Business authority Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt says, “Tell me how you measure me and I will tell you how I will behave. If you measure me in an illogical way…do not complain about illogical behavior.” When I read this, I thought of some of the complaints we often make about the catechumens and candidates. They don’t …
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 …
The dismissal of the catechumens is a liturgical rite that is done any time catechumens are present at Mass: When [catechumens] are present with the congregation of the faithful, they must normally be gently dismissed before the Eucharistic Celebration begins. (OCIA 75.3) The practice of dismissing the catechumens before the liturgy of the Eucharist begins …
When I was 34, I moved from the Midwest to San Jose, California. That experience was a huge culture shift for me. It is difficult, however, to describe the depths and nuances of that shift. Culture is mostly invisible to the people who are “native” to it. One way to define culture is to say …
This is a question we often get from parish teams. They’ve just read a blog post, a book, or participated in a workshop on the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and are excited about the principles they’ve learned. But they wonder why their priests don’t seem to follow them or even know about them. …
How do priests learn about the principles of the catechumenate?
The short answer is yes. Perhaps because we are just now emerging from our COVID stay-at-home isolation, parish teams seem to be asking about the rites of initiation and if all of them are mandatory. Some seekers may have a pressing need to forgo the normal sacramental process and be baptized without delay. This pastoral …
Is the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens mandatory?
When the current translation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults was promulgated in 1988, we might not have been as prepared as we need to be. Because we weren’t quite ready, many misinterpretations and misapplications of the rite began to flourish. The biggest difficulty is that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults …
Is your parish ready for the new translation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults?
Q. I am the director of the catechumenate process in my parish. I was asked by two of my catechumens to be their godmother. While I am so humbled, I am not sure what the proper protocol is. Is it okay for catechumenate directors to be godparents of their catechumens? A. As long as you …
Q&A: Can directors of the catechumenate be godparents of their catechumens?
Q. Hello! I am the director of our initiation ministry in my parish. We do not have a deacon, and my pastor does not get involved, so it’s just me and my team. My pastor does not like to do the scrutinies at this time of year. He usually encourages me to do a simplified …
Q&A: What do we do if the pastor won’t celebrate the scrutinies?
Q. One of our catechumens informed us that her godparent will not be able to be present for the three lenten scrutinies, and now she needs to look for a “proxy.” I have three questions: Who selects the proxy? Does the proxy need to fulfill all of the canonical qualifications of a godparent? Does the …
