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In accordance with the directions of the
Church, our program leads participants through three steps towards their full initiation into our faith community, namely:
- STEP 1: Rite of Acceptance: candidates are publicly
welcomed into our Catholic faith community as "catechumens" ; they “declare their intention to the Church and the
Church in turn…accepts them as persons who intend to become its members”
- STEP 2: Rite of Election: catechumens are accepted
as willing and prepared for immediate initiation into full membership in our Catholic faith community
- STEP 3: The Sacraments of Initiation:
the Elect receive the three Sacraments of Initiation, namely. Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. These three Sacraments
of Initiation are most appropriately received as part of the Easter Vigil Services. Those who have already
been baptized and/or ordained in another Christian Church, do not re-receive these sacraments. Such candidates undergo
a rite of full communion into the Catholic Church community
- Associated with these three steps are the following four periods:
- Period of Evangelization and Pre-catechumenate (also known as
Inquiry Period): this occurs prior to Step 1: it involves a preliminary introduction to the nature of the Catholic
Church, its teachings and its practices; helps the inquirer to discover what it is he or she is seeking
- Period of the Catechumenate (for both catechumens and candidates—the
latter are those who have already been baptized in a Catholic or Protestant church but are not fully initiated):
this occurs between Step 1 and Step 3, during which a number of things happen:
- more in depth
instruction/learning about: the sacred Scriptures; the Catholic Church, its beliefs, its prayer, liturgical and other practices;
and its implications for their lives. This occurs in weekly sessions and when dismissed after the homily at Sunday Masses
- developing relationships
with the Catholic Christian community; this takes place in a number of ways, through a variety of interactions
- minor exorcisms
- blessing &
anointing of the catechumens
- Period
of purification and enlightenment
- this is a period
of intense spiritual recollection that usually coincides with Lent; a period of purification and enlightenment; a time for
reflection and prayer more than teaching
- celebrate several
liturgies:
- Rite of Sending forth from the parish community to the bishop for admission to the final period o preparation (candidates are now called “elect”)
- catechumens also
undertake three "scrutinies" by which they undergo a process of self-searching and repentance, and
explore their own readiness to become full members of the Catholic Christian community
- presentation of
The Creed
- presentation of The Lord's Prayer
- Period of mystagogy or post-baptismal catechesis: this occurs after Step 3 (i.e., after Initiation): deepening understanding of the mysteries of our faith; the
newly initiated experience being fully a part of the Christian community by means of pertinent catechesis and, particularly,
by participation with all the faithful in the Sunday Eucharist celebration. The new Christians, now part of Christ’s
body (the Church), must now go forth with the entire faith community to continue the mission of Jesus Christ.
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