Do you know who should be dismissed from the Mass before the Liturgy of the Eucharist begins and why? Do you know who should stay in the Mass and why that’s important? Learn about the dismissal of catechumens and why it’s so essential for understanding baptism.
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 …
“Why do I have to go to church?” I was feeling cranky, and my six-year-old self wasn’t having it. “Because I’m your mother, and I say so.” My mother wasn’t having it either. End of discussion. Sometime later, we had a similar dispute about my need to finish the now-cold lima beans on my dinner …
Perhaps the most frequent question we get here at TeamRCIA is some version of: “How do I convince [INSERT NAME/TITLE] that they should do [INSERT ACTION]? For example: “How do I convince the pastor we should be dismissing the catechumens from Mass?” Other versions of the question involve trying to convince the deacon, the parishioners, …
Six ways to convince others that the RCIA dismissal is a good idea
Isn’t it inhospitable to dismiss catechumens from Mass? Everyone is dismissed from Mass. When we are dismissed depends upon which order of the church we belong to.In the early church, there were several orders of participants in the liturgy who were dismissed, all at different times: catechumens, energoumens (those possessed by demons), penitents, and the …
Frequently asked questions about the RCIA dismissal of catechumens
One of the most misunderstood elements of the catechumenate process is the ritual dismissal of the catechumens from the Mass after the homily. Many catechumenate team members resist dismissing the catechumens because, to the team, it seems inhospitable. In other parishes, there is a tendency to go overboard, dismissing everyone including baptized candidates and even …
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 …
Myth: A year-round catechumenate process is harder than a school-year program Every parish team I’ve talked with that has transitioned to an ongoing catechumenate process tells me that the amount of work involved is either the same or less than when they were running a school. See: Free download: The one, most important thing we …
There are two dismissals in the Sunday liturgy. The one Catholics are most familiar with is the second one, the dismissal of the faithful at the end of Mass. The other is becoming better known. That is the dismissal of the catechumens at the end of the Liturgy of the word. Both dismissals are sometimes …
Your catechumens had been participating in the Liturgy of the Word for months, maybe even for years, and they pretty much know the routine. But now that they’re neophytes and are no longer dismissed from the Mass after the homily, some of them might be feeling a little lost in their new experience of the …
