TeamRCIA » Neophytes

Google Mystagogy

Rita Ferrone — Sun, 16 Jan 2011 16:52:12 +0000

I’m preparing to give a day-long workshop on mystagogy for the Archdiocese of Newark in February. Just out of curiosity, I thought I’d Google mystagogy and see what comes up. After all, many people today use search engines when they want to get information. If someone new to the RCIA wants to find out what is mystagogy what would they discover on the internet?

What’s Out There

Well, surprisingly, the results weren’t bad at all. The first was a blog, so I skipped it. Then an article by Father Paul Turner—his work is always very fine. The Free Dictionary came up next. OK. This was followed by a website by a retired Methodist clergy couple who are very active in liturgy. Clear information and helpful. Seeds were planted in the ecumenical institute at Collegeville. Our ecumenical partners are at work!

Next was a Faith Update from St. Anthony Messenger Press, followed by a good essay on the FDLC website by Sister Sandy DiMasi, longtime friend of the catechumenate. Then we had an article by our own Miriam Malone, SNJM at RPInet, entitled Six Steps to Effective Mystagogy. Go, Miriam!

Catholic.com offered us an article entitled Life Beyond Confirmation, and finally—drum roll, please—TEAM RCIA! At that point, I felt I had an adequate sample.

Models for Mystagogy

Aside from Google, however, I’ve been watching as certain trends develop.

Today in our pastoral practice, I think we are seeing several different models for mystagogy taking shape. A fairly common model is the mystagogy of reflection on the experience of the Easter Vigil. Many parishes will do this in some form. I call this the reflection / insight model.

Another model was offered in Father Ron Oakham’s recent Forum webinar on mystagogy. He offered a model of catechizing on the sacraments throughout the fifty days of the Easter season, based on the lectionary. I call this the sacramental / catechetical model.

Yet another model has surfaced through the RCL resource, Foundations in Faith, produced in the 1990s. It focuses on the neophyte Masses and especially that part of the Mass that the newly initiated now take part in: the Eucharistic Prayer and Communion rite. (Full disclosure: I was on the writing team for that resource.) I call this the Eucharistic model.

(N.B. The Foundations in Faith mystagogy manual also includes resources for experiences of a shared meal and shared social justice activity, as well as lectionary-based session plans.)

Over the past few years I’ve been writing RCIA guidelines for the Archdiocese of New York. Their advisory council suggested to me that we think in terms of models. In this context I began working on my own model. I call it the discipleship model.

The Discipleship Model

This model is governed by the question: what skills, experiences, relationships and understandings do the neophytes need in their lives now that they are initiated, in order to live as disciples? Discipleship is the measure.

Please note that what I am calling models are not mutually exclusive, as you already may have guessed. And, true to this insight, the discipleship model draws from several others. The distinction is found in the organizing principle. It begins and ends with discipleship.

Reflection on the experience of the Easter Vigil fits into the discipleship model. The experience of the sacraments of initiation, after all, is key to living as a disciple. Exploring this experience with others is an essential element.

But that’s not all. It is also important, as disciples, to get the most we can out of the second half of Sunday Mass. Sharing the Liturgy of the Eucharist with the same enthusiasm and receptivity that we’ve brought to the Liturgy of the Word is a discipleship skill.

Strengthening community bonds as full participants is part of the discipleship model too, as is mission. The rite firmly supports this. The foundation for community and mission was laid well in the catechumenate. Time to affirm it and take it a step further.

Another part of the discipleship model is intimacy with our Lord. Closeness to him. The image of the Good Shepherd is an icon of this important aspect of discipleship. It belongs in mystagogy. Jesus says in John’s gospel that he knows his sheep and they know him. The mystagogy period is a precious time to discover and enjoy that intimacy that will sustain the neophytes for the rest of their lives.

Finally, there is a golden opportunity during the Easter season to see the life of the early Church as the inspiration for our community of faith today. We hear every week from the Acts of the Apostles. I think there is a great (and largely untapped) resource here for mystagogy.

Future Posts

In another post, I will share an actual schema for this model unfolded across the seven weeks of the Easter season. It’s pretty simple, actually. Anybody can do it. I would also like to discuss the methodology of this model with anyone who is interested, because I am excited about the possibilities and I know you will help to get at what is most important and practical.

In a third post, I will share some ideas about ongoing mystagogy. You may have noticed that I did NOT suggest the fifty days as a time to catechize on the Sacrament of Penance. Many people fear that Penance is left dangling, because the newly baptized have not yet celebrated this sacrament. My own view is that an experiential catechesis on the Sacrament of Penance belongs in the year-long mystagogy that follows initiation. It needs and deserves more focus than the fifty days allow. I’ve never felt it natural to try and blend it in with the Easter season. Others may see this differently.

What About You?

I welcome your comments and suggestions about mystagogy. Do you have a model? What has worked well in your own experience?

Asking you is better than asking Google!

Keep the neophytes involved

Nick — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 18:19:49 +0000

The June 2010 issue of Inc. has a story about how Van Meter Industrial makes new employees feel welcome. They do four simple things to integrate the newbies into the company. How did they come up with the four steps? They asked a group of new hires!

It occurred to me that would be a great model for parishes to use with neophytes. Are you having trouble getting your neophytes integrated into parish life? Why not meet with a group of them and ask them what would make them feel more a part of the community? (And please be sure and post some of their answers in the comments section here because it will help the rest of us.)

Here are Van Meter’s four steps, adapted for parishes with neophytes:

1. Meet an ambassador

Match each neophyte with a parish ambassador. Ideally, they are already matched—with their godparents. But many neophytes have godparents-in-name-only who are not active in the parish. If that’s your situation, find parishioners who would be willing to serve. The ambassadors at Van Meter spend at least 12 hours the first week acclimating a new hire to all things Van Meter and introducing them to all the employees of the company. What would an adaptation of that look like in your parish?

2. Shadow other parishioners

Assign the neophytes to a parishioner in a different ministry or committee each week to follow along behind and learn what they do. Try to get the neophyte to shadow at least a dozen different parishioners. The goal is not to recruit the neophyte into a parish ministry. It is to help the neophyte get a broad understanding of how the parish works.

3. Offer classes

If during their catechumenate, the neophytes have experienced a true conversion to Christ, they will have begun to live as disciples after their initiation. After a few months in the real world, their beginner skills will need some strengthening. About three months from their baptism, offer a series of training sessions in Catholic evangelization. Or, go back to your focus group and ask them what they would like more training in.

4. Debrief with the pastor

At the conclusion of the training sessions, ask the pastor to come by for a question and answer session. Or, if you can manage it, get the bishop to come. In my diocese, it would be pretty difficult to schedule the bishop for this. But larger dioceses have auxiliary bishops who, although also busy, are sometimes easier to schedule for parish events.

What do you think? Will adaptations of these ideas help your neophytes feel more a part of the parish? What other strategies will help?

Have you hugged your neophyte today?

Nick — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:06:06 +0000

How’s mystagogy going for you right now? More importantly, how is it going for the neophytes?

Some teams think the period of mystagogy ends with Pentecost, but that’s not what the U.S. bishops think.

Flip your copy of the RCIA open to the very back and look for the the National Statutes on the Catechumenate. Run your finger down to paragraph 24:

After the immediate mystagogy or postbaptismal catechesis during the Easter season, the program for the neophytes should extend until the anniversary of Christian initiation, with at least monthly assemblies of the neophytes for their deeper Christian formation and incorporation into the full life of the Christian community.

How do you get them to come back for mystagogy?

Now you might be thinking you couldn’t get them to come back for regular mystagogy, much less a mystagogy that extends all year long. Well, you might be right, but that’s still no reason not to try. Before you do give it a shot, however, take a moment to put yourself in the new Catholics’ shoes.

They might be feeling a little adrift right now. It’s been a while since the Easter Vigil. The security of the small group of regulars at the weekly catechetical sessions is no longer there. And they might not really know anyone else in the parish. If you were in that situation, what would attract you to a “monthly assembly”?

Invite neophytes to parish events

I did a little snooping around and read some of your parish bulletins online. One parish is having a Summer Cabbage Ball Fun League that starts next month. I don’t know what cabbage ball is, but for a $25 fee, you get a t-shirt, a pizza party, and all the cabbage ball you can handle. What if the godparents called up the neophytes and personally invited them to play cabbage ball? Or at least come to the pizza party? And perhaps the league organizers would waive the $25 fee for the neophytes.

Even if the neophytes don't come to these "monthly assemblies" in your parish, they will feel more connected to the community just knowing you haven't forgotten about them.

Another parish is rounding up a group of parishioners to go see the town’s minor league baseball team. Tickets are $7.00. Perhaps the parish might spring for the seven bucks. That, and a personal invitation from you or the godparents would probably get most of the neophytes to the “assembly.”

And a few of you are sponsoring monthly book clubs. What a perfect event to invite the neophytes to, especially the introverts. If they are feeling shy, they can just hide behind the book until they warm up to the group.

A lot of you are having farewell parties for pastors that are moving on. And others are having welcome parties for new pastors. Have the godparents get on the phone and invite the neophytes for some tears and cheers.

Let them know you care

Even if the neophytes don’t come to these “monthly assemblies” in your parish, they will feel more connected to the community just knowing you haven’t forgotten about them. Give it a try, and let us know what happens.

And what about those of you that are already implementing successful, year-long mystagogies? What tips can you share with the rest of us?

For more ideas on helping the neophytes during their first year of Christian life, check out Living Baptism Daily: A Guide for the Baptized by Lawrence E. Mick.

32 best RCIA practices for Easter Vigil

Nick — Sat, 28 Mar 2009 14:15:35 +0000

Rehearse on the Saturday before Palm Sunday (not on Holy Saturday)
Catechumens and candidates are not at rehearsal; their sponsors are and godparents are
The pastor and the Vigil presider (if it is not the pastor) do not need to lead the rehearsal, but they need to be there
Rehearse with the lectors—a lot
Create a retreat day on Holy Saturday for the elect
The elect do not choose a baptismal name and candidates do not choose a confirmation name
Keep the focus of the Vigil on baptism
Begin after complete darkness
Build a bonfire for the new fire. Ask a boy scout. Better, ask a fire fighter (because they’re not afraid of big fires)
Notify the neighbors ahead of time about the fire
Buy a real candle for the Paschal Candle, not a white tube filled with oil
Don’t give individual candles to the elect until after they are baptized
Buy or rent a portable sound system for the blessing of the fire and candle
Choose music the entire parish knows well and can sing in the dark
The Exsultet is sung by the best singer in the parish. It is only sung by the presider (or deacon) if he is the best singer in the parish
The Gloria is sung by all; it is never spoken
The Alleluia is sung by all; it is never spoken
Make the Gospel procession the biggest of the year, processing throughout the assembly
Proclaim more than the minimum required number of readings
Proclaim the Romans reading from memory, looking directly at the elect
Baptize by full immersion
Chant the blessing over the water
Pour more water into the font as the blessing is chanted
Invite the children present to come close enough to the font to see well
Chant the names of the elect instead of speaking them when you call them forward
Include the names of the elect in the Litany of Saints
The Litany of Saints is only sung if there are candidates for baptism
If you baptize someone, confirm them, including children
Use a handful of Chrism for each confirmation; rub it in, don’t wipe it off
Plan the ritual so the communion of the newly baptized is the climax of the liturgy
Just before saying, “This is the Lamb of God,” call the newly baptized forward, by name, and speak a short, poetic reminder “of the preeminence of the Eucharist, which is the climax of their initiation and the center of the whole Christian life” (RCIA 243).
Plan a reception for the newly initiated following the liturgy
(click on comments to add another best practice)
(click on comments to add another best practice)
(click on comments to add another best practice)
(click on comments to add another best practice)

For guidelines on how to celebrate the Easter Vigil, get a copy of The Three Days: Parish Prayer in the Paschal Triduum. Click here for more information.

Communion—is the cup necessary?

Nick — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 12:25:00 +0000

In the June 2009 issue of This Sunday’s Scripture, Paul Bernier, SSS, writes in his commentary for the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ that the body is the “what” and the blood is the “how”:

It might be pointed out that the now common practice of offering the chalice to the faithful in Communion embodies a powerful symbolism. If it can be said that receiving Christ’s body is intended to make us true members of Christ’s body here on earth, receiving his blood tells us how we are going to achieve that. It is only by pouring out our blood, our lives for others in the same way that Jesus did, that we can be true to our calling. Receiving from the cup is more than a reduplication of Communion under the form of bread, and far more than an empty ritual. It reminds us that Jesus’ own self-offering, his shedding his blood on the cross, is what brought about our salvation. Only the same gift of self to God will make us pleasing to him, and enable us to be instruments of God’s life to others.

What do you think about Communion from the cup? Is it necessary or just a duplication?

How do you party with the neophytes?

Nick — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 23:17:29 +0000

Do you have any recommendations for “some sort of celebration” at the end of the Easter season that the RCIA mentions in paragraph 249? Our parish has traditionally done a “commissioning,” a blessing prayer over the neophytes by the community at the end of mass on Pentecost. Does it need to be on Pentecost or is the following Sunday fine?

I don’t think there is a specific guideline for the celebration mentioned in paragraph 249. My sense is that the Rite means simply a party—a parish pot luck or reception after Mass, perhaps. I would think it could include a blessing prayer over the neophytes, but I would be reluctant to call it a “commissioning.” I would worry that might diminish their initiation as their “great commission.” If you are going to pray a blessing over the neophytes at Mass, it seems like Pentecost would be the ideal Sunday. If you are going to offer the blessing at the party, any Sunday near Pentecost, before or after, would be appropriate. The following paragraph in the RCIA notes that the neophytes from the previous year be brought together to give thanks to God on their anniversary. It might be a joyful moment for those who are ending their neophyte year be at the party also to be witnesses to those who are about to begin their neophyte year.

How about the rest of you? Any suggestions for or examples of implementing RCIA 249?

The Neophyte as Evangelist

Diana — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:57:49 +0000

You know who they are. They’re the ones who keep coming back week after week long after the Easter Vigil and Pentecost are over. They light up anytime someone mentions the RCIA or the catechumenate or becoming Catholic. They want to be sponsors even before they’ve gotten the Chrism smell off their pillow case.

They’re the neophyte evangelist, those newly-initiated who are not only living breathing proof of the resurrection but also walking billboards for the RCIA. They are your greatest fans and your number one supporters.

The RCIA process is not a one-way street that shapes only the catechumen into a disciple. It’s a mutual formation in the life of Christ that changes both the catechumen and the parish. That mutual relationship is evident when a neophyte feels called to share his experience of transformation with others. Essentially, this neophyte is doing faith-sharing, exactly what the catechumenate taught him to do and what all the baptized are called to do.

Some parishes invite neophytes to share their experience with the rest of the parish some time after their initiation. It’s best to give a neophyte time to process for himself or with a small group what he experienced and what it meant (mystagogy) before you ask him to speak to the assembly at a Sunday Mass about his experience. They might speak during the announcements or before Mass begins or even at coffee and donuts after Mass.

But don’t limit yourself to just the Sunday gathering as the venue for evangelization. Neophytes who are more comfortable writing their thoughts can provide a brief reflection for the bulletin or your parish Web site. Or better yet, record their reflection and put it on your parish Web site or blog just like Saint John the Evangelist Parish in Davison, Michigan, did with their neophytes.

Listen to Michael McCarty’s testimony

(Thanks to Michael McCarty and Elaine Ouelette, Director of RCIA and Family Faith Formation for their permission to include this testimony on TeamRCIA.com. Go to Saint John the Evangelist’s RCIA Web site to hear more testimonies.)

Imagine an entire CD filled with reflections like Michael’s from your neophytes, sponsors, team members, and parishioners who witnessed the transformation taking place in your catechumens and in themselves!

Do you have other ways you invite your neophytes to share their experience with the community? Have you included reflections from your neophytes on your Web site? Click the comment link below and share your ideas.

What happens after the catechumenate?

Nick — Wed, 07 May 2008 01:14:45 +0000

One of the complaints I sometimes hear from catechumenate teams is that the parish isn’t really the full expression of church that the catechumens-now-neophytes might have come to expect. It is one thing to catechize them fully and correctly about how word, worship, community, and service are fully realized in the Body of Christ as it gathers around the Table of the Lord. It is another thing to shove the new Christians out of the small-group nest and into the less-than-perfect, not-quite-open arms of our fellow parishioners.

The disconnect is not difficult for catechumenate team members to spot. We, for the most part, have taken seriously the church’s mandate for ongoing, lifelong faith formation. Sometimes our fellow parishioners and sometimes even parish staff members haven’t quite embraced that vision of church.

A vision of parish

What if you could get the whole parish to engage in the kind of ongoing faith formation that we shape the catechumens in? What if the entire parish were undergoing a lifelong conversion process that led to a full implementation of the ministries of word, worship, community, and service? What if our parishes were so committed to growing in faith that the neophytes could leave the catechumenate thinking, “This is exactly what I signed up for!”?

Well, I can’t promise that’s going to happen in your parish, but I can tell you the way to get there. Or rather, Bill Huebsch can. He’s written a book called Dreams and Visions: Pastoral Planning for Lifelong Faith Formation. The book is deceptively simple. It provides a blueprint for how to move from zero to a fully realized parish, actively involved in lifelong formation. Bill’s blueprint is ten easy-to-understand steps. Easy to understand, but perhaps not so easy to commit to. The first one is the doozy:

1. Decide to do this and commit yourself to the vision.

The pastor, senior staff members, and key volunteers have to be on board. Once that’s accomplished, the rest is going to be a piece of cake by comparison. Fortunately, Bill’s book provides lots of support, suggestions, ideas, and even meeting agendas. And he has an even deeper level of support on his Web site, PastoralPlanning.com.

If you want to hand off the neophytes to a parish that can help them continue to grow in their new faith, you have to check out these resources.

Checklist for an effective mystagogy

Miriam — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 01:52:13 +0000

What do you do after the Easter Vigil? What does the ritual text call us to do and be for the neophytes during the sacred time of mystagogy? The following checklist will give you guidance and suggestions for effective mystagogy.

“Expect” neophytes to gather the week after initiation to share stories and pictures of their Easter Vigil celebration and to share the Scriptures for the Sundays of Easter in light of their sacramental experiences.
Avoid the temptation to use the six weeks of Easter as a time for information and recruitment for parish service. The appropriate time for guest speakers and sharing information about various ministries is during the initial stages of formation.
Affirm the primary role of the assembly in liturgy and the place of the neophytes in that assembly. Avoid having neophytes serve in catechetical or liturgical ministries for at least a year, and avoid using them as RCIA sponsors or team members. Ministry flows from the experience of being a member of the assembly and then being called to ministry. The newest neophytes are not meant to be a new pool of parish volunteers! Neophytes ought to be engaged in social and service ministries from the time of the catechumenate and gradually experience the connection between the celebration of Eucharist and the eucharistic lives they live through these ministries. This takes time and reflection on what it means to be a “regular Catholic in the pews.”

Plan for monthly gatherings following the Pentecost celebration and look forward to experiencing with the neophytes their first year of full membership in the church. Plan with them from the beginning of Lent to celebrate the first anniversary of their initiation at the Pentecost that concludes their neophyte year.
Encourage the neophytes to take ownership of their gatherings, forming their own agenda based on their experiences.
Lead them into deeper prayer and into greater participation in the parish community, primarily through worship and service.
Offer a special invitation to neophytes to participate in various sacramental experiences throughout the year, and then to reflect on them together. Possibilities include first Communion, communal penance services, communal anointing of the sick, confirmation of the youth, and infant baptisms.
Hold a special gathering each year for all neophytes from the previous years. Consider having the gathering just prior to Lent or at Pentecost time.
Remember to follow the directives of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults by:

offering neophytes special seating in the midst of the assembly at the Neophyte Masses of Easter time

inviting neophytes to wear their white baptismal robes throughout the Easter Season

inviting neophytes to give testimony, witnessing to their conversion journey in the midst of the parish assembly

asking neophytes to participate in the General Intercessions and Preparation of the Gifts

using the Easter Season Cycle A readings at Masses where neophytes are present and preaching the homily with them in mind

inviting the local bishop to visit with the neophytes during their first year as fully initiated Catholics

Click here to read Six steps to effective mystagogy, a practical article on how to “do” mystagogy from the first moment an inquirer knocks on the door through the year(s) following sacramental initiation.

Click on the links below to read:

Baptismal Garments

Diana — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 23:13:40 +0000

What do I wear?! That’s a question I get often when I’m planning liturgies. Whether it’s the confirmation candidate, the newly-ordained, or even the bishop, himself, we have a natural concern over what to wear.

The baptismal rite in the RCIA gives us at least one answer: Put on Christ. Therefore we physically clothe the newly baptized with a white garment. As we do so, we say them:

You have become a new creation
and have clothed yourselves in Christ.
Receive this baptismal garment
and bring it unstained to the judgment seat
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
so that you may have everlasting life. (RCIA, #229)

This white garment should then be:

white (although another color may be used according to local custom, cf. RCIA, #229)
unstained
dignified
fitting to the person’s height and size
preferably new
preferably theirs to keep.

It should not be:

stained
dingy or ragged
wrinkled
flimsy or small
a dalmatic (vestment worn by a deacon)
a chasuble (vestment worn by a priest).

Nor should you add a stole to the garment. This and the last two items above are reserved for the ordained. (Read what the United States bishops say about the baptismal garment.)

One option is to sew your own garments for your elect. This can be a ministry of the parish and a creative way to involve more people in the ministry of initiation. Invite especially the homebound who have sewing skills and those who prefer to serve “behind the scenes.”

A simple and elegant pattern for a baptismal garment can be found in the appendix of The Three Days: Parish Prayer in the Paschal Triduum, by Gabe Huck (Liturgy Training Publications, 1992). You can also purchase a pattern from the Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Syracuse here.

Other options can be to gift each neophyte with an alb, the common ritual garment used by any baptized minister. (“Alb” comes from the Latin word, alba, which means “white.” The alb is worn by any liturgical minister, from the altar servers all the way up to the bishop, and serves as a reminder of baptism.) This would be an appropriate gift from the godparents, parish, and catechumenate team. A white choir robe can also work. An alternative to a full-length alb or choir robe, and a less expensive option, would be a surplice (without the cassock), such as this example.

If you sew your own baptismal garments or purchase special garments for your neophytes, send us your best pictures and we’ll post them up here.