When I was a kid, we didn’t talk about “rites.” We didn’t really even talk about “liturgy.” The only thing in our world was “the Mass.” I was in high school before I realized the church has a whole constellation of rites. But even then, we didn’t use the term “rites.” We talked about “prayer […]
What is a rite and why does it matter for catechumenate teams?
Tired of being cooped up and quarantined for more than a year, Diana and I went on a road trip across the United States just after we got our COVID vaccines. We saw state capitals where tour guides would explain to us about the different kinds of marble, how the dome was constructed, and what
Are we geeky enough about the catechumenate?
When the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is retranslated, the new title of the rite will be Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. We’ve already seen some people referring to the new translation as “OCIA.” This is probably fine if you are referring to the written text of the document, “Order of Christian Initiation
When parishes that use an academic, school calendar model for evangelizing and catechizing seekers, it can be difficult to imagine any other way of doing things. Some common objections for expanding to an ongoing process include: We have limited resources The rest of the world is organized around a school-year schedule It’s just easier The
What is ongoing (year-round) RCIA, really?
There are two dangers posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first is the danger of serious physical illness. And the second is the danger of convenience. We will eventually overcome the physical danger. But the danger of convenience may linger. Many pastoral leaders are already worried about what will happen to their Sunday gatherings when
Is the pandemic making RCIA too convenient?
1. Don’t rehearse the Easter Vigil Almost everywhere, parishes are planning to rehearse the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday. I know this is going to be hard to hear, but we have to stop making Holy Saturday a work day. It is a day of prayer, reflection, and fasting (see RCIA 185). In the Eastern
Seven ways RCIA teams can make Holy Saturday holier
The COVID-19 pandemic has completely disrupted our liturgical life. And that disruption has uncovered some previously unspoken assumptions about liturgy and the rites for catechumens. In a recent article in America magazine, for example, Anthony R. Lusvardi, SJ, writes about his struggles with presiding at streamed liturgies. The main point he wants to make is
The pandemic and three unspoken RCIA assumptions
Did you miss the April 21 TeamRCIA Community Chat on how to schedule the initiation rites outside of Easter? No worries! We’ve got you covered. Here’s the recording. Please share it with your colleagues in ministry. We had over 900 people signed up, and over 600 people from all around the world attended the one-hour
Community Chat – Scheduling initiation outside of Easter
On March 19, 2020, the Vatican issued guidelines and suggestions on the celebration of the Triduum for this year during this time of the Covid-19 Coronavirus. Here is the official text in English, Spanish, and French. UPDATE: The Vatican issued a slightly updated version of this decree on March 25, 2020. We summarize here the
Vatican guidelines on the Triduum in time of Coronavirus
Many communities might not be able to gather to celebrate the Triduum this year because of Coronavirus precautions. What does this mean for the RCIA rites of initiation that usually take place at the Easter Vigil? Here we look at some options that the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults gives us and explore some
RCIA, the Triduum, and Coronavirus
