Looking around
Like all those Walking the Rite Way in August the pace might be a little gentler. As in the parish accompanying those who are continuing their journey to Easter we won't stop and say switch off your 'faith button' nobody wants to know about faith in August. We will continue on the journey and maybe the slower pace will allow us to point out things we might otherwise have missed.
Why no one should join the RCIA
One of many things I enjoy about the Team RCIA blog is the ability to express clearly and succinctly some of the issues faced by RCIA teams - even when they may not be aware there might be an issue in the first place! I particularly enjoyed the recent posting Why no one should join the RCIA as it articulated something I have been aware of for a while use of the letters 'RCIA' as a kind of fairy dust that validates everything we might do.
One of the questions the Network Executive will be reflecting on at its September meeting will how do we present RCIA to the outside world. I am sure this article will help our discussion but we would also welcome local experience as well.
development matters!
One of the great achievements in ecumenism and liturgy has been the adoption of the Revised Common Lectionary by many non-Catholic denominations. A revision of our own Roman Lectionary which in particular reviewed how the Old Testament was used there is however far more in common between the two versions than there is different. One fruit of this is that most Sundays any church that uses a Lectionary will be hearing the same Gospel being proclaimed - a communion of the Word. Another fruit is the greater number of scripture resources that become available to us.
One I came across recently is on the website of the Anglican diocese of Bath and Wells - development matters! global issues linked to the lectionary. For every Sunday there is a note on the themes and ideas in the text, and then notes on contemporary parallels, comments and questions. The themes are linked within background notes, stories, invitations to action and prayer.
Who Shepherds Whom?
Mark tells us that the crowd reaches that ‘quiet’ place before they do. Like Moses with the wandering Israelites, Jesus sees that the crowds waiting for them are “Like sheep without a shepherd.” So, they are shepherded and nourished by him and his words – the crowd’s need for other food will come later. This is still our way: we feed at the table of the Word then at the table of the Bread and Wine.
As Jeremiah promised and we hear in the first reading, Mark shows Jesus acting as the “virtuous branch… The Lord-our-integrity”; God, who will look after his own sheep when their leaders have failed to do so. Jeremiah’s anger at the leaders almost leaps out at us as he berates those shepherds of Israel who do not take care of the people, who do not build them up in unity. There are threats for them: “…you have not taken care of them. Right, I will take care of you for your misdeeds…” But for the people, there is the assurance of God’s care: “I myself will gather…I will raise up shepherds to look after them…” God will not let the flock remain un-shepherded living in fear.
In our parish contexts of walking our road of faith with inquirers, catechumens, candidates and new catholics and with each other, what warnings, teachings and hope might this particular part of ordinary time offer us and prepare us for? Who shepherds us and those with whom we share our stories? As catechists what warnings are we offered about how we shepherd others, for example, those who come as inquirers, and how we allow ourselves to be shepherded along the way. How well do we each know the Lord as “My Shepherd” in truth; and how do we build up the unity of God’s people?
A presumption is, of course, that our notion of shepherding is real, never ‘soppy’. Shepherding is not for ‘whimps’, even in these days when farmer-shepherds often get around to their sheep on quad bikes. So too, taking care of God’s people doesn’t happen without cost to oneself. Indeed, we know it’s a pre-requisite of being a disciple of Christ who laid down his life for the flock!
At the Rite of Acceptance the parish community, sponsors and catechists promise to help the inquirers to “find and follow Christ”. From then on the period of the catechumenate enables them to become “familiar with the Christian way of life…” [The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) n75]. The promise has been made to live along side, to shepherd, the catechumens within the community. The Rite gives us the scaffolding of the example and the support that helps them embrace this familiarity:
“… the catechumens learn to turn more readily to God in prayer, to bear witness to the faith, in all things to keep their hopes set on Christ, to follow supernatural inspiration in their deeds, and to practice love of neighbour, even at the cost of self-renunciation.” [RCIA n75.2]
Jesus’ invitation to those who returned from their mission was to join him in some lonely place to rest. The primary response to conversion and on-going conversion is for the catechumens and ourselves to step back to make time for a deepening of our ‘readiness to turn to God in prayer’. Yet, Jesus shows that the shepherding of those in need challenges us with the ‘practice of love of neighbour’. That service will come with cost to ourselves and our plans. Had the twelve still had nothing to eat while Jesus taught all that day? They are then asked to feed all of that crowd!
In Sunday’s liturgy we will have prayed the psalm before hearing the gospel passage. In that ancient prayer we state our trust in the Shepherd who leads us and spreads a banquet, even though the journey passes through the valley of darkness. May summer breaks offer some ‘rest for a while’ and opportunities to shepherd and be shepherded.
Untapped talents – You only have to Ask!
I was having a look through some of the previous blogs and wishing that I had taken the time to send in a comment to ‘Open in the Spirit’ (June 1st 2009) and ‘Spreading the Word – Mass in the Park’ (June 27 2009). Both indicated how much we rely on others to help make things happen. Arranging two teams of catechists, one to support enquirers and one to support candidates is quite a challenge, and the logistics of arranging a Mass in the open air in a public park for the parishioners of six parishes is even more testing. That both events continued says much not only for the organisation but also for those who offered their assistance. Yet how many times do we see the ‘usual suspects’ being involved, or rather how often do we forget to look a little deeper to find those with hidden talents.
In this Sunday’s 1st reading ( Ezek 2:2-5) and in the Gospel (Mark 6:1-6) we hear that a prophet is not acknowledged in their own town. While Paul (2 Cor 12:7-10) explains, that by God’s grace, it is Paul’s weaknesses that make him strong. I bet there are lots of people in our parishes who don’t realise they have strengths that could assist the RCIA team: they just need somebody to discern their talents.
Consider the retired, part-time workers, or mothers with school age children: they will have a variety of experience. They may even include teachers, catechists or just parishioners with an interest in scripture or the church: good catholics. At the recent study day at Tooting Bec entitled ‘One of Us’, examples were given of a single parent, and of a carer, who weren’t trained catechists, but who had the skills to be involved with those at the pre-inquiry stage. Identify 3 or 4 like these and you have a pre-enquiry team.
List those who have ministries as readers, welcomers, eucharist ministers: are there some who may with a little support consider assisting in dismissal catechesis?
Pair an experienced catechist with a welcomer for the pre-enquiry stage. Perhaps some of the eucharistic ministers would be willing to explore the liturgical symbols or eucharistic sacramentality as part of a mystagogy team. You only have to ask!
Have a refresh of RCIA 9. It directs that ‘the initiation of adults is the responsibility of all the baptised’, and ‘the entire community must help … throughout the process of initiation’.
So dig deeper and look at the whole community, I bet there are people who can assist, but have never been considered. There is a lot of untapped talent in the community: it just needs some discernment to recognise it.
- Ask each team member to suggest 3 people who are good listeners and willing to talk about what it means to be a catholic.
- Ask leaders from each ministry to suggest people.
- Have an open evening for all involved in parish ministry to discuss involvement in RCIA.
- Make enquiries of parents at the school gate.
- Don’t overburden those who volunteer.
- Allow people to decline.
- If the time is not right, leave the door open to be able to ask again in the future.
Don’t waste the talent in your own community!
If you want to explore the above see www.teamrcia.com Who’s on your team & 100 ways to involve parishioners in the RCIA
St Peter & St Paul — Sitting by the Beautiful Gate
Our neophytes are finding themselves increasingly ‘at home’ in the parish community, which is fantastic – life-giving for all. They have talked a lot about their Easter experiences over the last months, and the community have shared their lives in many simple, small ways. The heart-beat of the Word pulsing throughout the process of preparing these people for the sacraments, continues in other forms in the parish. And yes, the community continue to give ‘thoughtful and friendly help ‘ (RCIA 234)
However, once again the process of initiation has challenged us. Why am I surprised that the readings for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul raise more questions than answers? Yes, we have received into our community a number of people this year, but there are still so many people ‘sitting at the Beautiful Gate’ turning to us expectantly, and hoping to get something from us, and actually either we don’t notice them at all, or we are frightened of them because they are ‘different’, or we are too busy, or we don’t think the Church can support even a conversation with them, so we ignore them.
Perhaps for me the challenges are:
- Can we notice the people on the edge, and try and get into their shoes?
- If we ask them to ‘Look at us’ what do they see?!
- How can we engage their trust and confidence?
- If we say (with Peter) ‘I will give you what I have’, what exactly do we mean by that?
- When we hear the questions from Christ for ourselves: ‘Who do you say I am?’ and ‘Do you love me?’ and find ourselves saying with Peter ‘You are the Christ’ and ‘Yes, you know I do’, how do we avoid paying lip-service, and actively respond to Christ’s follow-up: well then, feed my lambs and look after and feed my sheep?
- And what about the Church in Acts - do we ‘pray to God unremittingly’ for one another, and for those in troubled circumstances?
- How can we make ourselves available, and be that liberating and healing presence? How do we show we care and not leave people with a sense of isolation and rejection?
Peter took the crippled man by the hand and helped him to stand up on his own two feet for the first time (and the man was jumping up and down and praising God! ) Can we dare to do this? I think so, yes, because, as Paul says in his letter to Timothy, the Lord will stand by us and give us the power – power to bind up the wounds of hostility, disparaging remarks, prejudice, and power to loosen the bonds of helplessness and hopelessness.
Solemn Blessing for the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul: You might like to pray this line by line, very slowly, allowing silence between phrases. How does it speak into your life?
The Lord has set you firm within his Church
which he built upon the rock of Peter’s faith.
May he bless you with a faith that never falters.
The Lord has given you knowledge of the faith
through the labours and preaching of Saint Paul.
May his example inspire you to lead others to Christ
by the manner of your life.
May the keys of Peter, and the words of Paul,
their undying witness and their prayers,
lead you to the joy of that eternal home
which Peter gained by his cross, and Paul by the sword.
The Power of Three
Solemnities abound at this time in the Liturgical Calendar: Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, Corpus Christi and we can have a feeling of there being too much of a good thing! And so for the week in which we celebrate The Most Holy Trinity I offer a trinity of mini-reflections and accompanying images. May they bring blessing in some guise or other.
Firstly, the lectionary readings for the Solemnity.
The final part of the Deuteronomy reading is a gift for those newly initiated intent on ‘deepening their grasp of the paschal mystery and making it part of their lives’ [RCIA paragraph 244] as disciples rather than neophytes:
“So acknowledge today and take to heart that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. Keep his statutes and his commandments which I am commanding you today for your own well-being and that of your descendents after you, so that you may long remain in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for all time.” [Deuteronomy 4: 39-40]
But then, very much in the mystagogical spirit of ensuring that the whole community be inspired and renewed by their experience of the sacraments [RCIA paragraph 246], we find within the gospel another gift: a reminder of the real purpose of all our membership and ministry:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. [Matthew 28: 19]
Truly – the power of three!
Secondly, an extract from a current ‘best seller’.
Mack is the main character in The Shack [Wm Paul Young 2007, Hodder & Stoughton] and is beset by what becomes known as ‘The Great Sadness’ when his much loved daughter is abducted from their holiday tent and presumed murdered. He is called, supposedly by God, to make a journey to the shack believed to be the site of her murder. On arrival he encounters ‘the Trinity’:
“Thoughts tumbled over each other as Mack struggled to figure out what to do. Was one of these people God? What if they were hallucinations or angels, or God was coming later? That could be embarrassing. Since there were three of them, maybe this was a Trinity sort of thing. But two women and a man and none of them white? He knew his mind was rambling so he focused on the one question he most wanted answered.
“Then,” Mack struggled to ask, “which one of you is God?”
“I am” said all three in unison. Mack looked from one to the next, and even though he couldn’t begin to grasp what he was seeing and hearing, he somehow believed them. “
Through his encounter with these three beings, Mack’s life is transformed and his relationships broadened, deepened and renewed.
A very different power of three!
And finally, for RCIA team members.
A diocese in the North of England is planning an evening offered in four venues during the early summer. Called Reflect, Refresh, Renew they are offering a chance to engage in this trinity of catechetical activities. Each separate component represents an important dynamic in the life of catechists and RCIA teams. Developing as reflective practitioners will ensure their ministry remains grounded in the reality of their particular context and the needs of their enquirers and catechumens. Ongoing ministry over a number of months, and often years, becomes stale and lifeless without times of refreshment and inspiration. To renew implies review: openness to an honest appraisal of how things have gone, and whether the aims and processes articulated at the beginning of the journey have been met. This then enables a renewal of the vision and fresh heart for the journey. Put the three separate components together however and what is on offer has the potential to be much more powerful than the individual components: a different energy, a more complete process.
Indeed – a very different power of three!
One of Us
There is still time to book a place on the Network's two Study Days in Tooting Bec (13 June) and Bristol (30 June).
The days address key aspects of our practice of RCIA. In the morning Nicky Stevens in Tooting and Martin Jakubas in Bristol will look at the role of the assembly in RCIA:
The people of God, as represented by the local Church, should understand and show by their concern that the initiation of adults is the responsibility of all the baptised… the entire community must help the candidates and the catechumens throughout the process of initiation. (RCIA 9)
In the afternoon there will be a choice of workshops: Forming an RCIA team and Receiving the Baptised.
Booking for Tooting is open until Monday 8 June and for Bristol - Friday 12 June. Download the booking form.
Come Anytime
It has always felt wrong to ask inquirers to wait. Once they have taken the all important first step of approaching someone it is not fair to send them away to wait until a more ‘convenient’ time for us. Last year we tried to solve this dilemma by working towards monthly open ‘welcome’ sessions for inquirers, perhaps to include new parishioners.
Other parish needs pre-empted that particular drive and the parish is benefiting from the reconstituted Ministry of Welcome and new impetus to complete a parish handbook.
What had felt like something of a setback with regard to a way of being available to inquirers, in fact has solidified into a ‘come anytime’ mentality. Though the experience is now more of fluidity than of something solidifying! The work of the Spirit - not how we had meant to plan!
It came about without any fresh (autumn) invitation or information about the Journey in Faith process in the parish. That had been stalled while parish consultation about ways of inviting and welcoming took place. Yet, before that first meeting inquirers were making their own first approaches. For three weeks running a different person arrived making inquiries: one asking for baptism; one to be Confirmed and to receive Eucharist and then one to be received into Full Communion. Within a week or so of the first approach we had arranged a suitable time for her and those who where close on her heels. We gathered our small RCIA team and new sponsors. As with Peter at the house of Cornelius [Acts 10], the Spirit was leading people and all we could do was to respond to their request, and stay with them and share experiences of God’s work in the church.
So it has continued. We have managed to respond immediately to individuals who have continued to arrive – not weekly! We have taken account, of course, of their family, work and time commitments and fitted in with them as much as possible. One group now has a catechumen whose babies were baptised at Easter, a previously uncatechised catholic who is now fully initiated and a new catholic brought up within a different Christian tradition and another who remains on the periphery as yet. Because of child minding issues the best time for this group to meet was after Mass on Sundays, or rather, after coffee following Mass. [For very good reasons dismissal catechesis was not appropriate.] A result of that timing has meant that we had a natural way of parishioners and inquirers getting to know each other – people made new friends and parishioners became more aware and involved in the process simply by offering welcome and acceptance. Older teenagers and later families have become invaluable child minders too. It has been of great benefit to meet from within the heart of the parish assembly and fresh from the Sunday liturgy.
Another group has formed in the meantime - meeting on weekday evenings. Because of catechists and sponsors and by now the experience of the rites of acceptance, reception and confirmation and first Eucharist for those others there is a bond between the two groups. There is a sense of a heightened challenge – a goal that is achievable and empathy. The awareness goes both ways. For example, it mattered to those who went to the cathedral at the beginning of Lent that others were exploring in the ways that they had. At the same time it caused some excitement and a sense of unity for the inquirers.
In a sense it is a ‘messy’ process because of new inquirers joining a group who are in the early stages of getting to know each other. Yet it feels right. Ironically perhaps, it seems peaceful and is at once energising and calming. People who are still new in their exploration of catholic Christianity are themselves encouraged by, and encouraging of, new comers. It has made the RCIA process even more just that – a fluid process. We find that we don’t have to try to avoid the idea a programme. Liturgical catechesis feeds all of us and the issues that are brought by inquirers and that catechists suggest for exploration have no set sequence and get revisited along the way.
There are, of course, hurdles to overcome. There is a shortage of trained catechists and no diocesan provision to call upon. Inevitably the RCIA team is stretched even more in terms of time and commitment. Will we reach a time when we have confident catechists to lead in the initial stages and others to lead catechumens and candidates? Perhaps. For now we will endeavour to respond to the Spirit who prompts inquirers long before we meet them and try to offer “catechesis suited to their needs, [and] contact with the community of the faithful…” (RCIA n401)
Of course I want to…
One aspect of the ministry of welcoming people into the Church is encountering the brokenness people often bring with them – brokenness which can often challenge us. We also meet people who are tentative in their approach: based on what they perceive Church teaching to be – the Gospel according to the media – they question “Can someone like me belong?” Others – and this probably happens rarely – come, like the leper in the Gospel of the Sixth Sunday of Year B, and metaphorically throw themselves on their knees and plead for help in finding healing and meaning for their lives.
I am reminded of the story of a woman who gradually started attending Mass with one of our committed parishioners who, over time revealed a past of heartbreak – isolation – violence – whose sense of unworthiness was almost crippling but gradually eased as she was welcomed by people who guessed part of her story but made no judgement upon her – who shared her delight when the long awaited annulment came through a few days before the Easter at which she was to be baptised and which now freed her to become engaged at the same time – whose wedding was a source of resounding joy for the community – and the baptism of her baby at an Easter Vigil a couple of years later seemed to seal a healing.
When, three years later, she was diagnosed with inoperable and aggressive cancer the extent of that healing was manifest in her faith that God was saying to her that the burden of the past was too great and that it was now time to rest … that her child would be loved and that her love from heaven would be matched by that of the people she had come to know… And an almost awestruck moment as she gave and received what were to be the first – and last - hugs to members of the RCIA team who had accompanied her… “You see – if you’d tried to do that years ago I couldn’t have let you … I’d have thought I disgusted you really – that you were pretending. I know now you meant it – when you said that you wanted me to know God loved me and wanted me whole… And I’m not afraid… I know God wants me whole and if that means dying then I know he knows this is the best way for me – because I know this (a hand held – and another hug) is real… “
How we respond to those who turn up on our doorsteps can make a huge difference. At the back of our minds might be the realities of Church teaching ringing alarm bells… “irregular marriage…” “living in a homosexual partnership…” which can be real obstacles along the journey to reception and full communion with the Church. There may also be past sins that challenge our own understanding of forgiveness – “I drank/ took drugs and killed someone ….” “I downloaded images of child sexual abuse…” followed by an expression of deep remorse that seems genuine and a desire to make amends for the thing they have done. They seem to see in the Church a community that can help to rebuild their lives – They come searching for the person who can “cure me” – or “help me” – “strengthen me” – “protect me” – “show me the way” – “transform me” – “carry on the saving work you started”… the person of Jesus.
We are in a privileged position as people begin to open up – and our task is not to quench that wavering flame of faith in danger of drowning in a lifetime of care and wrong decisions – nor to crush that reed crushed under so much pain and guilt. Like Jesus, we feel sorry for them – our hearts filled with compassion as we strive to help individuals find healing in a deepening relationship with Jesus. There will come times when, like Jesus, we need to send our people to “show themselves to the priest” – perhaps to make the offering prescribed for healing… entering the process of annulment, for example, or making a full confession to a priest. But these requirements will be better understood – even welcomed – as ways of making real the love and forgiveness they have encountered through reading and pondering on the Word and in the Word made flesh in Jesus … and in us.
The Ongoing Challenge of Being Church
During the early part of this year we had talked increasingly about our hopes for future developments in implementing the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. We discussed wanting to begin year-long invitation opportunities for people who may wish to know more about living a Catholic Christian life.
Our other main area of concern was how to be much more faithful to including, or should it be allowing, the whole parish to take its due role in evangelisation and catechesis. That is, to “be always fully prepared in the pursuit of its apostolic vocation to give help to those who are searching for Christ”. Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, n9. How do catechists, in the task of assisting an initiation process, avoid at best being the ‘yeast’ consciously working on behalf of the parish and at worst an exclusive group? We need to unveil more the role of parishioners as threshold companions.
If something like monthly opportunities to meet with, question and find welcome from catholics were to happen we had to involve all parishioners. Both objectives went hand in hand. We knew that perceptions and experience of RCIA could develop more with this process.
To begin with the discussion needed to be opened up for fresh dialogue…to start a ripple effect at least. Hence, parishioners representing some ministries, activities and interests, as well as different age groups were personally invited to come together to explore ways in which we could become an even more welcoming parish.
The Spirit of God doesn’t hang around waiting for our ideas to come to fruition, of course. We had thought that our hopes for regular welcome sessions may be our fresh way to being open to inquirers. The week before the exploratory meeting inquirers came seeking! The ventures happily became parallel sooner than anticipated.
Thankfully, when the invited group met they did not want to hear and then just rubber stamp the ideas proposed but responded to the questions raised and added their own. What happened was an appraisal of how welcome is experienced by all and how it could be. We prayed together, reflected and explored suggestions about who the people are whom we want to welcome. The list included: ourselves, new parishioners, the curious, those who may wish to re-discover a once familiar belonging along with those who have a wish to get to know the Lord and us better and may wish to begin a process towards initiation.
What has happened so far is that the discussion continues among parishioners as the group talk with others. The newsletter was used to alert all to the meeting beforehand and to give a brief account of the ongoing nature of the enterprise. One of the most heartening outcomes was a date in diaries to meet again as a steering group – one that is open and inclusive and listens. A decision that will be worked on initially is to use Christmas, with its customary visitors and ‘returnees’, as a first step in offering invitations to ‘come and see’. It is intended to offer a couple of dates for informal gatherings to be planned for soon after Christmas. Similar action was envisaged for Easter and September. We can work more then with suggestions of how this is to be done and explore materials like those available from CASE (Catholic Agency to Support Evangelisation).
Other questions raised were around how welcome is practiced weekly and how to utilise better our restricted entrance space. Work had begun some time ago on compiling information about the parish in the form of a parish booklet and action was decided on bringing that to fruition.
What we learned was a lesson in how listening and dialogue change and open up ideas – perhaps this is an affirmation of the principle that where even ‘two or three gather together…’ [After apologies, we were 12 or 13!]. We also learned something of the need to change pace in order to include the values and perspectives of others. One step at a time…and need for patience while ‘God gives the growth’!
The hope for yearlong group opportunities to welcome potential inquirers had started with two of us. It took a day or so to realise that this had not been rejected but transformed for the moment and may come in the future. However, there is a sense of shared growth, enthusiasm and responsibility that is enlivening.
Ultimately we have the Spirit of God prodding us to honour the pastoral cycle of continuously bringing ideas together, allowing new ones to be born and moving into action: to explore the mystery of Christ. We are conscious that those of us with leadership in Christian initiation in the parish have the task of keeping the vision of the Rite to the fore in all areas of parish life.
May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with our spirits!
Catherine D
Sharing the invitation to the eternal banquet
Those who have loved and lost know what Good Friday and Holy Saturday feel like – and know too the yearning for hope beyond them. The Paschal Mystery at the heart of our faith offers that hope and our sharing of it may start with a simple invitation to come to Mass in November and light a candle in memory of a loved one.
Some seeds of ideas …
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This November, draw on some of the traditions of the Church and live them with catechumens and candidates.
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Consider ways of using this season of remembrance as a means of evangelising with those who plan the liturgy.
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Explore appropriate ways for those involved in bereavement support to act as evangelisers.