The Catechumenal Process is LITURGICAL…

Liturgical Components of the Christian Initiation Process:
Gateways and Sources of Grace

Overview of the Major Liturgical Gateways (RCIA Introduction, 6)
The rite of initiation is suited to a spiritual journey of adults that varies according to the many forms of God’s grace, the free cooperation of the individuals, the actions of the Church, and the circumstances of time and place. This journey includes…the steps marking the catechumens’ progress, as they pass, so to speak, through another doorway or ascend to the next level.

• The first step (Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Welcoming): reaching the point of initial conversion and wishing to become Christians, unbaptized catechumens are accepted into the household of the faithful; baptized candidates are welcomed into a more committed relationship with the Church to which their Baptism already unites them.
• The second step (Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion):  having progressed in faith and nearly completed the catechumenate, they are accepted into a more intense preparation for the sacraments of initiation.
• The third step (Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist):  having completed their spiritual preparation, they receive the sacraments of initiation.

The Period of the Precatechumenate

During the precatechumenate period, pastors should help those taking part in it with prayers suited to them, for example, by celebrating for their spiritual well being the prayers of exorcism and the blessings given in the ritual. (RCIA 40) Inquirers should be helped to:

• Believe
• Be freely converted to the Lord
• Commit themselves to Him

During the precatechumenate inquirers should be introduced to some basic liturgical actions and prayers, such as the Sign of the Cross and communal praying of the Psalms.  As they approach the Rite of Acceptance or Welcoming, they should be introduced to the responses in the Liturgy of the Word, in preparation for their first invitation to the table of God’s Word.

The prerequisite for making this first step is that the beginnings of the spiritual life and the fundamentals of Christian teaching have taken root in the candidates.  Thus there must be…evidence of…a start to the practice of calling upon God in prayer. (RCIA 42)

• Model
• Explain
• Invite

• Explain and use the Sign of the Cross
• Offer a booklet of “Basic Catholic Prayers” and explain them
• Explain and use grace before and after meals
• Sing songs that help put words to the journey they are undertaking
• Introduce the proclamation of Scripture
• Explain the liturgical year, Sunday and feast days, as they occur
• Pray the Psalms and other scriptural prayers
• Begin simple, reflective, meditative prayer

Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Welcoming (RCIA 41-74; 411-433; 505-529)
Assembling publicly for the first time, the candidates who have completed the period of the precatechumenate declare their intention to the Church and the Church in turn, carrying out its apostolic mission, accepts them as persons who intend to become its members.  God showers His grace on the candidates, since the celebration manifests their desire publicly and marks their reception and first consecration by the Church.  Before the rite is celebrated, therefore, sufficient and necessary time, as required in each case, should be set aside to evaluate and, if necessary, to purify the candidates’ motives and dispositions.

• Evidence of the first faith, initial conversion and intention to change
• Desire to enter into a relationship with God in Christ
• Evidence of the first stirrings of repentance
• Start to call upon God in prayer 
• A sense of the Church
• Experience of the company and spirit of Christians by contact with a priest, members of the community

From now on catechumens and candidates receive blessings and are dismissed at Sunday Mass to go to “Breaking Open the Word.”  (The Church feeds them richly on the Word until they can “come to the table.”)

Minor Rites proper to the Period of the Catechumenate:
(after the Rites of Acceptance and Welcoming)

During the period of the catechumenate there should be celebrations of the word of God that accord with the liturgical season and that contribute to the instruction of the catechumens and the needs of the community.  These include:

• Celebrations held specially for the catechumens
• Participation in the Liturgy of the Word at the Sunday Mass
• Celebrations held in connection with catechetical instruction

Minor Exorcisms (RCIA 90-94)
Minor exorcisms draw the attention of the catechumens to the real nature of the Christian life, the struggle between flesh and spirit, the importance of self denial for reaching the blessedness of God’s kingdom, and the unending need for God’s help.  The minor exorcisms take place within a celebration of the word of God held in a church, a chapel, or center for the catechumenate.  Minor exorcisms may also be held at the beginning or end of meetings for catechesis.

Blessings and Anointings (RCIA 95-102)
The blessings of the catechumens are a sign of God’s love and of the Church’s tender care.  They are bestowed on the catechumens so that, even though they do not as yet have the grace of the sacraments, they may still receive from the Church courage, joy, and peace as they proceed along the difficult journey they have begun.  Blessings are usually given at the end of a celebration of the word; they may also be given at the end of a meeting for catechesis.

During the period of the catechumenate, a rite of anointing the catechumens, through use of the oil of catechumens, may be celebrated wherever this seems beneficial or desirable.  This anointing ordinarily takes place after the homily in a celebration of the word of God.

Rite of Sending (RCIA 106-117; 434-445; 530-546)
As the focal point of the Church’s concern for the catechumens, admission to election belongs to the bishop who is usually its presiding celebrant.  It is within the parish community, however, that the preliminary judgment is made concerning the catechumens’ state of formation and progress.  This rite offers the local community the opportunity to express its approval of the catechumens and to send them forth to the celebration of election assured of the parish’s care and support.  The rite takes place at a suitable time prior to the Rite of Election.

Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion (RCIA 118-137; 446-458; 547-561)
The celebration of the rite of election, which usually coincides with the opening of Lent, also marks the beginning of the period of final, more intense preparation for the sacraments of initiation, during which the elect will be encouraged to follow Christ with greater generosity.  At this second step, on the basis of the testimony of godparents and catechists and of the catechumens’ reaffirmation of their intention, the Church judges their state of readiness and decides on their advancement towards the sacraments of initiation.

Before the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, participants should manifest:

• A conversion in mind and in action
• Developed a sufficient acquaintance with Christian teaching
• Developed a sufficient acquaintance with faith and charity
• An intention to receive the sacraments of the Church

Within the Rite of Election the bishop celebrant or his delegate declares in the presence of the community the Church’s approval of the candidates.  Therefore to exclude any semblance of mere formality from the rite, there should be a deliberation prior to its celebration to decide on the catechumens’ suitableness.  This deliberation is carried out by the priests, deacons, and catechists involved in the formation of the catechumens, and by the godparents and representatives of the local community.

Minor Rites proper to the Period of Purification & Enlightenment:
(after the Rites of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion)

Scrutinies (RCIA 141-146; 150-156; 164-177)
The scrutinies, which are solemnly celebrated on Sundays and are reinforced by an exorcism, are rites for self-searching and repentance and have above all a spiritual purpose.  The scrutinies are meant to uncover, then to heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the hearts of the elect; to bring out, then strengthen all that is upright, strong, and good.  The scrutinies are celebrated on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent.

Presentation Rites (RCIA 104-105; 157-162; 178-183)
The presentations normally take place during Lent.  With the catechumenal formation of the elect completed, the Church lovingly entrusts to them the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, the ancient texts that have always been regarded as expressing the heart of the Church’s faith and prayer.  These texts are presented in order to enlighten the elect.

Penitential Rite (RCIA 459-472)
This Penitential Rite can serve to mark the Lenten purification of baptized but previously uncatechized adults who are preparing to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist or to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.  Because the Penitential Rite normally belongs to the period of final preparation for the sacraments, its celebration presumes that the candidates are approaching the maturity of faith and understanding requisite for fuller life in the community.  It is normally celebrated in the second Sunday of Lent.

Preparation Rites on Holy Saturday (RCIA 185-205)
When it is possible to bring the elect together on Holy Saturday for reflection and prayer, some or all of the following rites may be celebrated as an immediate preparation for the sacraments:  presentation of the Lord’s Prayer if it has been deferred, “return” or recitation of the Creed, Ephphetha Rite, and the choosing of a baptismal name.

Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation
(RCIA 206-243; 473-504; 562-594)

Through this final step the elect, receiving pardon for their sins, are admitted into the people of God.  They are graced with adoption as children of God and are led by the Holy Spirit into the promised fullness of time begun in Christ and, as they share in the Eucharistic sacrifice and meal, even to a foretaste of the kingdom of God.

In this celebration, participants are incorporated sacramentally into the Body of Christ.  They must for this step in accord with what they will be asked to profess publicly in the liturgy:

• Renunciation of sin - rejection of sin, Satan, and all his empty promises
• Profession of faith - profession of the creedal truths; all the Church believes and proclaims to be revealed by God

This final “gateway” leads directly to insertion into the mystery of Christ and to full communion with him in his body, the Church.  The elect and the candidates are almost overwhelmed by the liturgy of this “holiest of nights.”

For The Love of Liturgy…

The purpose of these links is to provide sources from which those in catechumenal ministry can find an excellent and venerable foundation for their efforts to form liturgical people.  These writings are taken from the rich heritage of prayerful reflection upon the liturgical tradition flowing from the grace of God and the timeless memory of the Church, “so that we might be justified by His grace and become heirs in hope of eternal life.” (Titus 3:7)

St. Ambrose, On the Mysteries

St. Cyril of Jerusalem, Catechetical Lectures

Thomas A’Kempis, Imitation of Christ

Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Calvary and the Mass

Archbishop Fulton Sheen, These are the Sacraments

Frank Sheed, Eucharist and Mass

Fr. Avery Dulles, The Ways We Worship

Fr. John Hardon, Sacraments: Channels of Divine Grace

Msgr. Romano Guardini, Sacred Signs

Msgr. Romano Guardini, The Spirit of the Liturgy