If you have been following along in this series on the ministry of catechist, you will know that we have most recently been looking at what the Directory for Catechesis identifies as the three dimensions of formation for catechists: We have arrived at the final dimension, savoir-faire. Savoir-faire is one of those terms that I […]
Five attitudes necessary for your RCIA team’s savoir-faire
Philip Lomneth is a husband and a father who works as a Director of Formation at the Co-Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Rochester, MN. Since 2017, he has helped guide people through the Rites of Christian Initiation where they come to love the Lord with all their heart, their mind, their strength, and
Toward a year-round RCIA process—one thing at a time with small steps
If you go to any parish website in North America, you will get the very strong impression that children’s faith is formed in a classroom. Parish websites list expectations describing what children are to have learned by the time they reach each grade level. If you were to actually visit one of these parishes, you
Why children in the RCIA need a community, not a classroom
In an earlier blog post, I wrote about how RCIA team members never seem to have enough time. Some of us are doing more than just RCIA, and juggling all the balls is more than a fulltime job. Days are blurs of activity that fly by. For busy people, there is a strong temptation to
Sleep your way to better RCIA ministry
Almost 10,000 children were initiated through the RCIA process last year. Most of them didn’t have saints and theologians as their catechists. Most of the children who were baptized last year were taught by ordinary Catholics who were a little too busy and maybe a little nervous, but who sincerely wanted their children to know
You don’t have to be Mother Teresa to lead children to faith
Sometimes talk about the RCIA process falls prey to generalizations based on “well, at my parish” or “everybody says.” It’s a good thing to balance one’s personal experience or hearsay with some objective information. If you haven’t already read the U.S. Bishops’ study on the implementation of the RCIA, Journey to the Fullness of Life,
When I train RCIA teams, especially newer teams, someone almost always asks, “How are we ever going to get ______ [Father, volunteers, the parish council, the 10 a.m. Mass community, the DRE] to agree to all this?” The question is understandable, but it is the wrong question. It is the wrong question because it implies
A powerful tool to inspire an RCIA vision
