Nick Wagner is the cofounder and codirector of TeamRCIA.com.
Many of us on parish catechumenate teams have been stuck in a school mindset for far too long. We’ve gotten comfortable with the school model — where there are teachers and students, a defined curriculum, and a clear beginning and end to the process. But Pope Francis is calling us to embrace a new paradigm, […]
Moving from teachers to accompanists in the catechumenate process
As parish catechumenate ministers, we have the privilege of accompanying catechumens on their journey of faith. This process of initiation is a profound gift not only for the catechumens themselves, but for the entire parish community. Free download: Best practices for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults The dismissal of the catechumens A key
The power of the dismissal: Catechumens as teachers in the church
As I’m writing this, we are about two weeks away from the Triduum. And — spoiler alert — Jesus is risen! It seems like everything has spoiler alerts attached to it these days. The ubiquity of social media has caused many of us to avoid all our screens after the big game that we recorded
Let the mysteries speak for themselves: A pedagogy of silence
Is this your first year in catechumenate ministry? Or are you a long-time veteran that is beginning to feel a little burned out? Serving as a leader within your parish’s catechumenate process can feel like an incredibly daunting responsibility. Accompanying seekers on their journey of faith can be taxing. While this is a spiritually fulfilling
Rethinking “success” in catechumenate ministry
When the revised Roman Missal was published in 2011, it contained this rubric: “If the anointing of the adults with the Oil of Catechumens has not taken place beforehand, as part of the immediately preparatory rites, it occurs at this moment” (“Easter Vigil” 48). However, this contradicts the rubric in the Rite of Christian Initiation
Have you anointed your catechumens yet?
Every year, as we get closer to the Rite of Election, a lot of questions about godparents start to surface. When we are talking about catechumens, the roles of “sponsor” and “godparent” are different. And just to make things a little confusing, when we talk about infants, confirmation candidates, or baptized candidates for reception into
Understanding the role of godparents in the catechumenate
One of our most vital tasks as catechumenate ministers is forming seekers in living a penitential life. “Penance” and “penitential” have a lot of meanings in Catholic teaching. We sometimes use the words “reconciliation” and “confession” interchangeably with “penance,” especially when we are talking about the sacrament of penance. My goal in this article is
More than just confession: Principles for living a penitential life
Every second and third year in parishes across the country, pastors and liturgical leaders ask, “Why can’t we use the Year B/C readings for the scrutinies this year?” It’s an understandable question. After all, the Sunday assembly would get to hear the important readings they are missing from the B or C cycle. Surely Year
Why the Year A readings for the scrutinies matter for making disciples
A blessing is God’s loving action that invites us into deeper relationship with him. We respond by praising God and seeking to bless others in our daily lives. Any baptized person can speak words of blessing. As catechists, we should model offering simple blessings as part of ordinary Catholic life. When catechumens see us blessing
Advent is a good time to think about the dignity and meaning of names. The stories of Advent remind us that names hold deep meaning: Jesus was named by the angel before his birth (Luke 1:31), John was named by Zechariah after he regained his speech (Luke 1:13, 63-64), and Elizabeth and Mary recognized each
The sacredness of our God-given names
