Lent is a time of anticipation for everyone involved in the initiation process. Our elect are on the final forty days of their journey toward baptism, and we’re all hard at work making sure all the rites and activities go as planned. It’s a time where those going through the process have a certain excitement …
Q. At my parish we are planning to have a rehearsal for the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday morning. Our master catechist helps with the catechumenate, and she is suggesting that the elect and candidates not be at the rehearsal. She thinks only the sponsors should be there. She mentioned that this way the sponsors are …
Palm Sunday — Matthew Background: Christian liturgy is not a play reenacting past events but a living celebration of the inner meaning of those events so that it comes alive in us today. As the oldest Palm Sunday hymn says: “To you before your passion they sang their hymns of praise. To you, now high …
Reflection questions for RCIA seekers: Year A – Palm Sunday through the 4th Sunday of Easter
There are two moments in the Easter Vigil that aren’t as grand as other elements in this once-a-year liturgy. But these two subtle moments are essential in how your neophytes—and all the baptized—will understand what their baptism means. In this video, Diana looks at these two moments and why you don’t want your neophytes to …
Two extraordinary Easter Vigil moments your neophytes don’t want to miss
Wow, you folks are AMAZING! 330 of you responded to our Newsletter Audience Survey. The reason we launched the survey in the first place is that over the last year, we’ve been developing a ground-up renovation of the TeamRCIA website (which 72% of you said you found easy to navigate. Yay!). Now that we have …
I just finished another novel by Earl Stanley Gardner. Gardner is the creator of Perry Mason, and he wrote more than 80 stories featuring the brilliant lawyer-detective. Gardner is really good at drawing the reader into the mystery and making you think you’ve solved the crime before the end of the book. But then there …
Can you name the difference between a drifter and a pilgrim? When the Prodigal Son left his father’s house, he was a drifter. When he decided to return, he was a pilgrim. A drifter has no sense of purpose and no goal. A drifter is often seen as someone who is avoiding and escaping the …
The accompanist’s guide: Walking with others on the journey of faith
The 2nd Sunday in Lent Background: We read this week the last of three interconnected episodes in the gospel: Jesus’s baptism, temptation, and now transfiguration. What links them is that they deal with the meaning of his being the beloved Son/Servant. We have seen how he has struggled to understand the meaning of his Sonship; …
There are two hidden gems in the Rite of Election that you don’t want to miss. In this quick video, Diana Macalintal breaks them open so that you can help your catechumens and godparents be ready for these turning point “sacramentals” that reveal and remind us of God’s faithful love. Free download: Prayers for the …
Do you remember the Third Sunday of Lent in 2020? Most of us celebrated Mass that day, and many of us celebrated the first scrutiny with the elect. And for most of the parishes in the United States, that was the last time we would be in church together for a very long time. The …
