• How do you know if the catechumens are ready for the rite of election?

• Who decides?

• What is the process for discerning their readiness?

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I have a friend who, for 35 years, successfully resisted all attempts to promote her to a management position in her company. She loves her work, but she did not relish the idea of supervising other people. A couple of years ago, her boss finally convinced her to move up the ladder. And last week, for the first time in her life, she had to fire an employee—an employee she had hired.

Who should discern?

There are some lessons in my friend’s story for discerning the readiness of catechumens for the Rite of Election. The first lesson is, who is qualified to discern?

My friend did not want to be a manager because she did not think she had the gift for it. What is actually true is, she is a very gifted manager. She did not want the responsibility of management. She did not want to be the person who decided who gets hired, who gets a raise, who gets put on probation, and who gets fired. That dynamic happens in many catechumenate teams. We often avoid any formal discernment process with the catechumens because none of us wants to be the decision maker. It’s much easier to have a kind of default catechumenate. Everyone who shows up gets baptized (or received into full Communion) just by virtue of coming to a minimum number of catechetical sessions.

If that’s true with your team, it’s time to promote someone. Discernment is not the sole responsibility of a single person. When my friend had to fire her employee, she did not make the decision alone. But she did make the decision. And she delivered the bad news. Someone on your team needs to make the final decision and be the lead person in a formal discernment process with the catechumen.

Talents

What kind of person should you promote to this position? The reason my friend got promoted is, she’s a natural leader. Even before she was a manager, she was a voice that everyone in her company listened to. People listen to her because she is an expert at her job and knows more about it than most people who work there. She also has a deep passion for the success of others. She invests a lot of time and energy in helping colleagues and customers accomplish their goals. Is there someone like that on your team?

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My friend is not a lone ranger. Before she fired her employee, she consulted some of the employee’s coworkers about the quality of the work being done. She consulted with customers about their satisfaction. She examined the employee’s work records and reports. She went over everything with her own boss and asked for guidance. So even though my friend was the one who did the hiring and firing, it was a “team” effort. The person you select as a discernment minister must be very good at collaboration.

My friend is also a deeply spiritual person. Spiritual depth is not a requirement for her work, but her faith does make her a better manager. She prays about every important decision she has to make, and she has faith that, even when she has to fire someone, she is acting in that person’s best interest. A discernment leader on your team must be a person of prayer.

Firing your catechumens

Secular management and spiritual discernment are not the same thing, obviously. You’re never going to fire a catechumen. But you may have to delay a catechumen’s next step into becoming one of the elect. In some cases, that decision and the resulting conversation can be as stressful as firing an employee. Just as my friend resisted becoming a manager so she wouldn’t have to make the tough calls, we sometimes let catechumens slide by so we won’t have to make the tough call either. As my friend’s boss pointed out to her, however, the question is not what’s best for you. The question is what’s best for everyone.

• Are your catechumens ready for the Rite of Election?
• What is your RCIA discernment plan this week?
• Discernment: Looking backward to move forward
• Discernment: What does the Rite say?

With catechumens, there are two kinds of discernment. There is an ongoing discernment that begins the moment the seekers become catechumens. And there is at least one formal discernment to determine if the catechumen is ready to celebrate the Rite of Election.

Ongoing discernment

Honestly, I don’t use the word discernment all that much when I’m working with catechumens. It has a bit of a mystical tone to it. And, because it’s not a word most seekers use in their own conversation, it can sound special. As though you have to have special knowledge or special training to discern. With catechumens, I’m more likely to speak about “change” or “difference.” I ask them to pay attention to the changes in their lives as they learn to live the way of faith. Periodically, I ask them what’s different about their life now from before. The answers they give—to me, to their catechists, to their sponsors, and to themselves—are what make up the ongoing discernment process. By asking them to notice the changes, I’m attempting to make the catechumens responsible for their own discernment. If they can begin to choose (discern) actions that reflect the Christian way of living in the world, they will become active participants in their own formation process. Of course, if they are not making these choices, that is also discernment. They are discerning that they are not yet ready to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

The first formal discernment question

Years ago, when I lived in another place, I volunteered to help with a parish catechumenate team just after Advent had begun. All of the catechumens in that parish had been accepted into the catechumenate about ten days before I met them. And every single one of them already knew they were going to be baptized at the coming Easter Vigil. You could have picked me up off the floor. Of course, what was happening in that parish was not a discernment process. There was, instead, a very tight syllabus of classes. If the catechumens attended all—or even some—of the classes, they were guaranteed a baptism.

What the church requires is something much more profound. Instead of a syllabus, the church requires a systematic initiation into the worship of the Lord. That “system” is the liturgical year—which reveals to us the fullness of the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice.  So the very first question in a formal discernment process is, has the catechumen entered into the fullness of the mystery of Christ’s sacrifice? That is, has he celebrated the entire liturgical cycle with the worshiping community? All subsequent discernment questions flow from that first one.

If the catechumen is unaware of the full mystery of Christ’s sacrifice—the same sacrifice the catechumen will share in baptism—do any of the other discernment questions really matter?

• What is your RCIA discernment plan this week?
• Discernment: Looking backward to move forward
• Discernment: What does the Rite say?

Even though I don’t live in your parish, I know this is the week you need to do some discerning about your catechumens and candidates. How do I know that? Because discernment is an ongoing process. It never stops. Every week is discernment week.

What are you discerning?

There are two general kinds of discernment—annual and ongoing. Let’s look at ongoing discernment first. If your parish has a full catechumenate process, you are engaged in at least three levels of discernment all year long. Your discernment processes need to answer these questions:

Unbpatized

• Is this seeker ready to celebrate the Rite of Acceptance?
• Is this catechumen making steady progress at mastering the disciplines of word, community, worship, and apostolic service?

Baptized Catholics

• Is this returning Catholic ready to commit to a formal, regular formation process?
• Is this person making steady progress at mastering the disciplines of word, community, worship, and apostolic service?
• Is this person ready to celebrate the sacraments of initiation?

Baptized non-Catholics

• Is this seeker ready to commit to a formal, regular formation process?
• Is this person making steady progress at mastering the disciplines of word, community, worship, and apostolic service?
• Is this person ready to be received into full communion?

Discernment for election

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In addition to those ongoing discernment questions, there is an annual discernment question for the catechumens. Who among them is ready to celebrate the Rite of Election? If every week since their acceptance into the catechumenate you have been paying attention to their “steady progress at mastering the disciplines of word, community, worship, and apostolic service,” you will have a pretty good sense of their readiness by the time we start approaching the First Sunday of Lent. Even though you have a sense of each catechumen’s readiness, there is still a formal discernment process that needs to take place.

What happens in your parish?

I’m interested in learning more about that annual, formal process from you.

• When do you begin your formal discernment for catechumens who will move on to the Rite of Election?
• What is involved in your formal process?
• Who is involved?
• Have you ever had a catechumen who thought he or she was ready for Election and you didn’t?
• How did you handle that?

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences.

• What makes catechumens ready?
• Discernment: Looking backward to move forward
• Discernment: What does the Rite say?

Donna Steffen, SC, a team member with the North American Forum on the Catechumenate, writes about the first time she was confronted with the idea that she would have to discern the readiness of candidates for initiation: “I was horrified. How can I judge another person?”

In the July 2009 issue of Catechumenate (“Discernment in the Catechumenate”), Donna shares some terrific thoughts on the entire process of discernment. She describes discernment as a messy process of “sifting through all that is operating in a person,” which, she notes, is more challenging than it might seem. For most of us, our emotions get in the way because we learn early on to keep them under control. If we hold everything out before God, including our bottled up emotions, what happens if God wants us to change? That’s the fear, and also the path to confidence that God loves us.

She goes on to ask what I think is the key question of the article and of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults: “Why discern?” And the simple but profound answer is that we discern because it is the Christian way of life. We promised to live the gospel. And yet, unless we spend time discerning what that life looks like, how will we know if we are keeping our promise? It is clear then, that if regular discernment of God’s will is the Christian way, the catechumens have to experience discernment and learn how to discern before they can be truly initiated.

Roadblocks to discernment

So if discernment is so important, why aren’t we doing a better job with it? Donna suggests two possibilities. The first is, things seem to be going pretty well in our program just as it is. Every year, the “RCIA” starts meeting in September, the Rite of Acceptance is on the First Sunday of Advent, the catechumens are baptized at the Easter Vigil, and we take a couple of months off to rest and regroup. Donna writes:

Often what is required is an honest conversion among initiation ministers. It is easier to talk about discernment with catechumens and candidates than among the coordinators and catechists. Discernment within the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults calls everyone to honest relationship, with love and compassion. Conversion is also required of those ministering in the process. Ouch! Egos can be frail. Yet, what is at stake is living in the truth before God….

Donna Steffen’s book is the gold standard. Everything you want to know about discernment.

Discerning Disciples: Listening for God’s Voice in Christian Initiation
Donna Steffen, SC
Price: $14.95

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Another roadblock to discernment is teams are discerning (but not really). The words and actions of a discernment process are used, but the outcome is already known. No catechumen remains in the catechumenate for another year; all are initiated at the Vigil.

At the end of her article, Donna lists five discernment practices for teams. I’ll list a couple of them here, and, as Donna does, I invite you to add your own:

1. Identify what went well in your process this year and what did not. Where is God calling you to change?
2. What two or three changes are you being invited to make in your process? How can discernment be incorporated more fully in your process?

This short summary doesn’t do justice to the entire article, so you’ll need to get a copy to read it for yourself. And Donna promises a Part II in the September issue of Catechumenate. Stay tuned!

• What makes catechumens ready?
• Discernment: Looking backward to move forward
• Discernment: What does the Rite say?

Imagine a catechumen named Penelope who is in the care of a dedicated group of RCIA team members at St. Peregrinus Parish in Pittston, PA. Penelope became a catechumen, along with two other inquirers, in October. It is now February, and the St. Peregrinus team is starting to think about the Rite of Election and what they need to do to get the catechumens ready.

At a planning meeting, one of the newer team members asks Pauline Piotrowski, the team coordinator, if she thinks Penelope is really ready for the Rite of Election. Pauline smiles gently and says, “We can’t keep her from the Rite of Election. Otherwise she couldn’t get baptized. And then she’d feel left out.”

Pauline has a kind heart, and that is one of her strengths as the RCIA team coordinator. However, in this instance, she is doing Penelope no favor. Someone who is not ready for the Rite of Election is not ready for baptism. And someone who is baptized before they are ready is not likely to fully live out their baptism after the Easter Vigil.

But it’s next to impossible to know if someone is ready, isn’t it? Well, no. It turns out, it’s pretty easy. Easy in this sense. The RCIA gives us a clear plan for a conversion process. All we have to do is implement the plan and look for signs of change—like looking for new shoots in the garden. The difficult part is being disciplined (being disciples) about implementing the plan and looking for the signs.

Conversion opportunities—all year long

If we are going to good discerners of conversion, the first step is to provide opportunities for conversion. If we are not regularly giving the catechumens opportunities to turn toward Christ and away from their former life, how can we possibly “know” if they are growing in faith? The most systematic and effective conversion process the church has is the celebration of the liturgical year. In the example above, poor Penelope has celebrated only about five months of Sundays—barely more than a third of the liturgical cycle. Unless she’s had some miraculous revelation the team is unaware of, it doesn’t seem likely that she’s had nearly enough time to give her heart and soul completely to Christ. And even if she has, the team has not had time to provide the full formation in the Christian life that the RCIA calls for.

So how much time does Penelope need? You can find the answer in the RCIA. Turn to paragraph 76:

The duration of the catechumenate will depend on the grace of God and on various circumstances…. Nothing, therefore, can be settled a priori.

The time spent in the catechumenate should be long enough “several years if necessary” for the conversion and faith of the catechumens to become strong.

Ack! Several years? Are they crazy?

Well it might seem that way at first. But let’s ask ourselves what’s at stake here. This is not a program of instruction in the facts of the faith. It is a radical change in lifestyle. The Christian way of life is very comfortable and familiar to you and me. But it is brand new to the catechumens. They will need practice, practice, and more practice until living the way of faith becomes natural to them as well.

An excellent guide for teaching the Christian way of life.
Apprenticed to Christ: Activities for Practicing the Catholic Way of Life Jerry Galipeau

A complete formation

The rite goes on to tell us what a conversion program looks like. If you are doing all of these things throughout the liturgical year, you will begin to see a change in the catechumens. Or if not, then they probably aren’t ready, and you’ll need to be honest with them about that. So here’s what you do (still reading paragraph 76):

1. By their formation in the entire Christian life
2. and a sufficiently prolonged probation
3. the catechumens are properly initiated into the mysteries of salvation
4. and the practice of an evangelical way of life.
5. By means of sacred rites celebrated at successive times
6. they are led into the life of faith,
7. worship,
8. and charity belonging to the people of God.

I added in the numbers to make it a little clearer that there are actual steps that the RCIA gives us. As you can see, there is nothing in those eight steps that is all that difficult. But to do all the steps on a consistent basis and to regularly assess how the catechumens are doing at mastering them—that take some discipline.

• Discernment: What does the Rite say?
• What do the catechumens have to know?
• Do you know the three Rs of RCIA discernment?

It might seem daunting to discern a person’s readiness for the next step in the RCIA process. But the Rite, itself, gives us some clear guidelines on who does the discerning and what they’re looking for in the daily actions and demeanor of a person seeking to deepen their relationship with God.

Note that the Rite never mentions the number of sessions or liturgies attended, dogmas understood, or service hours completed. That’s because what the Rite is asking us to look for in discernment of readiness is conversion of heart to Christ.

As you read through these parts of the Rite, remember to make this discernment process one of prayer, mystagogy, action, and thanksgiving. Entrust your discernment to the Holy Spirit, look for how God has been acting in the person’s life, discern ways to help the person deepen their relationship with Christ, and give thanks for the Father’s abiding love in the life of this person and in the community.

Discerning a person’s readiness for the Rite of Acceptance

What to look for in the person (RCIA, 42):

• “the beginnings of the spiritual life”
• “the fundamentals of Christian teaching have taken root”
• “evidence of first faith”
• “evidence…of an initial conversion”
• “intention to change their lives”
• “evidence of the first stirrings of repentance”
• “the practice of calling upon God in prayer”
• “a sense of the Church”
• “some experience of the company and spirit of Christians through contact”

Who discerns (RCIA, 43):

• sponsors
• catechists
• deacons
• parish priests
• pastors

Discerning readiness of a person for the Rite of Election

What to look for in the person (RCIA, 120):

• “a conversion in mind and in action”
• “a sufficient acquaintance with Christian teaching”
• “a spirit of faith and charity”
• “the intention to receive the sacraments of the Church”
• “a resolve [to express their intention] publicly in the actual celebration of the rite [of Election]“

Who discerns (RCIA, 121, 122):

• bishop
• priests
• deacons
• catechists
• godparents
• the entire community
• the catechumens themselves

Discernment isn’t just for catechumens. It’s for all the faithful to do each day. And it’s not about what we know in our head. It’s about what we know in our heart. This is because discernment isn’t really about having proof, but having faith that God is with us. This is what we learn from the intimate relationship between God and Moses, which we read about in Exodus.

After years of wandering and a people growing restless, Moses begins to doubt that he is leading the Israelites on the right path to the Promised Land. He needs assurance that the next step he’s taking is the right one. He needs to see God’s presence right by his side.

“For how can it be known that we, your people and I, have found favor with you, except by your going with us? Then we, your people and I, will be singled out from every other people on the earth.”

The LORD said to Moses, “This request, too, which you have just made, I will carry out, because you have found favor with me and you are my intimate friend.”

Then Moses said, “Do let me see your glory!”

He answered, “I will make all my beauty pass before you, and in your presence I will pronounce my name, ‘ LORD ‘; I who show favors to whom I will, I who grant mercy to whom I will. But my face you cannot see, for no man sees me and still lives. Here,” continued the LORD, “is a place near me where you shall station yourself on the rock. When my glory passes I will set you in the hollow of the rock and will cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand, so that you may see my back; but my face is not to be seen.” (Ex 33:16-23)

Moses can’t see God’s face and live. But he can see God’s back! (The Hebrew translation is even more intimate when it says that Moses sees God’s backside!)

We know God is with us because we have seen where God has been. To know where we need to go in our path of faith, we have to look backwards to see where we have come from. Thus the first step in discerning God’s presence is mystagogical.

As we move from the old year into the new, you might consider making another new year’s resolution to do more looking backwards on a regular basis. This isn’t the same kind of looking back as we do in evaluations or critique of an event. Rather, it’s an intimate peek into God’s beauty that gives us strength to take our next steps.

Make a promise to find some silent time each day to do this looking backwards. Maybe it’s when you’re laying in bed before going to sleep or on your drive home after work. Turn off the radio and the TV, shut down the computer, and put away your phone—even if only for a few minutes—and ask yourself some mystagogical questions:

• What was the most memorable event I experienced today?
• Who did I meet?
• Did I keep my promises to myself and to others?
• Did I make a difference in another person’s life?
• Did someone move me to see the world in a new way?
• Where did I see God?

Ask the Holy Spirit to bless the day you have witnessed and to strengthen your faith for the next day. Then give thanks for having seen God’s glory.

I was just asked to review a book proposal that is meant to be a teaching resource for the catechumenate. The syllabus covers ecclesiology, Christology, the Trinity, each of the sacraments, and a bit of eschatology. I think those are all good things to know, but is that what the RCIA asks us to provide? Read the rest of this entry »

QOur church has just added over 100 children (candidates), 9 to 17-years-old, into the RCIA program. I have not been able to find information on discerning these baptized children. I am fairly new to the team and am finding discernment of children, or rather more specifically trying to determine when and who is ready, very frustrating. I hope you can provide me with some pointers to help make this process easier.

AWow! That’s a lot of children, and quite an age range. I think your first step is to do a little sorting. Are any of these children approaching your parish on their own, or are their parents also in a process of reception? For those whose parents are also in the process, I would focus on discerning the readiness of the family and not focus exclusively on the children.

For those children that are closer to the 17-years-old end of the spectrum, you can treat their discernment as you would the discernment of an adult.

The basics of a discernment process can be found in paragraph 75 of the RCIA. The criteria there are meant for unbaptized adults, but they can be adapted to anyone, at any age. Briefly, you want to see growth in

1. the way the candidates hear the word of God and understand the tradition of the church
2. the way the candidates pray and worship
3. the way the candidates participate in and contribute to the parish community
4. the way the candidates care for the poor and for those who have never heard the Good News

For a more detailed discussion of discernment, check out these links:

• RCIA Discernment: What is it and how do you do it?
• Do you know the three Rs of RCIA discernment?
• RCIA Discernment: How do you know if they “know enough”?

There is lots more that could be said about discernment, and I’m going to open the discussion up for comments to see what other wisdom is out there.