CATECHESIS AND IT’S ROLE IN THE RCIA PROCESS
From an article entitled “To the Threshold and to the Fullness: What is the RCIA supposed to be?” (December 2003 issue from The Association for Catechumenal Ministry) we read:
“The catechetical endeavor native to the catechumenal process serves a deeply personal end – discovering at an intellectual level not simply how an individual learns the Faith, but how a participant falls in love.” The goal, especially during the catechumenate period, is much more than imparting that which must be believed as a Catholic – but to prepare participants for a new experience, an embrace. This embrace is meant to be twofold – human and divine, as uniting water into wine, inviting the seekers to satisfy the deepest call of relationship that Jesus gives – “I thirst.” (John 19:28)
While it is extremely important to impart the beliefs and teachings of the Church, it is as important, if not more so, to bring the seeker to conversion of mind and heart. Being a part of that conversion experience is not the “job” of the team and the community, it is a privilege.