The Gospel Message in the Precatechumenate
Posted on July 31st, 2008
RCIA 38 says we are “to give the candidates a suitable explanation of the Gospel.” Likewise, RCIA 42 says that before someone passes from the first period of Precatechumenate into the Catechumenate, “the fundamentals of Christian teaching” should have “taken root in the candidates.”
The Gospel and the fundamentals of Christian teaching includes the following:
♦ Trinity and Creation – God is Trinity and creates out of his divine love
♦ Divine Revelation – God speaks to us so we may know his will
♦ Man and Woman – We are made in the image of God (Lat. Imago Dei)
♦ Sin – We have separated ourselves from God through our own free will
♦ From Adam to Jesus – God has been working to save us through the covenants
♦ Jesus Christ – In the final and definitive covenant, God became man!
♦ Paschal Mystery – Jesus saves us through his Suffering, Death, Resurrection and Ascension
♦ Pentecost – Sitting on his heavenly throne, Jesus sends the Holy Spirit; the Church is born
♦ Life in Christ – Jesus frees us from our sin and brings us true joy in holiness
♦ The 4 Last Things – We will die and be judged; heaven and hell are the only two final destinations
The above bullet points serve as an outline of what is known by different names: The Story, The Narratio, or Salvation History. The General Directory for Catechesis says, “In Patristic catechesis, the narration (narratio) of the wonderful deeds of God and the awaiting (expectatio) of Christ’s return always accompanied the exposition of the mysteries of faith” (#107). [Click here to read the rest of this entry… » ]
Tags: The Gospel
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The Acclamations from Scripture
Posted on July 29th, 2008
Q. What are the acclamations from Scripture for in Appendix II of the RCIA manual?
A. The acclamations are found in the RCIA text (see RCIA 595). They are provided for RCIA leaders to make use of in Celebrations of the Word (Liturgies of the Word, see RCIA 81-89), normally following the “Alleluia” in preparation for the proclamation of the Gospel reading.
Tags: Acclamations
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9-Month vs. Year-Round
Posted on July 25th, 2008
Q. What are several reasons that a nine-month RCIA program is problematic? What are some suggestions for a parish planning to move to a year-round RCIA process?
A. Nine-months (i.e., the school-year model) is often too brief, especially for catechumens (see RCIA 76-77, National Statutes 6) to accomplish a thoroughly comprehensive formation envision by the Church. As well, because of the lack of time, the period of purification and enlightenment often gets appropriated as time to continue to try to unfold the Deposit of Faith (largely indistinguishable from the preceding catechumenate period), which is not what is envisioned by the RCIA text (see RCIA 139). This short period of time also fosters the temptation to try to get participants to all “finish up” by Easter, and to go through the Rites always as a group, rather than allowing individuals to freely discern their own readiness without the pressure of a calendar. Finally, a nine-month program is often not open, welcoming, or well-suited to inquirers who approach the parish at “inconvenient” times of the year. Most parishes that have developed the year-round process implied in the RCIA text have done so incrementally, after some years of living with the nine-month model while they worked to develop a team capable of offering a year-round catechumenate. Once implemented, a year-round process usually features a precatechumenate team (which may be as simple as a married couple who offers a Bible study, suited to inquirers, that is always open to newcomers, or as complex as a multiple-member team that provides much more diverse pastoral attention). Once an inquirer decides to go through the Rite of Acceptance or the Rite of Welcoming, then that he or she would transition to a new team – the catechumenate team, which would shepherd the person all the way through mystagogy. Some parishes develop a neophyte team as well, which, again, might be as simple as an in-home weekly or bi-weekly Bible study, a couple of people from the catechumenate team who meet once a month with neophytes, or more complex full-team experience. One of the basic challenges is to ensure that at least something, even if it is not ideal, is available over the summer, and that in some way inquirers can be helped at whatever point in the year God sends them to the parish. The call is to be willing to move incrementally in the right direction, step by step, always depending prayerfully on the provision of the Lord for your parish situation.
Tags: 9-Month vs. Year-Round
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What About Annulments?
Posted on July 25th, 2008
Q. When should an RCIA director seek to learn if any participants have potential annulment issues? What are the first couple steps that must taken regarding an annulment?
A. Annulment issues need to be identified as early as possible, for the sake of beginning the annulment process for those whose living situations might call for pastoral scrutiny, and for the sake of allowing a participant to move forward to sacramental initiation, if possible, in a timely fashion commensurate with their readiness and desire to become a Catholic.
The first steps are to conduct a private interview to determine the need for an annulment, and the nature of the case. The pastor, if not conducting the initial interview personally, should be involved as soon as a case comes to light. While taking the time to ensure a participant understands the Catholic Church’s teachings regarding annulments, the initial interview should in no way impart a false hope or make any promises about the outcome of a case, however well intentioned. Beyond this, a pastor should assist the participant in assembling a package for the diocesan tribunal, and encourage the RCIA team to be attentive to the pastoral needs and sensitivities inherent in annulment cases that impact a participant’s likelihood of sacramental participation.
Tags: Annulments
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Dismissal of Candidates?
Posted on July 25th, 2008
Q. Is it acceptable and/or desirable to dismiss candidates along with the catechumens for “Breaking Open the Word”?
A. There is a certain value of liturgical purity that is validly argued by those who advocate only dismissing the unbaptized catechumens. This recognizes that catechumens, lacking Baptism, are not yet joined to Christ sacramentally, and would greatly benefit from the additional spiritual nourishment that the Church can offer at the table of the Word of God, as they prepare to join the community at the Eucharistic table. The other side of this issue notes that, although baptized, the candidates cannot partake of the Eucharist either, and so would also benefit from deepening their experience of the Sunday readings in this special way. The RCIA text allows for this discernment of pastoral need, without directly calling for candidates to join the catechumens in the dismissal Rite (see RCIA 83 and 406).
Tags: Breaking Open the Word
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Initiation Outside the Vigil?
Posted on July 25th, 2008
Q. Can baptized Christians be received into the Church outside of the Easter Vigil?
A. Yes. It is in some cases encouraged (see RCIA 409 and National Statutes 20-21, 31-34).
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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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Vatican II and the Catechumenate?
Posted on July 24th, 2008
Q. How many documents of Vatican Council II contain references to the restoration of the catechumenate?
A. Five documents of the Council address the issue: the Constitution on Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum Concilium), the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium), the Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops (Christus Dominus), the Decree on Ministry of Priests (Presbyterorum Ordinis), and the Decree on Mission Activity of the Church (Ad Gentes).
Tags: Vatican II
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