We have been asking catechumenate leaders and team members how they discern God’s will. (Click here if you’d like to share how you discern.) The one theme that is consistent in almost every answer is “prayer.” This makes sense, doesn’t it? Prayer is an essential aspect of the life of a disciple. It is through […]
Prayer as a pathway to discernment: Seeking God’s will in catechumenate ministry
The catechumenate is designed to train catechumens to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ. However, it’s easy to get caught up in delivering the curriculum and lose sight of the ultimate goal—the conversion of the catechumens. What we do matters, and if we are doing something that matters, that means we are creating change. So,
What is the catechumenate for?
Embarking on a journey of faith and seeking a deeper relationship with Christ is a profound and life-changing experience. The Rite of Acceptance plays a vital role in this conversion process. When we celebrate this rite with inquirers, they are changed from outsiders to insiders as the community embraces them as their own. But this
From seekers to disciples: Unpacking the conversion journey within the Rite of Acceptance
Here’s a simple 3-Cs test to help you discern what are the most important primary symbols of a rite and what are secondary symbols or even elements that might be distractions because they’re not symbols of the rite itself. Use this test to help you prepare the rites well and catechize powerfully from them. Free
How can you tell if a symbol is a primary symbol?
You can reflect questions for every Sunday of the year by clicking here. Trinity Sunday Background: Grace, love, fellowship—these words from the end of this Sunday’s selection from 2 Corinthians provide the common threads that runs throughout all the readings. Today’s focus is not on the inner relationships among the Persons of the Trinity but
In a previous article, we noted that what it means to be a “good Catholic” has changed. One clear marker of that change is the call to return to our roots from the early church and embrace a synodal way of living. In this article, I want to explore how we might apply the principles
Embracing conflict in the catechumenate: a path to synodal living
When I was child back in the 1960s, rules were a thing. My grandparents, my mother, my teachers (many of whom were nuns), and my pastor all spent a lot of time telling us the rules for being a good Catholic and monitoring us to be sure we followed the rules. Today, while rules continue
What it means to be a “good Catholic” has changed
We found ourselves in the quiet, dimly lit church, a few evenings after the Easter Vigil. The neophytes, godparents, sponsors, candidates, catechumens, an inquirer, and team members were gathered, surrounded by the scent of incense and the sound of the flowing baptismal font, illuminated by the Paschal Candle. As we paused from our busy lives,
“When do your classes start?” For our seekers, it sounds like a perfectly reasonable question. After all, this is our fault. We have taught them these words so this is how they see the initiation process — take some classes and splash, now you’re a Catholic. But to my ears this question is a reminder
Is your RCIA open all year-round? The words we use are important
Fifth Sunday of Easter Background: We are used to the chronology of Luke where in his gospel and in Acts, Jesus’s resurrection, ascension, and sending of the Spirit are separate events across weeks of time. In John’s gospel the lifting up of Jesus on the cross is the beginning of his glorification: resurrection, ascension, and
Reflection questions for RCIA seekers: Year A – The 5th Sunday of Easter through Pentecost
