During the Christmas season, many of us will gather with family members who have stopped practicing the faith. We might feel powerless and wonder what we can do to light a spark within the one who has checked out. “What does God want me to do?” Sometimes our previous attempts have fallen on deaf ears. …
If storytelling is the heart of evangelization, then how do I become a better storyteller? If evangelization is the heart of the initiatory process, then what tools do I need to be a better evangelist? If the key to evangelization is asking the right questions, then how do I craft the questions? If liturgy is …
Emily, the RCIA director, stood to introduce longtime parishioner Walter to witness to the catechumens about God’s intervention in his life. God miraculously restored him to health after doctors told him he would die in a matter of weeks. Walter’s miracle was the catalyst for his entire family to either return to their faith or …
One Sunday morning during the Easter season, a neophyte walked in with a bounce in her step and an inner glow. The joy of her conversion shone all over her face! The pastor asked Mary if she would share her initiation experience with the parish. Mary’s reflection not only touched the hearts of many people …
“Lead with the beautiful.” That’s what theologian Robert Barron told a roomful of catechists at the Los Angeles Religious Education Conference earlier this year. He insisted that our Catholic tradition is imbued with breathtaking beauty from our art, our music, our devotional practices, our care for the poor, and most of all our love for …
Why is mystagogical catechesis—the kind of catechesis envisioned by the RCIA—so important? Why not just give seekers a catechism, tell them to memorize it, come back when they have, and zap them into the church, no muss, no fuss? The reason lies in the deepest wish Jesus has for those who earnestly search for God: …
