St. Augustine saw it as his duty to pass on four essential “sacraments” to the elect. These were the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, the font, and the table. He would teach them about the table after their initiation; he would explore the meaning of the font with them on Holy Saturday, before the Vigil. And […]
How to celebrate the Presentation of the Creed and Lord’s Prayer
The initiation rites of the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent don’t have the most comforting of names. On these days we engage the elect in rites and prayers called scrutinies and exorcisms. The first connotes probing and critical examination of one’s life, and the second—well, let’s just say many of us have had
History of the scrutinies: 3 things your RCIA team needs to know
As we approach Lent, it might be helpful to review some information about fasting and abstinence. There are many kinds of fasts, and several reasons to fast. As Catholics, we tend to think of fasting as either reducing our food intake or giving up a treasured treat. The New Dictionary of Sacramental Worship lists four
An RCIA guide to fasting in Lent
The preparation rites on Holy Saturday include an optional ritual for choosing a baptismal name (turn to paragraph 200 in your RCIA text to follow along). In the United States, we do not ask the elect to do this. (Keep a finger in the book to mark your place and flip back to paragraph 33.4.)
Should the elect choose a baptismal name?
In order to help you prepare the elect for their initiation, I’ve written a Holy Saturday retreat, which includes the Preparation Rites, that is FREE for subscribers to TeamRCIA. The church’s great festival of initiation is approaching fast. Be sure to provide the elect with some substantial time for prayer and reflection as they prepare
A Preparation Rites retreat for the elect on Holy Saturday
Rehearsal outline: Scrutiny RCIA 150-156, 164-170, 171-177 6:30 Before everyone arrives Turn on lights and put out microphones. Put the lectionary on the ambo. Put the presider’s script or ritual book on his chair. Put the catechumenate director’s script on her chair or pew. Place name tags in the pews where you want the elect
How to rehearse the scrutinies
The adaptation of the scrutiny rites for child catechumens is confusing (RCIA 291). Instead of clearly labeling the rites as scrutinies, they are called “Penitential Rites (Scutinies).” And even though the title is plural, only one text is given with an instruction to write your own for a second, using the given text as a
We all know that we always use the readings from the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Sundays of Lent, Year A, for the scrutinies, right? But do you know which Mass prayers to use? They are not the Mass prayers from those Sundays. Instead, whenever the scrutinies are celebrated, we use the Mass prayers for “Christian
What are the proper prayers for the scrutinies?
A central element in the Rite of Election is the enrollment of names. This part of the rite is so important it is given equal billing in the title: “The second step in Christian initiation is the liturgical rite called both election and the enrollment of names.” (RCIA 118). Their enrollment is a sign of
Make the Book of the Elect worthy of the names it bears
The Rite of Election is one of those “hinge” rites in the RCIA because it marks the transition from one period to the next for a person becoming baptized. But most people in your church won’t ever see a Rite of Election which usually takes place at the diocesan Cathedral. What most people will experience
Help your assembly prepare for the Rite of Election
