Walking the Rite way

The Summer holidays, or any holiday is a time to catch up on reading . If you have time try Paul Turner’s  When Other Christians Become Catholic.  It is a must when considering how we should be planning our catechumenate.

Turner not only explores the ritual text, but puts the practice of receiving others into full communion with the catholic church into our 21^st century context, reminding us that the rite is what it says, about being “received”: it is not about being ‘forgiven or reconciled’. We have moved on from the early church  needing a route, by which those guilty of heresy or apostacy, could renounce their beliefs and return to the fold. The process and rites that applied to such a situation are hardly applicable to those christians who knock on our parish doors today.

While restoring the RCIA, Vatican 2  also looked at providing an appropriate means that would enable other christians to come into full communion with the catholic church, in a way that would not make too burdensome, Turner shows how we have in a way compromised the rite, when we combine the rite of receiving baptised christians  into the catholic church with the rite of initiating  unbaptised catechumens.

What becomes clear, reading Turner, if you hadn’t already felt it so, is that there was no intention to make is so easy for catechists, that those already baptised would be added to  the catechumens, so that all progressed the same route, using the same rites.

From such a background there are some surprising but reassuring insights, for Turner says the rite was intended for a single candidate. How many of us worry when we only have person forward? Turner refers to such a situation, which calls for a ’simple ceremony with a profound meaning’. Looking at it from the opposite perspective, what does this say to us, when we have a large number of candidates, generally outnumbering the catechumens in combined rite? Should we immediately be thinking of spreading out our rites of reception throughout the liturgical year, so as to help that meaning come out? 

For Turner the Rite of Reception happens within a Sunday mass, at any time of the year,  any time that is, but at the easter vigil.  Why not read his book and see if you think what he says makes sense . Will it influence your future planning of the RCIA process?

Sue 

Last night we held our last session for two candidates who are being received into full communion on Pentecost Sunday. Reflecting together on the readings for the Ascension, ‘has the time come’, we talked together about the last few months, and our attempt as a team guiding the RCIA to be true to the spirit of the ritual text, based on Acts 15:28, that ‘ no greater burden than necessary is required for the establishment of communion and unity’, recognising that Peter and Jane have been on the road for a long time before they knocked at our door.

We are a small rural parish, with consequent limited resources. Jane and Peter have joined our weekly catechumenal sessions fairly regularly over the last 6 months - from the start, we explained the difference between them and our catechumen - the quantum leap, Baptism! In the group they have been encouraged to raise anything they wanted, and have entered fully into gospel-based sharing and the doctrinal and spiritual content that has emerged, adding great richness to our gathering. Each one has had separate opportunities to meet with our PP, their sponsors and catechist, for any personal issues to be raised. Every Sunday they have been coming to Mass, getting to know people, and growing in their experience of Catholic liturgy and life, including our justice and peace projects. We reflected long and hard on the appropriate moment for reception, and decided against using any form of combined rite at the Easter Vigil - ‘anything that would equate candidates for reception with those who are catechumens is to be absolutely avoided’. (RCIA 391 UK) - choosing rather to go with the very simple ceremony of the Rite of Reception within Mass. After the homily the candidate joins the gathered faithful in reciting the Creed, demonstrating their existing baptismal faith, and adding a straightforward and profound statement at the end: I believe all that the Catholic church believes, teaches and proclaims to be revealed by God.’ The words of the celebrant are warm ‘The Lord receives you into the Catholic Church. His loving kindness led you here…. and after anointing with the oil of chrism, eh takes their hands into his own as a sign of friendship and welcome, and the whole community are invited to greet them in a friendly manner. The mass continues and they will come to be one with us at the table for the first time.

Given their personal circumstances, their baptism!, their journies on the Christian path so far, we felt that this length of catechetical formation was appropriate. It has been gradual, non-pressurised, and in the process, we as a community have also become more self-aware, hopefully demonstrating a little more humility, appreciating in Peter and Jane the spiritual gifts they bring to us. Aren’t we all on the road of continuing conversion to Christ! Our journey with these candidates has opened us to fresh promptings of the Spirit. For Jane and Peter, ‘the time has come’. We prayed for one another last night ‘ for the ’spirit of wisdom and perception of what is revealed… may he enlighted the eyes of our minds so that we can see what hope his call holds for us.’ May next Sunday, in our simple ritual of Reception, express the joy of finding one another on the way.