The Catechetical Review - Communicating Christ for a New Evangelization

RCIA: Letters to Julie

Authored by Teresa Kehoe in Issue #34.1 of The Sower
Dear Teresa, I have been asked to run our parish RCIA, as the person who leads it has moved away. She left some details saying that the group meets once a week on a Monday night. They come in, she explains a doctrine to them, they talk about it for a while and then go home. Wouldn’t it just be easier for my priest to give them instruction? That’s what happens in my old parish. Julie Dear Julie, Thank you for your question. The way RCIA is delivered in parishes varies a lot. So, how do we know what we should be doing? The best way is to look to what the Church teaches. The restoration of the ancient catechumenal process (called for in five documents of the Second Vatican Council!), is a reflection of the Church’s wisdom in going back to a tried and true practice in order to lovingly bring people into her fold.[i] Why did the bishops so strongly desire a restoration of the Rite of Christian Initiation? Why not continue to rely on individual instruction by a priest to receive those interested in becoming Catholic or completing their initiation through Confirmation and first Holy Communion? Bringing adults into the Church through RCIA is a very ancient practice of the Church. We know this because well known saints of the 4th to the 6th centuries (St Augustine of Hippo and St Leo the Great to name but two) described what they said and did in writing, so we have first hand knowledge of their catechumenal processes. Please note Julie, RCIA was and is a process.

The rest of this online article is available for current subscribers.

Start your subscription today!


This article is from The Sower and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of Maryvale Institute. Contact [email protected]

Articles from the Most Recent Issue

Editor's Reflections: Remaining in a Position of Encounter
By Dr. James Pauley
Free I began professional work in the Church at the age of eighteen. I had experienced a profound personal conversion in high school, had taken my first steps as a missionary disciple, and was growing in the Christian life. So, my pastor offered me a job as a parish youth minister. Looking back, this is not the path I would recommend—for a high school... Read more
Catechetical Administration: A Participation in the Work of Jesus Christ
By Dr. Chris Burgwald
The vast majority of catechists today take part in this essential ministry in the life and mission of the Church for a simple yet significant reason: they have a passion for handing on our faith, for doing their part to form vibrant, radical disciples of Jesus Christ. They burn with a missionary zeal to lead and accompany others—men, women,... Read more
Resting to Endure the Race
By Bobby Angel
Free Tiredness. Little support. Overwhelm. Dryness in prayer. Lack of fruit. Anyone who has served in ministry in any capacity for any amount time has likely experienced some stage of exhaustion, disillusionment, or even burnout. The work of ministry in the name of the Lord—be it as a parish catechist, a schoolteacher, a hidden IT worker, or a customer... Read more

Pages

Watch Tutorial Videos

We've put together several quick and easy tutorial videos to show you how to use this website.

Watch Now