The Period of Mystagogy

Christ has Risen!  Risen indeed!

As we continue to celebrate the great 50 days this brief introduction to the Period of Mystagogy is offered for your reflection.



https://drive.google.com/open?id=1TNs9sVG4UeTHoNgR2ZMltsZEMSdNq5Nj

Preparing for Life at the Table of the Lord

A Newsletter from the Christian Initiation Committee

 of the Ontario Liturgical Conference

Lent 2019

Lent in the Parish

We know that the season of Lent in a parish is a special time of year. There is an intensity and purpose to the season, and many things change – outwardly and inwardly. In the church building we see flowers removed, and purple vestments and banners appear.

People are marked with ashes to begin this sacred/solemn time, and the practices of the season: Prayer, Fasting and Almsgiving are embraced. Whether there is a parish mission or some other kind of devotion - Lent is not the “Same old – Same old”.

This season prepares the Elect for Initiation, and the balance of the parish to renew their Baptismal promises at the great feast of Easter.

For those already baptized, the season of Lend needs to be different in the process of preparation for the Sacraments of Initiation as well. It is an ideal time for a retreat for families preparing for a child to come to the Table and share in Holy Communion for the 

First time. It is a great time for Confirmation Candidates to work with their sponsor on a plan of outreach, having been informed of the disciplines of Lent, and the joy of being baptized.

Lent for the Elect

The time of Lent also needs to be different for those Catechumens who become the Elect on the First Sunday of Lent.

This time is not a time of catching up on matters from the period of the Catechumenate; it is a wonderful 40-day retreat centered on the rites of the season.

Scrutiny è Purification Presentation è Enlightenment

In the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults the time of Lent is referred to as the Period of Purification and Enlightenment. The two types of ritual actions that happen in this period are the Scrutinies and the Presentations of the Creed and the Our Father.

On the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent we celebrate a Scrutiny. The scrutiny is meant to uncover then heal all that is weak, defective, or sinful in the Elect, and then strengthen all that is upright, strong and good. Looking at Jesus as the living water, the light of the world, and the resurrection and the life, these Scrutinies are preparing and purifying the elect for Initiation.

In the third week we present the Creed, and in the fifth week we present the Our Father. Since they celebrated the Rite of Acceptance, our catechumens have been dismissed so they have not prayed these ancient texts which express the heart of the Church’s faith and prayer in the midst of the assembled community.

Thus the Rites belonging to Lent are very closely related to the name of this period in the Church’s ritual text!

Preparing for Life at the Table of the Lord

A Newsletter from the Christian Initiation Committee

 of the Ontario Liturgical Conference

Fall Ordinary Time 2018 

Preparing for and Celebrating a Rite

As we move closer to the end of the liturgical year many initiation leaders are focused on preparing to celebrate the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens or the Rite of Welcoming Candidates.

For experienced and new leaders alike, the best place to turn when preparing to celebrate a rite is the blue ritual book, Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. 

We recall that unbaptized inquirers (7 years of age and older) celebrate the Rite of Acceptance and baptized candidates (7 years of age and older) seeking reception into Full Communion celebrate the Rite of Welcoming Candidates. The two rites are never celebrated at the same liturgy. (par. 457 & 466). The baptismal dignity of the candidates is to be respected.

There is never a reason to schedule the two rites during the same liturgy. In a parish that gathers only once for Sunday Mass it may be necessary to schedule the rites over two weeks. In other parishes it will be possible to schedule the two rites at two different liturgies.

Readiness to Celebrate

Before discerning if an inquirer is ready to celebrate the first public rite it is wise to review par. 42 & 458.  The Church is looking for signs of first faith, initial conversion and a start to the practice of calling upon God in prayer, a sense of the Church and some experience of sharing in the life of the community.  This is the formal beginning of the initiation journey.  Those ready to celebrate this first rite will have begun to develop the habit of weekly participation in Sunday Mass. 

Celebrating in the Midst of the Community

The rites are celebrated during Sunday liturgy. For the unbaptized the rite begins outside the worship space or in the narthex and for the baptized the rite begins in the midst of the assembly.  For both rites the Penitential Rite and Gloria are omitted. (See pages 20 & 270 in the ritual book.)

Preparing musicians, lectors and ministers of hospitality will foster a more vibrant celebration. Including sung acclamations invites the entire assembly into prayer.  It is important to use a microphone so the responses of those seeking initiation can be heard. Preparing sponsors in advance so they are able to guide the inquirers means the dignity and power of the rite is strengthened.

Breaking Open God’s Word

Each Sunday from the day the rite is celebrated until full initiation, after the homily the catechumens and candidates will be sent to reflect and feast on God’s Word (par. 67 & 485).

The Ontario Liturgical Conference is a consultative body to the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario in liturgical matters. The Christian Initiation Committee supports the OLC in matters pertaining to the implementation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults and other issues of Christian Initiation in Ontario, Canada. One of the primary goals of the Christian Initiation Committee is to promote the vision of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults as it applies to adults, children of catechetical age and those baptized in infancy. To be added to the email list please contact olcrcia@gmail.com

Formation Event Cancelled

With regret, due to low registrations,  we have had to cancel the conference The Word of God in the Sacraments of the Church scheduled for September 28 and 29, 2018.
We apologize for any inconvenience.

Initiation During the "Slow Days of Summer"

This article originally appeared in Celebrate! The Journal That Makes Liturgy Come Alive!  The last issue of Celebrate! was published in 2012. 

On May 20^th we will celebrate the feast of Pentecost marking the end of the Easter season. In many parishes Pentecost marks a change in the parish calendar.  There are fewer meetings and some of the regular groups tend to “take a break for the summer”.  In our country it is common for parish life to move into a slower rhythm as the school year ends and families look to weekends away. Although the onset of nicer weather and summer schedules changes the rhythm of our parishes it need not lead to a lack of activity for the initiation team.  The ‘slower days of summer’ can be a time of renewal, formation and activity.

Renewal

The 90 days of Lent and Easter are busy and intense for those preparing to celebrate initiation, sponsors and the leaders of the initiation process.  The weeks shortly after Pentecost are an ideal time to gather the leaders for a day of reflection and prayer. 

Whenever possible gathering away from the parish is helpful for it allows for a different experience and reduces the opportunity for interruptions.  The day of reflection is a time of nourishment for the leaders. The agenda would not provide time to address practical issues nor to plan.  When designing the day it is important to include sufficient time for a short reflection by a facilitator, silence and shared prayer.  Each of these elements fosters a time of renewal. Some parishes may be able to join with one or two other parishes and share the cost of a facility and facilitator.

For many, this yearly gathering has become an essential component of formation for initiation leaders.  The pastoral staff and finance committee recognize the importance of renewal and budget accordingly.

Formation

As we enter into the long period of Ordinary Time it is particularly helpful to gather the pastoral staff and the initiation leaders to reflect on the liturgies of Lent and the celebration of the initiation sacraments.  For example, taking time to reflect on the rites that began the period of Lent as well as the Scrutinies and Presentations will allow for discussion that may lead to changes for next Lent.

This reflection can begin by recalling the experience, noting the ritual actions or activity that fostered participation and naming anything that inhibited participation of all.  A review of the ritual text including the pastoral notes and rubrics will allow you to name any aspects of the rite that needs to be celebrated in a stronger way.  A review of the rite may lead to new information and understanding of the three Scrutinies and the Presentations of the Creed and Lord’s Prayer.

For example, a parish team may realize that the intercessions for the Scrutinies “may be adapted to fit various circumstances” (RCIA, 140).  The intercessions may be written after the preparation for the scrutiny has been completed so that the particular needs of the local community are included. A thorough reading of the pastoral notes may lead to a decision to include the Presentations of the Creed and Lord’s Prayer during the extended period of the Catehcumenate. (RCIA, 134).  The reasons for anticipating the Presentations may be linked to the length of the catechumenate and the needs of the catechumens.  This decision would be revisited each year for the needs of the catechumen must be considered. 

Adopting this practice of reflection and reading the rite may be applied to all periods and rites of the initiation process.  Taking time to review the pastoral notes for the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate and the Rite of Acceptance may lead to implementing pastoral practices that more clearly reflect the vision of the rite.

It has been my experience that even after years of working with the ritual text, the pastoral notes and the rubrics still have something to offer a seasoned initiation leader.  The slower days of summer provide some breathing space and an opportunity for the leaders to further their own understanding of the rite.  During this long period of Ordinary Time there may be opportunities to travel and take a course or attend a conference or gathering focused on initiation.  Members of the parish initiation team are more likely to stay involved when they are able to continue to grow in their own understanding of this ministry.

Activity

In a parish with an ongoing inquiry group there would be regular gatherings during the slower summer months.  It is important to continue the contact with the inquirers although the nature and frequency of the gatherings may change.  A barbecue either at the parish or at the home of one of the parishioners would allow for family members to attend.  A time of socializing and shared prayer before the meal would mentor others in community living.

Throughout the Easter season it is possible to have a variety of people formally connected to the initiation process.  It is becoming more common for a parish to have catechumens who continue to gather to Break Open the Word each Sunday throughout Easter and Ordinary Time.  These people are continuing their time of apprenticeship and formation.  During the summer months the catechumens and families along with the inquirers and families could participate in a visit to a local outdoor shrine.  The visit to the shrine could include time for prayer, catechesis on the saint and fellowship.

In some parishes there are a number of festivals that occur during the early months of summer.  Often the festival is linked to a particular cultural group and focus on a certain saint.  Inviting the leaders responsible for the festival to include those seeking initiation is a concrete way of fostering a greater understanding of initiation as a task of all the baptized.

The neophytes, those newly received into Full Communion and their families could be involved in the organizing and hospitality for some of the activities. 

The slower days of summer are times of renewal and rest.  It is possible to respect the need for renewal while expanding our understanding of initiation as a time of formation and apprenticeship.  We live as Catholics 52 weeks of the year so it is reasonable for our initiation process to reflect the fullness of a Catholic lifestyle.

The Word of God in the Sacraments of the Church

Thank you to the 68 people who gathered with the Christian Initiation Committee at the Providence Spirituality Centre in Kingston on September 15 and 16, 2017.  People from across our province travelled to be a part of this formation event. 

There were participants from the  following dioceses: London, Hamilton, Toronto, Timmins, Kingston and  Ottawa. Archbishop Brendan O'Brien from the archdiocese of Kingston joined us to Evening Prayer on Friday. 

The three focus sessions were: 

The Word of God in Our Lives                                                  

“The Scriptures are the living waters from which all who seek life and salvation must drink.”  Introduction to the Lectionary, CCCB, 2009, par. 5

The Word of God at the Heart of Initiation

“The Church has always venerated the divine scriptures as it has venerated the Body of the Lord, in that it never ceases, above all in the sacred liturgy, to partake of the bread of life and to offer it to the faithful from the one table of the word of God and the Body of Christ.”

Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, par. 21

The Word of God: Integral to Initial and Ongoing Catechesis

“Catechesis will always draw its content from the living source of the Word of God transmitted in Tradition and the Scriptures, for sacred Tradition and sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the word of God, which is entrusted to the Church” General Directory for Catechesis par. 94   

The evaluation forms indicate that the participants found the time helpful, formative and spiritually enriching.  

May all parish initiation members continue to strive to put people not only in touch but also in communion and intimacy with Jesus Christ. (General Directory for Catechesis, par. 80) 

The Word of God in the Sacraments of the Church

Registration for the September Conference has now closed.