is a great example of this intent. The rite takes place at a Sunday Mass, and Mass begins as usual with the candidates placed prominently among the rest of the baptized members of the assembly to show that the candidates are, in fact, already members. In the Rite of Acceptance in the the Order of Catechumens, the inquires are placed outside the church to signify that they are not yet members of the priestly people. However, in most parishes, the Rite of Acceptance begins with the catechumens inside the church so as not to inconvenience the parishioners by having them go outside. When that happens, the first symbol of distinction is lost.

The rest of the Rite of Welcome does not seem to make the same level of distinction between the unbaptized and baptized inquirers. I want to look at some of these places, postures, and gestures in future posts. In the meantime, however, I’d love to hear your thoughts. If you haven’t read it recently, take a look at the optional Rite of Welcoming the Candidates, RCIA nos. 411-433 (Canada nos. 455-487).

How does your RCIA team do it?

If you have a moment, add your responses to these questions to the comments box below:

In what ways does the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates make it clear that the candidates are already part of the priestly people of God?
In what ways might the Rite of Welcoming the Candidates blur the distinction between the baptized candidates and the catechumens?
How does the way you have adapted this rite for your parish either make clear or possibly blur the distinction between the baptized candidates and the catechumens?

See also these related articles:

A powerful conversion process for baptized candidates in the RCIA

Nick — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 16:30:39 +0000

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 combined Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens and the Rite of Welcoming Baptized Candidates (see RCIA 528).

If we have just celebrated this rite, it means we have standing before the assembly a group of baptized candidates and unbaptized catechumens. The RCIA expects us to dismiss the catechumens, but it says nothing about dismissing the candidates. Did the rite perhaps mean to imply that the candidates would also be dismissed?

It’s a little different in Canada

In Canada, which has no combined rites, the non-Catholic baptized candidates are dismissed in the Rite of Welcoming Candidates for Confirmation and Eucharist. The Catholic candidates, who are preparing for confirmation and eucharist, remain. (See paragraphs 484-485 in the Canadian RCIA.)

I don’t think we can say that. Take a look at the the uncombined Rite of Welcoming the Candidates. At the end of that rite, there are only two options. Either the entire assembly is dismissed because Eucharist will not be celebrated or “the liturgy of the eucharist begins as usual” (433). There is no dismissal of the candidates by themselves. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults clearly expects that baptized candidates will remain with the assembly for the celebration of the Eucharist, even though they cannot yet share in communion.

If your parish is like most parishes with an active catechumenate, you are probably dismissing the baptized candidates right along with the catechumens every Sunday. For some parishes, that may be because it is “the way we’ve always done it.” But other parishes have thought about it and made a conscious decision to dismiss the baptized along with the unbaptized. Let’s look at why that might be.

Why do we dismiss?

First, let’s clarify the reason for dismissing anyone. When the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was being introduced in the 1970s and 80s, we first heard about the dismissal. In those early days, many parish leaders objected to it. The practice seemed, on the surface, to be inhospitable. Why would we ever “kick people out” of the Mass?

The RCIA is concise in its explanation of why the catechumens are dismissed. It is simply because they are not yet part of the “priestly people” and therefore are not empowered “to participate in Christ’s new worship” (75.3). Note this is a bit more significant than dismissing the catechumens because they cannot share in communion—a reason that is frequently offered to them by well-meaning RCIA teams. The fundamental reason for their dismissal is that they cannot yet perform the priestly function of offering. They cannot offer the Prayer of the Faithful, and they cannot offer the sacrifice of praise in the Eucharistic Prayer. Liturgical offering is a priestly function that the catechumens look forward to but cannot yet perform.

Why do we dismiss baptized candidates?

Presumably, we dismiss the baptized candidates because they cannot share in communion. By their baptism, they are part of the priestly people and therefore they are empowered to offer. So the reason for their dismissal can only be that they are not yet able to share in the eating and drinking of the body and blood of Christ. Some might say it is a sign of hospitality to dismiss those who cannot eat and drink at the Lord’s Supper.

But the RCIA does not say this. In fact, in the United States, it would seem that the opposite is the case. If in the combined rite, the catechumens are dismissed and the candidates are not, clearly the rite intends for the candidates to perform their priestly role even though they cannot yet fully participate in the fruits of that role.

Also, note that we do not dismiss other types of baptized people who cannot share in communion. Catholic children who have not yet celebrated first communion are expected to remain in the assembly. So are those who find themselves in a state of sin that prevents them from coming to the table. And Protestants married to Catholics who are not in the RCIA are not dismissed. If it is a sign of hospitality to dismiss those who cannot share in communion, why wouldn’t we dismiss everyone who cannot receive?

What do we do during the dismissal session?

Another reason some parishes dismiss the baptized candidates is so they will benefit from the breaking open of the word. While this is no doubt a great benefit, there is no reason it has to happen during Mass. Breaking open the word can happen just as effectively after Mass or on another day during the week.

But what about the catechumens? Should they go ahead with their own breaking open the word immediately after they are dismissed? They might or they might not. The RCIA does not give any direction for what happens to the catechumens once they are dismissed. It only says they are dismissed because of what they cannot yet do—participate in Christ’s new worship. It does not say what they are dismissed to do. Note that the second dismissal formula at the end of the Rite of Acceptance indicates they are to “reflect more deeply upon the word of God,” but that does not necessarily mean with others in a formal session immediately after dismissal (RCIA 67 B).

What about creating community among those in the RCIA?

If the catechumens are dismissed and the candidates are not, doesn’t that make forming community more difficult among those who are in the catechumenate process? That might be the case. I’m not sure. But neither the catechumens nor the candidates asked to “join the RCIA.” They asked to join the church or to come into full communion with the church. The dynamics of a small Christian community that often take place within the catechumenate can be very beneficial in the conversion process. But the catechumenate is not the sole place in which catechumens and candidates should experience those dynamics. In fact, one reason often given for neophytes drifting away from parish life is they feel lost in the larger parish once they are no longer participating in their small RCIA community. As part of their catechesis, both the catechumens and the candidates should be learning how to form deep spiritual bonds with many groups in the parish—not just with each other.

What would happen if we stopped dismissing baptized candidates?

The key question here is not should we or should we not dismiss the baptized candidates. For me, the question is what is the benefit to the candidates if we don’t dismiss them? And is that a greater benefit than if we do dismiss them? I think the two primary benefits of dismissal as it is practiced in most parishes are the powerful conversion that takes place during the breaking open of the word and the conversion that takes place by participating in a small faith sharing community. Clearly both of these processes can happen without dismissing baptized people from the assembly. Most of us have never been dismissed from Mass before Eucharist, and we have experienced both of these conversion processes.

The benefit of allowing the baptized candidates to perform their priestly role by participating in Christ’s new worship is immense. All catechesis for baptized people is “post-baptismal.” What that means is the candidates are always reflecting back on the gifts they have already received in baptism. If, from the outset, we treat the candidates as “gifted” and allow them to make use of their gifts, they will grow into a heart-felt knowledge of the power of those gifts during their formation. They will experience a deep conversion process. In turn, we and the rest of the assembly will grow into a renewed understanding of the power of our own baptism. And will will deepen our own conversion. Those are benefits we cannot afford to pass up.

See also these related articles:

Why your candidates might not belong in the RCIA

Nick — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 15:58:20 +0000

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 Catholics who missed confirmation or first Communion as a child.

The catechumenate is not right for everyone who wants to become Catholic

Regarding the Protestants, the United States National Statutes for the Catechumenate state:

Those who have already been baptized in another Church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated…. Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate (30-31).

The same thinking applies to Catholics who are living a Catholic lifestyle. If they missed a sacrament but are nevertheless living and practicing as a Catholic, they do not belong in the catechumenate.

But what about baptized people who are not living a Christian life? Before we can discern the best path for them, we have to ask, have they ever lived as a Christian—even as a child? If they have, they probably do not belong in the catechumenate.

The catechumenate is a conversion process for those who have never known Jesus and do not know what it means to live as a Christian. The name of the rite itself tells us this. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is a process of initiation. Initiation, of course, comes from the word initial. The RCIA is a conversion process to bring those who have no faith to the point of initial or first faith. The RCIA is not a process for developing second faith (reconciliation) or for deepening an ongoing faith (adult faith formation).

Who will we have left to go through RCIA?

I said all this to a catechumenate team recently, and someone replied, “Well if we followed the traditional model, we wouldn’t have anyone in our RCIA.”

That’s telling isn’t it? Is it really the case that there is no one who needs to hear the good news for the first time? Has everyone in our neighborhoods and workplaces met Jesus and now our primary ministry has shifted from evangelization to ongoing formation?

None of us believe that, of course, but that is what our ministerial practice says. We have converted RCIA from a process of initial conversion into a process for reconciling lapsed Christians or updating faithful Christians.

These are not bad things to do. Personally, I love doing these things. But the thing we cannot do is treat Christians as catechumens. Christians (with few exceptions) would not participate in a period of evangelization. They would not normally celebrate a Rite of Welcome nor participate in a catechumenate period. They would certainly participate in the lenten period, but they would do so as members of the Body of Christ—just like the rest of us. We would strongly encourage them to participate in the Easter Triduum, but they would not celebrate their sacraments or be received into full communion at the Vigil. They would participate as members of the faithful. Their formation would be mystagogical in the sense that the ongoing formation for all of the faithful is post-baptismal. But we would not identify the 50 days of Easter for them in the same way we do for the neophytes.

So when would the Protestants be received into full communion? The National Statutes tell us the appropriate time is a Sunday Mass in the parish (see 32). When would Catholics celebrate their confirmation? Ideally, at a liturgy at which the bishop presides. This could be a diocesan-wide event at the cathedral or the annual parish celebration of confirmation.

Is there really a difference between RCIA and adult faith formation?

Of course almost everyone currently in our catechumenate processes needs formation. Some of them need a whole lot of formation. Someone who dropped out of Christian living after celebrating first Communion is not prepared to live an adult life of faith. Somebody has to prepare them, and that “somebody” is going to be us. What we have to realize, however, is that even though we are the “RCIA team,” most of the Christians we are forming are not “in the RCIA.” They are in adult faith formation.

This might seem like merely a semantic distinction, but I think it’s important. When we put baptized people into “the RCIA,” we tend to treat them like catechumens. We use processes and language that indicates the catechumens and the Christians are in the same “class” and they all “graduate” together. If the Christians are ready to move on sooner (or even later) than the catechumens, we or they resist the call of the Spirit to move them in order to keep the group together.

The mission is evangelization

Even more importantly, however, putting Christians into the RCIA dampens the fire of evangelization in many of our parishes. Evangelization becomes reduced to making Catholics or making better Catholics. If everyone in our neighborhoods and workplaces truly has heard that initial proclamation of the good news, then we no longer need an initiation process. In that case, we should indeed focus on reconciliation and ongoing formation. But until that day, we need to refocus our RCIA ministry on bringing good news to those who have never heard it before.

Share your thoughts

What is your experience? Are most of your folks in the catechumenate unbaptized? Truly uncatechized? Or are they somewhat catechized or even well catechized? Do you have a distinct process for the catechized? Let us know what happens in your parish.

Should inquirers be joining “the RCIA”?

Nick — Tue, 06 Sep 2011 16:51:44 +0000

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 love in the Eucharist, and sponsors come to a level of faith they never thought possible.

It is an amazing and awesome process to be a part of. It humbles me and fascinates me still, after more than 30 years of doing this.

Cocoon-based conversion

But for the last few years, something has troubled me. It seems to me that the teams I’ve been a part of have been very good at creating a “faith cocoon.” We created a safe place where all of us in the process—no matter where we are on the faith journey—can share and grow more deeply in our faith. We experience conversion.

The problem is, the rest of the parish isn’t undergoing a similar ongoing conversion. Would that they were, but that’s not what is happening in most places. What often happens, then, is that neophytes and new Catholics are set free from that safe warm cocoon sometime after Easter. We shoo them off into the larger parish that is, by comparison, somewhat cold, large, and unfamiliar. Sometimes the new Catholics feel disoriented. Sometimes they want to stay in the catechumenate. Sometimes they drift away. Sometimes they find another congregation—often Evangelical or Pentecostal—because they feel a strong sense of welcome and vibrant faith there.

What has bothered me about the way I have led teams in the past is that I began to feel like the inquirers were joining the “RCIA” more than joining “St. Flocellus Parish” or the “Roman Catholic Church.” Of course what they are actually joining is Jesus Christ. The problem is that while they learn to find Christ in the small-group experience of the catechumenate, they have difficulty finding Christ in the parish church or the universal church.

What do you think?

I’d love to hear about your experiences. Do your neophytes and new Catholics immediately feel at home in the parish after their initiation or reception? Do they feel lost without the catechumenate group to support them? How have your sponsors and godparents been helpful with all of this?

What does the RCIA mean by “uncatechized”?

Nick — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 06:31:00 +0000

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 children. A child may be on a path to becoming Catholic because his parents are joining the Catholic Church. The child has celebrated first communion and perhaps even confirmation in his previous tradition. Is he catechized or uncatechized?

Another example we received is a Catholic child who stopped going to church after she celebrated her first communion. Now, at age 12, she is returning to church. Is she catechized or uncatechized?

There a lots of examples of baptized adults from another tradition. Let’s say one man stopped going to his non-Catholic church after first communion in that tradition. He has been away from church and the Christian lifestyle for 20-plus years. Now he wants to become Catholic. Catechized or uncatechized?

Or how about a Protestant woman, who had gone to her church faithfully her whole life until she married a Catholic. Since her marriage ten years ago, she has been accompanying her husband to Mass every Sunday. Is she catechized or uncatechized?

What about a faithful Catholic adult who goes to communion every Sunday, but was never confirmed. Is she catechized or uncatechized?

What does the rite say?

As always, I turn to the rite for help with these things. The section of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults that deals with uncatechized adults starts at paragraph 400. (Remember that for the purposes of initiation, children of catechetical age are considered adults. So this section applies to them as well.)

The following pastoral guidelines concern adults who were baptized as infants either as Roman Catholics or as members of another Christian community but did not receive further catechetical formation nor, consequently, the sacraments of confirmation and eucharist.

The threshold for catechized seems pretty low here. According to the rite, someone who is uncatechized is a baptized person who received zero catechetical formation after infancy. In all of the examples above, the person in question has received some catechetical formation.

Does it really matter?

I think we would all say that some of the people in the examples above need a lot more catechesis. But is it true that they are really uncatechized? And given that we could all use more catechesis, is there any harm in treating them as uncatechized for the purposes of the catechumenal process?

Thanks for sharing your ideas.

What are the requirements in the RCIA for a Lutheran becoming Catholic?

Nick — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:42:39 +0000

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 has been attending Mass for 20 years with her husband, and has raised their two sons in Catholic faith.

In her case, the requirements would be very minimal. She would not be a candidate for the RCIA. The National Statutes for the Catechumenate (an appendix to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) state:

Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church. (30)

Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate. (31)

If she has instructed her own children in the Catholic tradition, she probably needs little or no additional instruction herself. And participating in Sunday liturgy for 20 years would certainly qualify as a degree of probation within the Catholic community.

This is a wonderful book for working with baptized candidates.

One at the Table: The Reception of Baptized Christians

Ronald Oakham, et al
Price: $17.00

Click here for details

I would suggest you meet with her to determine if she has any areas of Catholic tradition that she is still unclear about. If not, then you might suggest that she spends a few weeks in spiritual preparation. Ask her to carve out some extra dedicated time for prayer each day and perhaps plan a day of quiet reflection for her. Suggest that if she is aware of any unresolved sin in her life or simply to benefit from the grace of the sacrament, she should celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation before being received.

The Rite of Reception of a Baptized Christian into Full Communion (RCIA 473) can be celebrated at any Sunday liturgy—usually in Ordinary Time. The rite is very simple. She, her sponsor, and her family would come forward after the homily. She would make a profession of faith, and the presider would confirm her. (Confirmation in the Lutheran Church is not recognized by Catholics as a sacrament.) And then she would celebrate Eucharist with the parish community and share in the Body and Blood of Christ during Communion.

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