Catechesis and the RCIA: The Precatechumenate
This is the third in a series of posts on the RCIA’s implications for catechesis in our schools and parishes. The first two posts were an overview of this series and a brief look at the characteristics of the RCIA. Theological Underpinnings According to the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, during the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate “faithfully and constantly the living God is proclaimed and Jesus Christ whom he has sent for the salvation of all.” (n. 36) The goal of this period is to bring about “the first stirrings of repentance, a start to the...
Read More“Love for Jesus and His Church must be the passion of our lives!”
I have been pondering for the past two days Archbishop Dolan’s presidential address at the USCCB General Assembly on Monday. If you haven’t read it, I heartily recommend the entire thing. (You can also watch the address on the USCCB web site; it’s in the first video at about the 39:30 mark.) The whole address is an eloquent reflection on the state of the Church in America while highlighting the archbishop’s deep spirituality and wit. If you don’t have time to read ten PDF pages, here are some of my favorite quotes: One thing we can’t help but remember, one...
Read MoreWorrying About PK Syndrome
Heading back from the last of our diocesan Roman Missal workshops on Tuesday, a fellow diocesan director shared a story that confirmed a fear I’ve had for some time: that Preacher’s Kid Syndrome (the tendency for the children of Protestant ministers to rebel against the faith) is alive and well in the Catholic Church. Of course, in the Church, it’s not the children of ordained ministers we need worry about, but the children of lay ministers working in parishes and dioceses. This director’s son no longer practices the faith, at least in part because of his experience...
Read More‘That’s why I don’t go to church!’
Poor human nature! It is a sad fact that religious people are often very unamiable, even to each other: even in connection with church work! A little girl prayed: ‘Please, God, make all the bad people good and all the good people nice.’ And some poet sang: ‘Living with the saints above, All is peace and glory. Living with the saints below, That’s another story.’ Let’s avoid that pitfall anyhow. Good Catholics ought to be a recommendation for their religion by their inward joy and outward kindness. - Rev. F.H. Drinkwater, Catechism Stories Part III: The...
Read MoreCOREnotes Issue 06
The latest issue of the Office for Catechesis’ COREnotes goes out today; it features the second half of Fr. Paul Turner’s DAEC address, information on our diocese’s Confirmation of Catechized Adults, and an article on the evangelization of the family. You can also sign up to have the COREnotes delivered straight to your...
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