Initial Interviw:

We do the initial interviews in my home so that my husband and I can make the

inquirers feel comfortable and welcome before they come to their first RCIA

session. This way they don't have to walk into a room full of strangers.

Submitted by Mary O'Brien

St. Mary, South Amboy

May 2000

RCIA Mass Presentation:

The following is a presentation made at all Masses at St. Jude, Blairstown about RCIA.

Thank you Father Smith for affording me the opportunity to speak about RCIA. I am Doug Merkler and I am the RCIA Coordinator.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) was the last of the sacramental rites revised after Vatican Council II. It is a restoration of the ancient practice of initiation into the church: a process of discerning and ritualizing stages of conversion leading to sacramental initiation through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist. The sacraments are celebrated at the Easter vigil, thus empowering men and women for lives of service, charity, and justice as witnesses to the reign of God.

The RCIA is not a program but a sacramental process that is an integral and critical component of the larger life-long process of conversion. The RCIA exists to address the needs of adults who wish to continue that conversion as members of our Catholic community. This includes folks who are un-baptized, baptized in other faiths, baptized Catholics who wish to actively resume their conversion, and anyone who wishes to learn more about Jesus Christ and the richness, beauty, love and forgiveness offered through His Catholic Church. This is accomplished through the involvement of the St. Jude RCIA Team comprised of inquiry ministers, sponsors and catechists, our Pastor Father Smith, and with the support and prayers of the members of our parish community.

I mentioned previously that the RCIA is part of a life-long conversion process. Conversion is transformative involving a change in every aspect of the individual's life. True conversion can only come about when we as individuals choose to look beyond ourselves toward a relationship with God and seek to conform our lives to His Will. And as with everything else, God effects the change; we simply facilitate through our cooperation. That is why I don't believe that Jesus' is committed to changing human society and its institutions directly, but instead to changing the heart and mind of each of us. And this is at the center of conversion.

Usually we are reluctant to fully cooperate with The Lord in our conversion since it requires us to surrender ourselves, something very unnatural. This fact is evident when we look at the conversion experiences of some famous Christians.

When we set out," recalled Jack, "I did not believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and when we reached the zoo, I did. Yet I had not exactly spent the journey in thought. Not in great emotion . . . It was more like when a man, after long sleep, still lying motionless in bed, becomes aware that he is now awake . . ."

This is C.S. Lewis' 1931 account (from Through the Shadowlands) of his conversion, a man who as an atheist discounted Christianity as myth only to later discover its truth and to become arguably one of the greatest Christian writers of the 20th century.

Lord, will you never be content? Must we always taste your vengeance? Forget the long record of our sins . . .

I was asking myself these questions, weeping all the while with the most bitter sorrow in my heart, when all at once I heard the sing-song voice of a child in a near-by house. Whether it was the voice of a boy or a girl I cannot say, but again and again it repeated the refrain 'take it and read, take it and read'. I stemmed my flood of tears and stood up, telling myself that this could only be a divine command to open my book of Scripture and read the first passage on which my eyes should fall . . . I seized it and opened it, and in silence I read the first passage on which my eyes fell: Not in revelling and drunkenness not in lust and wantonness, not in quarrels and rivalries. Rather, arm yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ; spend no more thought on nature and nature's appetites. I had no wish to read more and no need to do so. For in an instant, as I came to the end of the sentence, it was as though the light of confidence flooded into my heart and all the darkness of doubt was dispelled.

This is St. Augustine's account (from Confessions) of his conversion at age of 31, a transformation from a life of paganism to becoming one of the great Fathers of the Church.

And of course there is the account in ACTS of the APOSLES of the dramatic conversion of St. Paul on his way to Damascus, to continue his persecution of the early Church, this after his participation in the murder of St. Stephen the first Christian martyr.

The point of my relating these accounts is that while our own conversion stories are not as notorious as this they are no less significant in Our Lord's mind. We remember and hold these people in high regard because their conversion experiences led them to use their respective gifts in the service of God throughout their lives. And so are we called. And all that is required to be an effective RCIA participant is a willingness to share one's personal story and insights. One does not need formal training nor the gift of eloquence, nor does one need to be concerned that he or she has been unable to fully live up to Christ's commandments.

The RCIA group will meet for approximately an hour and a half every Sunday after the 8:45am Mass. Our first RCIA session will be on September 17. If you are a St. Jude parishoner who knows someone who is interested in becoming Catholic or learning more about our faith, or would like to participate as an RCIA Team member in some capacity please call Father Smith or me. Contact information is in the bulletin.

Thank you and God Bless!

Submitted by Doug Merkler

St. Jude, Blairstown

Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens: Implications for Understanding Church, Ministry and Sacrament

Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens

One of my former students from RU, who is pursuing her Masters in Divinity and Pastoral Theology, has been published through the department of theology at Boston College. Her topic is RCIA, the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens, and its Implications for church, ministry, and sacrament.

It's well done, concise, and thoughtful...check it out when you have a chance... (not that I'm proud of her or anything)

Submitted by Rev. Msgr. Joseph Celano

Precious Objects

Making sacramental symbols come alive

To truly understand Catholic sacraments, the candidates need to appreciate that the objects, words, and actions that take place in the sacramental rites are more than what they seem. In particular they are "symbols", not in the everyday sense that they represent something that they are not, but in the sense that they make present an unseen reality for those who have the eyes of faith.

At St. John Vianney we have found a technique that is quite effective and helps the candidates to understand this concept. We call this session - "Precious Objects". What we do is to ask the candidates to bring with them to the next session some "precious object" in their life. We don't give examples of what this might be, but we let the candidates decide for themselves what is a "precious object" for them. We tell them that it is important that they bring this "precious object" with them to the next session. We as team also bring our "precious objects" to that session.

At the next session, we ask each candidate and team member to "show and tell" the "precious object" that they have brought with them. We are always amazed at what happens during this "show and tell". The objects that are brought in are quite diverse, including religious objects like statues or rosary beads, jewelry, pictures and paintings, childhood blankets, etc. But in each case, what makes the object "precious" to the person is it's connection to another person in their life, to a special time and place, to a relationship. As each person explains why this is a precious object to them, the emotions connected to that person, time and place, to that special relationship in their life comes out powerfully. In telling the story, they become so connected to the relationship represented by the object that you cannot fail to see how special that relationship was/is in their life.

Next we use these exchange of stories to introduce and explain "symbols" in sacraments. Since most of these objects are ordinary - some are even old and worn out - we begin our discussion by making them aware of how the objects are not what they seem to be. For example,

To Ann, the gold pin is not just an old piece of jewelry, but it is makes present to her the special relationship she had with her grandmother. As she talked about her "precious object", her grandmother was so present to her that even we could feel the love in her words and emotions. The pin not only reminds Ann of her grandmother, but it makes her present and alive at this moment, in this place!

We use these "precious object" stories to explain that this is exactly what the sacramental "symbols" are about.

To someone without faith, the water we pour at baptism is just water. But, to someone with faith this water makes present Jesus who is washing away our sins. Jesus is made present by the words and actions of the sacrament. The sacramental symbols are more than they seems to be! They are God's action in our lives.

We continue to connect the "precious object" stories of the candidates to the reality of sacramental symbols.

In the sacrament of the Mass, the Eucharist may still appear to be ordinary bread and wine, but they have been transformed into the body and blood of Jesus "present and alive at this very moment, at this very place". It does not simply "remind us" of what Jesus said and did, it brings that moment, that person of Jesus, here on our altars, in our churches, in ourselves as we "take and eat". It becomes the most "precious object" in our lives. Each of the sacraments, with the "symbols" we use, make present the "unseen reality" of God's presence in our lives....

We have found this to be a powerful way to introduce sacramental symbols that we can continue to use over and over again as we talk about sacraments throughout the RCIA journey. We have also found that it opens them up to be able to talk more freely now that they have shared some strong personal relationship in their life with each other.

Submitted by Deacon Joe Ragucci

St. John Vianney Parish, Colonia

Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens:

Implications for Understanding Church, Ministry and Sacrament

Jean-Marie Dimech

The Rites of Initiation manifest a renewed and vigorous theology of church, ministry and sacrament. The RCIA sheds light upon how Roman Catholics can profitably understand today what the church is, what Christian ministry is about and the meaning and purpose of the church's sacraments and liturgy. To explore these dimensions of the rites, the present study will focus intently on some specific rituals connected to receiving the candidates contained in the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens. Taking parts of the rite each in turn, one can extricate many implications for understanding the three areas mentioned above. Neither is the rite limited to or constrained by these theological and pastoral implications, nor are these areas of theology exhausted by the rite. Therefore the parameters of this investigation encompass areas where these intersect. Engaging in this process, one can evaluate the benefits and limitations of these implications for the current context in which the church finds herself.

The Rite of Acceptance begins outside the main gathering space of the church building where the candidates, sponsors and community members assemble (RCIA 48). Though they have not yet crossed the physical and spiritual threshold into the church, her members stand in solidarity supporting the candidates. This picture of church implies that faith in Christ is never private and that the church is a group of people in constant conversion, building up one another: "[the candidates] ...do not simply experience first faith or conversion in solitude, but come to recognize that they are being invited to ecclesial faith and to participation in a body of believers, all of whom are on a journey of conversion" (Hughes 6). The conversion process the candidates undergo should epitomize the same process always taking place in the church, which means that the community should normally be encouraged to enter into conversion. This illustrates that the order of the catechumens functions as a body of ministers calling the rest of the community to constant conversion: "...catechumens together form a corporate presence that discharges a true ministry in the Church by witnessing constantly to the Church her need for continuing conversion in Christ. In this catechumens share in the building up of the Church..." (Kavanagh 112). Here ministry and agency open up to include people who lack full membership in the community. Church would thus be an authentic community with whom the candidates want to be in union.

In the Greeting (49) the presider may speak of the candidates' spiritual paths thus far. For this to happen authentically, the pastor needs to know them personally: "The presumption is that the presider of this rite knows the candidates individually, has listened to their stories, values their individual responses to God's initiative in their lives and is able to speak a word from the heart as he invites them to come forward" (Hughes 7). In order to do this he needs to be intimately involved in the period of evangelization and inquiry, which may need to leave the realm of the parish basement to flourish. This implies that his pastoral ministry encompasses a great deal more than that of a "sacramental dispenser." He cannot simply leave "the rest of it," meaning what is traditionally understood as nonsacramental ministry, to the lay ministers in the parish. This gives a collaborative picture of ministry in the church where collegiality maintains sway over hierarchical authoritarianism and isolationism. This can also lead to a breaking open of the understanding of sacrament to include rites, people, activities and other elements located outside of the seven traditional sacraments. In truth, it can point to the understanding that nonsacramental ministry is a contradiction in terms. All parish ministries are sacramental insofar as they communicate Jesus' presence and God's grace.

Two elements in the Opening Dialogue (50), the giving of names and the statements of intentions, imply a picture of church that balances unity with diversity. The candidates should give their names one at a time and present their intentions in a personal manner. This signifies the individual honor and importance of each person. Thus the church is not a conglomerate of people who speak with one voice from a solitary perspective. Rather, the diversity of the body serves its holistic functioning. Stated differently, the individual is not lost, but in-corp-orated: brought into the body that is the church. To live this, the church community should provide various types of extra-liturgical activities and ministries that honor diversity yet inject "communion" with "union."

In the first prayer option during the Candidates First Acceptance of the Gospel (52a) the celebrant says, "You have followed God's light..." The assembled community thus recognizes that God has already started working in the lives of the candidates prior to the first inquiry session. This implies an understanding of church as a body of people who do not possess God and give God to others; on the contrary, God possesses the church and gives the community one another to share. In effect, it implies a church who lets God be God and who regularly explores together the wisdom in other traditions and in quarters outside the parish community.

After the candidates affirm their acceptance of the Gospel, the sponsors and the assembly affirm the candidates' acceptance and agree to help them "find and follow Christ" (53). As Kavanagh states, "Christian initiation through the catechumenate should be taken care of not only by catechists or priests, but by the entire community of the faithful, especially by the sponsors" (111). Here the sponsors and assembly undertake an awesome and privileged responsibility, and once again the understanding of ministry in the church breaks open to include the priesthood of all believers. This understanding can and should meet with an attitude of honor and openness towards lay ministry in the parish.

During the Signing of the Candidates with the Cross (54-56), the cross is signed on the forehead and over the senses of the candidates by their sponsors while the presider prays different formulas. After each signing, the assembly responds in sung acclamation. All present are highly involved in this action by which the church admits the candidates to the order of catechumens. This is a ritual high point of rich sensation that highlights at least one important understanding of sacrament. The ritual action of signing with the cross expresses the manifested presence of Christ, who really and actually strengthens the recipient. The symbolic action allows those present to participate in the deeper reality of what Christ is doing in the catechumens' lives. It is not a magic act by which Christ is compelled by the church to strengthen the recipient. Christ is in fact strengthening them and the ritual gestures and words allow those gathered to enter into His work. People do not effect ritual; ritual effects people. The signing implies this basic sacramental understanding, an understanding which should be made expressly available in the doing.

Though this study does not investigate all of the individual rituals within the Rite of Acceptance to the Order of Catechumens, one can see that each ritual in turn provides an opportunity to glimpse a helpful picture of church, ministry and sacrament. Taken together as a whole, one can also make general observations about the rite that point to further understandings. From the outset, celebrating this rite well necessitates a certain extent of communication and collaboration across parish ministries. It requires time and study. One thus understands ministry as flourishing and best answering God's call when done according to charism, collaboratively and in an atmosphere of colleagueship. Ministers should receive pertinent education and leadership training, and they should have the freedom to spend a great deal of time in preparation. Finally, the rite encourages flexibility on the part of the ministers involved. The rite lists many optional rituals and texts to use, showing ritual malleability. This encourages the understanding that liturgical rites and celebrations need to be suited to the people, not vice versa. Liturgy and sacrament do not create reality, they celebrate reality.

Works Cited

Hughes, Kathleen. "Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens." In Celebrating the Rites of Adult Initiation: Pastoral Reflections, ed. Victoria Tufano. Chicago: Liturgy Training Publications, 1992.

Kavanagh, Aidan. The Shape of Baptism: The Rite of Christian Initiation. Collegeville, Minnesota: The Liturgical Press, 1991.

National Conference of Catholic Bishops. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Chicago: LiturgyTraining Publications, 1988.

Purification Prayer Cards

At St. Anthony's we use "prayer cards" (TBS) to increase the involvement of the parish community in the RCIA journey. These cards come out on Ash Wednesday, and we ask the parishioners to take them, pray for the person, and return the card(s) by Palm Sunday. We then give these cards to the catechumens / candidates at the Easter Vigil. Each card has the name of one of the catechumens / candidates. Note that the wording on the cards is slightly different depending on whether the person is a catechumen or candidate. These have become very popular and seem to be a good way to involve all the parishioners in the RCIA process. Next year we hope to scan their pictures onto the cards as another way of making the proces more intimate and meaningful.

Submitted by Sue Ringwood
St. Anthony Parish, Port Reading
 

Purification and Enlightenment

St. Francis Cathedral

Only those elect and candidates who will be receiving sacraments at the Easter Vigil, participate in the period of purification and enlightenment. If there are catechumens or candidates who will not be ready to receive sacraments at the Easter Vigil, they should be separated at this point, and they will continue in the catechumenate period.

The period of purification and enlightenment is a time of intense spiritual preparation that occurs during Lent (RCIA,138-139). The goal and focus of catechesis during the Lenten period is different than the period of the catechumenate. The form of catechesis changes dramatically. This period should have the character of a time of retreat for the elect and for the candidates who will complete their initiation. (Liturgical and Canonical Statutes for RCIA, pg. 13) This is a time of prayer and reflection. This is not the time to cover materials that may have been forgotten during the catechumenate. It is a time of focusing on God’s gifting presence, and how that presence uncovers and reveals attitudes and lifestyles that are stumbling blocks to a relationship with God (purification) and an opportunity to raise up those attitudes and gifts that deepen the relationship with God (enlightenment). The heart of this period is the celebration of the Scrutinies. Although the candidates will not be the subject of the Scrutinies, catechesis for both the elect and the candidates preparing for reception during this period should be related to the celebration of the Scrutinies. (Liturgical and Canonical Statutes for RCIA, pg 13). Even if there are no elect (only candidates), the catechesis should still be focused on purification (discovering stumbling blocks) and enlightenment (lifting up and strengthening gifts and attitudes that foster a deeper relationship with God).
 

Suggested Schedule for Period of Purification and Enlightenment

(This schedule includes additional weekly sessions during the first, second, third and fourth weeks of Lent. However, the weekly session can be incorporated into the first half of the following Sunday session)

FIRST SATURDAY OF LENT

2PM - 6PM Prayer and Reflection in preparation for the Rite of Election

6PM - Supper

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Rite: Parish Rite of Sending

Dismissal Catechesis: Reflection on the Rite of Sending (their experience)

Rite ( 3PM): Diocesan Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion

EVENING IN FIRST WEEK OF LENT

Reflection: Experience of the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion

Scripture: 1st or 2nd Reading of following Sunday (2 Lent)

Session: Preparation for Penitential Rite (Based on the readings, prepare a reflection that will allow the elect and the candidates to verbalize their struggles in living the Gospel message to love God and love others. From their comments, write the intercessions for the Penitential Rite.)

SECOND SUNDAY OF LENT

Rite: Penitential Rite (Candidates only)

Reflection: Experience of Penitential Rite

Scripture: Gospel (Transfiguration)

Session: Prayer Meditation of Gospel. Discussion of Meditation and discussion of attempts at Lenten practices during1st week of Lent

EVENING IN SECOND WEEK OF LENT

Scripture: Exodus 17, 3-7 (1st reading of LentA)

Session: Reflection on: the places in the world or situations in the world where we see, hear, or experience a thirst for God. situations in the church (local and/or universal) which thirst for God. places in our own hearts, our families, our homes where we see a thirst for God. the forces of evil which keep these thirsts from being quenched. (From information gathered at this session, form the intercessions for the First Scrutiny)

THIRD SUNDAY OF LENT

Rite: First Scrutiny (Elect only) A Cycle Readings

Initial Reflection: Experience of First Scrutiny

Scripture: John 4:5-42

Scripture Reflection: How has Jesus the Living Water quenched my thirsts What are some of the means that have helped me to find this living water who is Jesus What do I need to let go of in order to accept the living water which Jesus offers to me Prayer

EVENING IN THIRD WEEK OF LENT

Scripture: Ephesians 5:8-14 (2nd Reading of 4 Lent A)

Session: Reflection on: What are the fruitless works of darkness that need to be exposed in the light of truth in: our world, our society, our communities What systems or politics, protocols or prejudices, attitudes and presumptions, blur our vision and cause our blindness (Social Sins) What are the fruitless works of darkness from which I would like to be delivered. (From information gathered at this session, form the intercessions for the Second Scrutiny)

WEEKDAY LITURGY IN THIRD WEEK

Rite:Presentation of the Creed

Dismissal Reflection: Experience of Rite

FOURTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Rite: Second Scrutiny (Elect only) A Cycle Readings

Initial Reflection: Experience of Second Scrutiny

Scripture: John 9:1-41

Scripture Reflection: What is the new sight or vision that Jesus is offering to me? Is there a part of me - some excuse, belief, feeling or rationalization - that resists? How have my eyes been opened to see in a new way who Jesus is for me? Prayer

EVENING IN FOURTH WEEK OF LENT

Scripture: Ezekiel 37:1-14 (1st Reading of 5 Lent A)

Session: Reflection on: Places and situations in the world where we see the death-dealing power of the spirit of evil at work (sin). Name the demons and other powers (isms) which claim dominion over human life. (From information gathered at this session, form the intercessions for the Third Scrutiny)

FIFTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Rite:Third Scrutiny (Elect only) A Cycle Readings

Initial Reflection: Experience of Third Scrutiny

Scripture: John 11:1-45

Scripture Reflection: What has been my experience of Jesus calling me out of my tomb, unbinding me and setting me free, and giving me new life? What else is keeping me bound and unfree? Do I want freedom? What would that freedom mean to me? How is Jesus the resurrection and the life for me right now (not just in the next life)? Prayer

WEEKDAY LITURGY IN FIFTH WEEK

Rite: Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer

Dismissal Reflection: Experience of the Rite

SIXTH SUNDAY OF LENT

Scripture: Lectionary Readings

Session: Modern-day Stations of the Cross with prayer and meditation

THE EASTER TRIDUUM

The elect and the candidates (those who will receive sacraments at the Easter Vigil) should be dismissed from the Holy Thursday Liturgy and the Good Friday Celebration. If no team member wishes to miss the Mass and/or the Celebration, the elect and the candidates can meet for reflection and discussion alone until the team members can join them.

HOLY THURSDAY

Dismissal: After the washing of the feet

Journaling: Prepare journal questions before hand and have them available in the room when they get there. Journaling should focus on what they have experienced at the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, whose feet do they wash, whose feet do they avoid, who do they allow to wash their feet, who do they refuse to allow to wash their feet.

Discussion: (when team joins them) Sharing comments on journal reflection. Explain Good Friday Celebration.

Invitation: Join parish in the vigil of prayer

Prayer

GOOD FRIDAY

Dismissal: After the veneration of the cross

Journaling: Prepare journal questions before hand and have them available in the room when they get there. Journaling should focus on what they have experienced at the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, the crosses in their life, and how are they called to embrace those crosses.

Discussion: (when team joins them). Sharing comments on journal reflection.

Prayer

HOLY SATURDAY

8:00 AM - Morning Prayer

8:30 AM - Light Breakfast

9:00 AM - Retreat

1:00 PM - Light Lunch (paper bag)

1:30 PM - Preparation Rites

Submitted by Sara Sharlow

St. Francis Cathedral, Metuchen

June 2000

What to do during Mystagogy Phase?

At the June 2000 Director's meeting a group discussion on what to do during the Mystagogy phase occured. The group agreed that this phase of RCIA presents the most challenges. Some suggestions include:

Invite persons involved in a variety of ministries to come to speak to the neophytes;

Use a resource entitled "These 90 Days" (Paulist) to encourage discussion concerning ministries and to encourage a response to having been sent on mission. This may lead to inviting guest speakers from organizations such as Catholic Social Services , Right to Life, etc.;

Gather for faith sharing once a month, and encourage all neophytes to participate; Neophytes from prior years may be invited along with the neophytes from the current year;

Use a resource entitled "Journey of Faith" (Liguori) This is a 4-page hand-out, similar in nature to Catholic Updates; Topic are Conversion, Discernment, and Special Gifts.

The use of the Foundation in Faith series during this phase was not found to be that good.

Meet once per week through Pentecost to unravel the mysteries of the Sacraments they have received;

Video the Easter Vigil and view segments of the video each week, taking time to discuss each part of the celebration & their experience.

Track the readings during the Easter Season;

Summarize the gifts of each candidate and present a scroll to each person with the gifts listed.

Recorded by Ellen DeRosa at Director's Meeting

Special Gifts

Since an essential part of the RCIA process is incorporating the neophytes into the parish community, we spend time during Mystagogy unpacking their conversion experiences and helping them discern to which aspect of parish involvement each is called.

We present each neophyte with a scroll listing his or her gifts, ("YOUR SPECIAL GIFTS") as seen by the team members. Sometimes our gifts are sooner recognized by others than by ourselves.

Submitted by Mary O'Brien
St. Mary, South Amboy