Integrating a Systematic Catechesis with a Year-Round R.C.I.A. Process

Posted on February 22nd, 2010

This presentation was given by Dino Durando and Stacy Phillips from St. Joseph Catholic Church in Modesto, CA at the Diocese of Sacramento’s Catechist Ministry Day on September 26, 2009 in Sacramento, California.

Handouts

This following handouts accompany this 65-minute video presentation. We recommend downloading and printing out all of these handouts before watching the above presentation. (If you prefer to download all of the handouts in one PDF document, we have compiled them as a download at this link)

• Paragraphs from the General Directory for Catechesis (GDC) and the RCIA
• How Long?
• 3-Cycle Structure
• 14-Week Inquiry Doctrine Cycle
• 14-Week Catechumenate, 3-Part Repeating Doctrine Cycle
• Using a Celebration of the Word of God in a Catechetical Setting

Background to the Presentation

The R.C.I.A. is a liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral process that requires signs and stages of conversion to take place before a participant progresses to the next stage (e.g. from Inquiry to Catechumenate). This necessitates a process that allows for an individual who is not ready to progress to remain in one period of the process while others who are ready to progress to move on to the next period of the process. This can only be facilitated by a year-round parish R.C.I.A. process.

Simultaneously, the catechetical documents of the Church clearly call for catechesis to be systematic and organic.

Systematic means that each successive teaching be linked to the teaching given beforehand, demonstrating the hierarchy of truths. A carefully laid-out systematic presentation of the faith does not leave any holes. It is complete. It does not skip over any of the essentials of the faith due to careful planning.

Organic means that each doctrine is linked to other doctrines, showing the integral unity of the Faith. Organic catechesis has more to do with how a lesson is presented, while systematic catechesis has more to do with how a curriculum or “doctrine cycle” is devised.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church is a prime example of a catechesis that is both systematic and organic. It systematically lays out the Deposit of Faith (what God has revealed in Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition for the sake of our salvation) piece by piece, while at the same time, consistently demonstrating the unity of the Faith.

An example of systematic: The first section of the Catechism is structured around the 12 articles of the Apostles Creed and progresses from “Who is God?” to “The Four Last Things.”

An example of organic: While presenting the teaching on Mary (CCC 963-975), Mary is presented in relation to Jesus, the Church, the Holy Spirit, the life of faith, the Paschal Mystery, the resurrection of the dead, grace, and the list goes on!

Below are a number of quotations below from John Paul II’s Apostolic Exhortation titled: On Catechesis in Our Time (Catechesi Tradendae) (CT), which is quoted extensively by the General Directory for Catechesis as well as the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

All in all, it can be taken here that catechesis is an education of children, young people and adults in the faith, which includes especially the teaching of Christian doctrine imparted, generally speaking, in an organic and systematic way, with a view to initiating the hearers into the fullness of Christian life. (CT 18)

The specific character of catechesis, as distinct from the initial conversion-bringing proclamation of the Gospel, has the twofold objective of maturing the initial faith and of educating the true disciple of Christ by means of a deeper and more systematic knowledge of the person and the message of our Lord Jesus Christ. (CT 19)

In his closing speech at the Fourth General Assembly of the Synod, Pope Paul VI rejoiced ” to see how everyone drew attention to the absolute need for systematic catechesis, precisely because it is this reflective study of the Christian mystery that fundamentally distinguishes catechesis from all other ways of presenting the word of God” … I am stressing the need for organic and systematic Christian instruction because of the tendency in various quarters to minimize its importance. (CT 21)

Nor is any opposition to be set up between a catechesis taking life as its point of departure and a traditional, doctrinal and systematic catechesis.[52] Authentic catechesis is always an orderly and systematic initiation into the revelation that God has given of himself to humanity in Christ Jesus, a revelation stored in the depths of the Church’s memory and in Sacred Scripture, and constantly communicated from one generation to the next by a living active traditio. (CT 22)

Why?

We may ask the appropriate question: Why do the catechetical documents insist upon a systematic and organic catechesis?

When divine revelation is presented in this fashion, the student is able to better understand the big picture and see how each piece of the picture fits in its proper place.  This allows for greater ease of understanding and comprehension as previously learned truths shed light upon the truth at hand, which, in turn, leads to increased faithfulness (seeking holiness), which is the ultimate goal of Christian discipleship.  It also shows how the disciple cannot dispense from believing one doctrine without marring the integrity of all we believe.

On the contrary, when the Catholic Faith is presented in a merely topical fashion wherein the subjects from week to week in the catechumenate have no system that follows an order, the student is more prone to view Catholic doctrine as a smorgasbord of “beliefs.”

In Conclusion

The balancing act that the R.C.I.A. process must perform is this: It must present a systematic and organic catechesis while allowing for multiple points of entry and exit for participants.  We hope that the above video presentation with the accompanying handouts will give you, the viewer, a firm foundation to build from as you continually seek to improve and grow your own parish catechumenal process.

The viewer may also be interested in these related blog entries:

• 9-Month vs. Year-Round
• Catechesis in the Catechumenate
• Celebrations of the Word of God Held in Connection with Catechetical Instruction

Tags: 9-Month vs. Year-Round, Celebrations of the Word, Pastoral Formation, Systematic Catechesis
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Determining the Fact and Validity of Baptism

Posted on December 22nd, 2009

Baptism is a sacrament that is not repeated, once an individual has been validly baptized. For this reason, he or she would not be baptized again upon reception into full communion with the Church (see CIC 845, 864). When a person seeks to become a Catholic, one of the Church’s responsibilities is to determine whether or not the individual has been validly baptized. Because there are different understandings of and ways to administer Baptism among Christian communions, and a variety of record-keeping practices, the Church has a responsibility to determine that an individual who believes that he or she has been baptized was, in fact, validly baptized.

The Catholic Church recognizes the validity of Baptism by other Christian ecclesial communities when the proper matter and form are used and when both the baptizing minister and the person being baptized have the proper intention (CIC 869 § 2). Water is poured or the one or be baptized is immersed in water (the matter) (CIC 854; GI 18, 22), and the minister says, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (the form) (CIC 850; GI 23). The minister’s intention simply “to baptize” and the recipient’s intention (or, if an infant or child, his or her parents’ and godparents’ intention in his or her name), simply “to be baptized” is sufficient to meet this test, even if none of the parties had a full theological understanding of the sacrament of Baptism. [Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]

Tags: baptism
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8 Key Elements of Authentic Catechesis

Posted on September 15th, 2009

Ever wondered how to see if the catechesis in your catechumenal process is up to par?  Take a moment to see if it holds up the 8 Key Elements of Authentic Catechesis, as described below.

Key #1: Centered on Christ – (1 Cor 2:2)

“We must therefore say that in catechesis it is Christ, the Incarnate Word and Son of God, who is taught.  Everything else is taught with reference to him and it is Christ along who teaches.  Anyone else teaches to the extent that he is Christ’s spokesman, enabling Christ to teach with his lips.” (Pope John Paul II, On Catechesis in Our Time, #6)

Key #2: Systematic and Organic – (Acts 20:26-28)

“Authentic catechesis is always an orderly and systematic initiation into the revelation that God has given of himself to humanity in Christ Jesus, a revelation stored in the depths of the Church’s memory and in sacred Scripture, and constantly communicated from one generation to the next by a living active traditio.” (Pope John Paul II, On Catechesis in Our Time, #22)

Key #3: Associated with Life Experience – (1 John 1:1-4)

“No one can arrive at the whole truth on the basis solely of some simple private experience.  That is, to say without an adequate explanation [Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]

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Why Should a Spouse Not Serve as a Sponsor?

Posted on July 31st, 2009

Q. I would like to know why it is not recommended to use fiancées or spouses as sponsors.

A. Inquirers sometimes suggest a Catholic spouse, fiancé(e), or “significant other” to serve as godparent or sponsor.  It is not prohibited by the code of Canon Law or the ritual book, but it also is not advisable, even if they meet the canonical requirements.

The close emotional tie makes it difficult for the inquirer to freely choose to become a Catholic.  It also is difficult for the godparent or sponsor to remain objective if problems arise that threaten the conversion, such as doubts about a certain doctrine on the part of the person who is trying to decide whether to become Catholic.  There can be a temptation for the godparent or sponsor to not allow such a crisis to run its proper course, since he or she has so much stake in the person’s “successful” completion of the process.  The participant then is deprived of the disinterested advice and loving, but non-pressuring support that a godparent or sponsor should be providing.

A pastoral solution for inquirers is appointing a parish sponsor and inviting the spouse, fiancé(e), or “significant other” to accompany the inquirer to the catechetical sessions and liturgies.  Should a participant, however, then choose the spouse/fiancé(e)/”significant other” as a godparent before the Rite of Election (which cannot be prohibited), the leader might suggest that the participant choose the parish sponsor as another godparent, canonically permissible so long as both godparents are not of the same sex.

Tags: Sponsors
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Christian Fellowship is Foundational

Posted on July 16th, 2009

The testimony of Christian living means that fellowship and love should be tangibly present from the first contact with inquirers.  Catholicism is emphatically not a “me and Jesus” form of the Christian faith.  The task is not to lead people into some vague state called “being a Christian,” but to invite them to become Catholics.

Pope Paul VI has written that, for Catholics, evangelization is not “an individual and isolated act; it is one that is deeply ecclesial” (Evangelization in the Modern World, 60) and that “the community of believers… is the Church, the visible sacrament of salvation” (23).  For this reason, Christian fellowship is called the foundational means of entering in to the mystery of Christ, and the RCIA ritual book stipulates that the “initiation of catechumens… takes place within the community of the faithful” (RCIA 4).  Catholic evangelization is aimed at making someone a member of the Body of Christ and [Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]

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Questions and Answers About Catholicism

Posted on June 16th, 2009

On a Catholic website named Phatmass (that’s “phat” appended to “Mass”), there is an online forum (which the site intentionally spells “phorum”) where anyone can ask just about any question about the Catholic faith and receive a solid answer in little to no time.

Perhaps you can use this online resource as an RCIA Team to solicit answers to those questions participants ask that you don’t quite know the answer to.  Or, maybe you want to send the link directly to the RCIA participants themselves, so they can ask questions online between your RCIA sessions… In any case, the link to go to is as follows:

http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showforum=13

Tags: Questions and Answers
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Tabs for Your Copy of the RCIA

Posted on June 15th, 2009

RCIA Ritual Book Tabs
Association for Catechumenal Ministry
Distributed by Liturgy Training Publications
(Order Code: RCIABT)
To Order by Phone: (800) 933-1800
Orders outside U.S. & Canada: (773) 486-5630
Price: $5.00 ea. – Purchase Online

Much like tabs for your Bible, these tabs have been specifically designed for the United States edition of the R.C.I.A. ritual book – whether your copy of the R.C.I.A. is published by Liturgy Training Publications, Liturgical Press, or Catholic Book Publishing Company.

This multicolor tabs (each color is for a different part of the R.C.I.A.) allow you to quickly find what you need when you need it without having to constantly rely upon the table of contents.  We recommend purchasing a set of tabs for each member of your parish R.C.I.A. team.

You wouldn’t believe how much time and energy you will save in the long run with something as simple as a set of reference tabs for your ritual book!

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Catholics Come Home

Posted on June 2nd, 2009

Screenshot of CatholicsComeHome.org

In the R.C.I.A. process, we often minister to individuals who were baptized Catholic, but have yet to receive both their First Holy Communion and Confirmation.  Also, many of those involved in the R.C.I.A. process (whether they be coordinators, team members, sponsors, or participants) know of Catholics who are currently inactive or perhaps come to Mass on occassion.

CatholicsComeHome.org is a website created for an exciting initiative wherein Catholics Come Home (a non-profit organization) is airing television commercials on Prime Time TV in select dioceses.  Soon, these commercials will air nationally in the United States and then in other countries (e.g. Australia) as well.  This website address is promptly displayed during the entire television advertisement, directing viewers to visit the site on the Internet.

This website is beautifully designed with video through Adobe Flash technology as well as audio clips.  On the website, you may view the television advertisements and find a great deal and variety of online resources for inactive Catholics as well as for those who are not Catholic.

[Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]

Tags: websites
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The Digital Shepherd: Online Catholic Forums

Posted on May 26th, 2009

With the advent of the Internet, several very good and trustworthy Catholic forums have emerged online.  These are online communities wherein people create “posts” and are able to hold conversations.  This provides an online Catholic community that can assist the formation of your RCIA participants 24/7, at no additional financial cost to you.  These forums also help RCIA participants enter into conversations with a great diversity of Catholics, around the globe, opening them up to the catholicity of the Church.

If you have any RCIA participants who are adept at using the Internet, you may want to introduce them to the forums at the website at Catholic-Convert.com.  The exact web address is forums.catholic-convert.com.  Upon visiting the website, you need not register to read the online conversations, but if you want to ask a question or contribute to an online conversation, simply click the Register link at the top of the website to create a free account.

[Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]

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Preparing for Catechetical Sessions

Posted on May 22nd, 2009

The Christian initiation process is such a fundamental activity of the parish that the pastor and RCIA leader should ensure that everything possible is done, within the available resources of the parish, to ensure that the setting for catechetical sessions is appropriate for adult learners and that they have the resources to learn.  Elements that are helpful in RCIA catechesis include:

The most appropriate day of the week and time of the day.
The experience of each parish will determine the specific times that most potential inquirers are available.  It is possible that, if there is a sufficient number of participants, more than one time period can be made available, especially if Sunday afternoons can be offered as well as one, perhaps two, evenings a week.  The demand for meeting space in most parishes is high, and the needs of other organizations must also be taken into account by the pastor and RCIA leader.

[Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]

Tags: Environment, Preparation
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