Many of us who guide and form spiritual seekers are hoping for a return to normal as soon as the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. But normal probably won’t look like what we are used to. The effects of the pandemic have permanently ruptured “the way we’ve always done it.” For the most part, that is […]
RCIA will never be the same again
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
Fr. John Farley, a priest in the San Diego diocese, commented on our video, “RCIA, the Triduum, and Coronavirus.” Based on the guidelines in the Ceremonial of Bishops and in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, he proposed a possible schedule for celebrating the rites of initiation at a time later this year. In
An RCIA calendar for celebrating the initiation rites outside the usual times
A prayer when one’s baptism must be delayed in this year of the coronavirus I know it’s not a race or a test of will, Lord. Yet I feel a bit lost now that the Triduum has ended and the baptismal waters remain just out of reach. In this time of waiting, may I receive
A prayer when baptism must be delayed in time of Coronavirus
Mary Kay Arroyo and the initiation team at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bradenton, Florida, have responded to the shelter-in-place regulations by connecting with their seekers through video chats. We asked Mary Kay to share with us how it’s going, and she sent us this video. Has your team tried some innovative tech solutions for
Has your RCIA team tried video conferencing?
Our worship spaces have been closed and our public liturgies suspended. So what do we look for now when we seek sacred space? What are the necessary ingredients? How do we discover new ways (or rediscover old ways) of experiencing God’s presence? How do we practice eucharistic gratitude in the absence of sharing the Eucharist?
Creating Sacred Space: A Holy Week gathering with Terry Hershey
Many parishes organize their catechumenate ministry on a school-year model. While this is not the vision of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, it is nevertheless a reality in many communities. However, the isolation and distancing requirements of the coronavirus outbreak have disrupted that model. And now, we’re feeling a little panicked. What in
What do RCIA teams do with the elect now that baptisms are postponed?
The TeamRCIA community had its first Community Chat on Thursday, March 26. We shared our fears and concerns, prayed, and then looked at many of the questions on your minds during these challenging days. Below is the recording. (A time-stamped summary outline will come soon.) For more information, check out the videos we’ve provided in
Community Chat – Our fears and concerns about the pandemic
The suspension of Triduum liturgies, especially the Easter Vigil, have left some RCIA teams foundering and wondering what to do with the elect during the period of mystagogy. If we look at the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in the section on mystagogy, we will discover or rediscover a few key points. First, the
RCIA mystagogy when there have been no baptisms
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
