At the May Open Forum, Lorraine Miller from St. Philip Benizi gave a short presentation followed by discussion about “Discernment.” Christian discernment in the RCIA is an awareness of the movement of the Holy Spirit and the signs of the Spirit in a person’s life. It involves recognizing exterior habits …
By: Kathy Kuczka
The Cross is one of the most ancient symbols of Christianity. Crosses can be seen wherever we look. Crosses hang from rear-view mirrors, in bedrooms, and stand on faraway hills. They are made out of wood, gold and even palm branches. They adorn necks, ear lobes, fingers and wrists. Jewelers prize them and tourist vendors take stock in them. Because the cross has become so commonplace, the central meaning of the Cross can become obscured or taken for granted.
Carl McColman, St. Thomas More, Decatur
Este año, mi esposa Fran y yo comenzamos nuestro tercer año como directores del RICA en nuestra parroquia. Todavía nos parece algo “nuevo” y continuamos sintiéndonos humildes ante la enorme responsabilidad que esto significa. Nos damos cuenta de que debemos confiar continuamente en la gracia y la guía de Dios, lo que, en contrapeso, parece ser algo bueno.
by Carl McColman, St. Thomas More, Decatur
This year my wife Fran and I begin our third year as RCIA directors at our parish. It still feels “new” to us and we continue to be humbled by how enormous a responsibility this is. We find we must continually rely on God’s grace and guidance, which, in balance, seems to be a good thing!
Muchos adultos que desean confirmarse asisten al RICA cada año. Para estos católicos, es importante honrar su bautismo católico y considerar pastoralmente sus necesidades de formación religiosa. El resultado para estas personas podría ser un tiempo de preparación que es significativamente más corto que para los no bautizados o para aquellos que vienen de otra tradición cristiana. Roger Desjardins de St. Philip Benizi compartió su historia sobre su ministerio a adultos que desean confirmarse.
Every year adults who want to be confirmed come to RCIA. For these Catholics, it is important to honor their Catholic Baptism and pastorally consider their faith formation needs. The result for these people may be a time of preparation that is significantly shorter than for the unbaptized or those coming from another Christian tradition. Roger Desjardins from St. Philip Benizi shared his story on how they minister to Adults seeking Confirmation.
What do you do when you have a person who is unbaptized, over the age of 7, able to make decisions for himself /herself but has special needs? The RCIA model is wholistic-addresses the whole person-and allows for numerous adaptations while focusing on formation and conversion within community. Here is a great article about a young man with autism and how the parish adapted the RCIA to meet his needs.
The Scrutinies are celebrated with catechumens on the 3rd, 4th and 5th Sundays of Lent. Here are links to some common questions and good articles that may help you as you plan. Do we use Cycle A readings for all Masses even those where we don’t celebrate a scrutiny? Answer: …
The Creed and the Lord’s Prayer are the heart of our faith. They embody what we believe and how we are to pray, which is why special liturgies are designed to hand on or to present both in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
Since the early centuries, the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer have been presented to the elect in the weeks prior to Easter to help them prepare for baptism. Even today we present them just before Easter since their baptism will be preceded by a profession of faith using the words of the Creed and their sharing in the Eucharist will be preceded by their participation in praying the Lord’s Prayer.
Father Paul Turner writes a great blog about liturgy that recently included some posts relevant to RCIA. Check out the links below and subscribe to his blog to learn and have your own questions answered. Irregular Marriage Divorced Confirmation or Marriage Visit his blog and subscribe for updates!