What Is the RCIA Supposed to Be?
Posted on August 20th, 2008
Download and read the PDF article titled: To the Threshold and to the Fullness: What Is the RCIA Supposed to Be? to read a general introduction to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
A quote from the above article:
“The intention of the following paragraphs is to open a discussion on the nature of catechumenal ministry – that work of God and his people which seeks to invite and initiate new members into the Mystical Body of Christ… In this article, the RCIA process will be examined from three distinct aspects: liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral. It is useful to discuss the nature and scope of each period of the process in light of these three aspects. All three are equally important. It is an injustice to those considering or seeking union with Holy Mother Church to be unambiguously catechetical to the detriment of the liturgical aspect, or be wonderfully pastoral despite poor catechesis. In order for the catechumenate to be what it has the potential to be, RCIA leaders can benefit greatly from understanding the implications of its liturgical, catechetical, and pastoral dimensions to make available the fullness of the process as intended by the Church.”
Tags: Introduction to the RCIA
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The Ecclesial Method
Posted on August 18th, 2008
The Ecclesial Method is a method of carrying out catechesis that is rooted deeply in our Catholic tradition, which can be used effectively within the parish catechumenate. This blog entry will give a very practical and brief overview of the method so that the reader will be able to become familiar with the method and use it in his/her own parish RCIA catechesis.
The 5 Stages of the Ecclesial Method:
1. Preparation
2. Proclamation
3. Explanation
4. Application
5. Celebration
The RCIA Catechist’s Manual (from the On the Journey Series distributed by Liturgy Training Publications) follows this method in its outline for each catechetical session.
Step 1 – Preparation
This first step is calculated disengagement. The individuals coming to the catechetical session have their own worries, preoccupations, excitements, griefs, and anxieties. So, the first thing we want to do is to prepare the minds and hearts of our students for the truth God wishes to feed them today in our session. We want to put them in the right frame of mind, to be docile to what the Holy Spirit wishes to do in the hour or so to follow as they receive the catechesis. [Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]
Tags: Ecclesial Method
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Liturgical Elements of the Catechumenate
Posted on August 15th, 2008
Download and read the PDF article titled: Grace Elevating Nature: Liturgical Elements of the RCIA Catechumenate Period to discover the liturgical elements of the Christian initiation process.
A quote from the above article:
“The Christian initiation process is intended to be fundamentally liturgical. Participants need and have a right to the grace that flows from the font of the Church’s liturgy as it is made available to them as catechumens and candidates prior to full communion. This grace is an indispensable aid to conversion and the means by which they inter into intimate union with Christ and his Church. The steps towards this intimate union can be referred to as the major rites of the RCIA process – the gateways through which participants knowingly and freely decide to pass in their journey towards the divine consummation of the holy Eucharist. Supporting these major rites are various minor rites, some belonging to the period of the catechumenate and others to the period of purification and enlightenment.”
Tags: Liturgical Rites
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Catechesis in the Catechumenate
Posted on August 4th, 2008
Download and read the PDF article titled: The Standard of Teaching: Catechesis in the RCIA Catechumenate Period to find the answer to the question: What do I teach and when should I teach it?
A quote from the above article:
“Catechesis cannot be considered systematic and organic solely because it covers a great deal of material or is lengthy. A defining characteristic of a systematic and organic catechesis is its presentation according to the hierarchy of truths (see CCC 90, 234; GDC 114-115). Participants need to understand certain truths first in order to be able to understand others, and as catechesis proceeds, each truth needs to be linked to those taught previously.”
An example: In their catechesis, the catechumens and candidates must come to understand the person and work of Jesus before they explore the Marian dogmas. Then, when Mary is presented, her Immaculate Conception, Perpetual Virginity, Divine Motherhood, and Assumption are shown to have relevance insofar as to who her Divine Son is and what his plan is for her. “What the Catholic faith believes about Mary is based on what it believes about Christ, and what it teaches about Mary illumines in turn its faith in Christ” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, #487).
Related Blog Entry
Also, see the blog entry titled: “Analyzing Doctrines – What to Teach“
Tags: Systematic Catechesis
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Breaking Open the Word – What Is It?
Posted on July 25th, 2008
What has become known as “Breaking Open the Word” is found in RCIA 67.
67. After the dismissal formulary, the group of catechumens goes out but does not disperse. With the help of some of the faithful, the catechumens remain together to share their joy and spiritual experiences.
The Rite of dismissal is not an end in itself, but a means to move the catechumens (unbaptized) and perhaps candidates (baptized) (see RCIA 406) to a place where they can be spiritually fed. Though they cannot yet come to the table of the Eucharist, Mother Church still has an obligation to feed those who have entered into a relationship with her through the Rites of Acceptance and Welcoming (celebrated recently). This obligation is fulfilled by sending them out to dwell more richly on the Word of God that they have just heard at Mass.
His Word is their only food during this period. Participants depart from the Mass with one or several RCIA team members, godparents, and sponsors to go out to discuss the readings for that Sunday and experience more fully the impact of the Scriptures in their lives. While the congregation is being nourished by Jesus in the Eucharist, those seeking to join us at the sacred table are being nourished by Jesus in the sacred words of Scripture.
The session is not catechetical in its intent; it follows from the liturgical experience, and concludes approximately when the Mass concludes. Breaking Open the Word sessions are not opportunities for the delivery of a prepared catechesis. It is to be a facilitated reflection upon the content of the Liturgy of Word for that Sunday, and opportunity for each participant to actively engage the Scriptural text and to be fed by that encounter with the Word.
Tags: Breaking Open the Word
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