The school model is a chokehold on the RCIA

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3 thoughts on “The school model is a chokehold on the RCIA”

  1. Year round RCIA always was the plan and with any plan there are successes and failures. Having been in the training and implementing RCIA in the parish for a long time it became obvious that timing was challenging. In 1997 I purchased Mary Birmingham’s book ‘Year-round Catechumenate’. The issue was always present however people like to think ‘when do I begin and when will I end ‘. It is the beginning and ending approach. The process can combine both year round which could have an informal spirit while the ‘getting to know Jesus and His message’ can have a formal spirit’. Lets not jump to try to approach RCIA with a ‘fix it’ attitude but rather lets try to build on what was and what is.

  2. Maureen A Smith

    A new person coming to the Catholic Church as an inquirer is better to be one on one. With coffee shops having outdoor sitting is an ideal place to take an inquirer to talk to them over a cup of coffee or tea, etc. So much can be accomplished no matter the time or the day. If the parish has a large group of inquirers that may be different but the one on one is the most significant at first and then people can be grouped off in smaller groups until the Catechumenate. It is at that time that classes can be formed for teaching different subjects of the church. “Sacraments, Mary, Trinity, etc. These are things I have learned in working with RCIA for many years and have tried many different models.

  3. Fantastic article! Such important information not just for those working in adult initiation ministry but for the entire parish. This “pastoral conversion” needs to look at all our traditional school based formation processes.

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