Stages of the OCIA | Initiation Ministry Partners

It’s Lent! Sessions for the Period of Purification and Enlightenment

April 27, 2016February 15, 2016

Archbishop Wilton D, Gregory, second from left, returns the Book of the Elect to Ray Hines, the RCIA coordinator at Mary Our Queen Church, Norcross, during the Feb. 22 Rite of Election at the Cobb Galleria Centre. Photo By Michael Alexander

by: Tina Harding

“The goal and focus of the catechesis during the period of purification and enlightenment is different from that during the period of the catechumenate. During the period of the catechumenate, the focus of catechesis was immersion into the fullness of the Christian community as expressed in the Catholic Tradition – scripture, doctrine, worship, community and service. The period of purification and enlightenment presumes such immersion and the readiness to make the commitment of baptism.

NOW THE FOCUS IS AKIN TO A RETREAT!

The Lenten Rites – Involving the Community

April 27, 2016February 10, 2016

During the Feb. 21 Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion at the Atlanta Civic Center, Archbishop Wilton D. Gregory acknowledges the names in the Book of the Elect with a prayerful kiss of peace.

by Kathy Kuczka

Lent is laden with rites for the Catechumens and Candidates. But, the rites aren’t only for the benefit of those in the process of initiation. The Rite of Christian Initiation tells us that rites should be executed so that the “entire community benefits.” Here are some ways to involve the initiating community.

First Encounters a.k.a. The Initial Interview

April 27, 2016August 12, 2015

First Encounters a.k.a The Initial Interview

by Kathy Kelly-Huey

It often begins with a phone call

The adage “you only get one first impression” is apt when we consider the initial conversation we have with those who grace us with a phone call asking, “When does RCIA start?” The way we answer this question influences every subsequent action and interaction we share with the person who posed the question. I like to answer the question with, “The moment you picked up the phone to call me.” By beginning with an affirmation of how God has already been at work in the Inquirer’s life and that he/she has already responded to the Holy Spirit assures the Inquirer that he/she has arrived on time and in time and is right where he/she is supposed to be. If he/she had begun this journey any sooner, he/she might not have been ready for the journey. Jesus didn’t call all the apostles on the same day either. For some this is an initial awareness of how God has been active in their life.

Sorting Fish: A Task at the Beginning (Part 3)

May 21, 2026July 17, 2015

Baptized Christians. Debbie and Ernest are both baptized Christians. Debbie is a young professional, single and searching for “something more” in her life. Although baptized in the Methodist church as an infant, her family was not active in any church. She has had no formal religious training. Because of some conversations with a Roman Catholic colleague, she is interested in Catholicism.

Sorting Fish: A Task at the Beginning (Part 2)

May 21, 2026July 17, 2015

Sorting Fish

The Gospel of Matthew records Jesus’s parable about the reign of heaven being “like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind” (13:47). I suggest that a parish evangelizing outreach is like a net that may collect “fish” of every kind: unbaptized adults and children of catechetical age, baptized uncatechized Christians, baptized catechized Christians, baptized Catholics needing Confirmation and Eucharist, baptized Catholics needing only Confirmation, fully initiated Catholics who have been alienated from the Church and seek to return, and Catholics seeking an update.

Sorting Fish: A Task at the Beginning (Part 1)

May 21, 2026June 29, 2015

In recent months some comments and written materials have come to my attention that have led me to believe that some clarifications are needed about the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

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