Approved Sacramental Guidelines The Rite of Christian Initiation of

157 Pages·2003·0.62 MB·English

Approved Sacramental Guidelines

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults
Baptism
Confirmation
Eucharist
Penance
Anointing
Marriage
Holy Orders
Guidelines

for the

Preparation and Celebration

of the

Sacraments of Initiation

for the

Diocese of Fort Worth
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults

Table of Contents

DOCTRINAL OVERVIEW 1
HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION.............................................................1
THEOLOGY OF THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION, CORRELATION WITH THE CATECHISM OF THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE RITE FOR CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR
PREPARATION FOR FULL INITIATION INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH....................................................3
PASTORAL AND CATECHETICAL PRINCIPLES 13
GENERAL PASTORAL AND CATECHETICAL PRINCIPLES......................................................................13
PRINCIPLES FOR THE PREPARATION AND CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION IN
THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS (RCIA).......................................................................13
POLICIES 15
THE PERSON TO BE INITIATED.................................................................................................................15
THE PARISH................................................................................................................................................16
NORMS FOR READINESS 19
THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS 20
GENERAL LITURGICAL PRINCIPLES........................................................................................................20
LITURGICAL PRINCIPLES FOR CELEBRATING THE RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS.....20
THE RITE OF ACCEPTANCE/WELCOME...................................................................................................21
RITES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERIOD OF CATECHUMENATE AND CATECHETICAL FORMATION..21
ELECTION AND CALL TO CONTINUING CONVERSION...........................................................................22
RITES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERIOD OF PURIFICATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT AND
PREPARATION FOR THE EASTER SACRAMENTS....................................................................................23
CELEBRATION OF THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION...........................................................................23
RITES ASSOCIATED WITH THE PERIOD OF MYSTAGOGY......................................................................24
GLOSSARY 25
GUIDELINES FOR THE PREPARATION AND CELEBRATION OF THE RITE OF
CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS (WITH ADAPTATIONS FOR CHILDREN OF
CATECHETICAL AGE); WITH GLOSSARY

I. Doctrinal Overview

N.B. Because the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is oriented primarily to the initiation
of those who are unbaptized, this doctrinal overview focuses upon the catechumenate.

A. HISTORICAL SUMMARY OF THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION

1. Summary

a. The Church’s initiation procedure was loosely organized, much like the rites of early
Jewish sects.

b. It included a period of preparation for instruction and repentance, then reception into
the community through a bath of water and sometimes a laying on of hands.

2. Second Century through Fifth Century

a. Candidates for Baptism have a long period of preparation including instruction,
prayer, and doing good works.

b. When ready for Baptism, candidates were vouched for by their sponsor, and bathed,
fasted, and prayed before receiving the sacrament.

c. For the ceremony the candidates were exorcised and anointed. After disrobing, they
went into the water to profess their faith and be baptized.

d. Clothed in white garments, they received a final anointing by the bishop to confirm
their new life in Christ.

e. When bishops found it impossible to attend all baptisms, the Western Church
separated this final anointing from the baptism itself to be administered later in the
ceremony of Confirmation by the bishop.

3. Sixth Century to Twentieth Century

a. In the Middle Ages, Christianity became the common belief, and infant Baptisms, the
general rule.

b. The long preparation for Baptism was no longer needed.

c. In some areas, the child was confirmed at the time of Baptism, but as time went on,
this ceremony was postponed until a later age.
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d. The Council of Trent in 1565 stated the “age of reason” as right for Confirmation

e. Confirmation was no longer seen as simply a sealing of Baptism but rather as a
sacrament of growth, confirming the Christian person’s faith.

f. The Bishop’s Kiss of Peace became a blow on the cheek to signify that one must be
ready to suffer for Christ.

Adapted from The Changing Sacraments. Reprinted by permission of St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1615 Republic Street,
Cincinnati, Ohio 45210. All rights reserved

4. Vatican II to the present

a. The first document of Vatican II, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (1963),
mandated restoration of the ancient order of initiation of adults known as the
catechumenate:
The catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps, is to be restored
and to be brought into use at the discretion of the local ordinary. By this means
the time of the catechumenate, which is intended as a period of suitable
instruction, may be sanctified by sacred rites to be celebrated at successive
intervals of time. (Sacrosanctum Concilium, 64)

b. In 1972, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), as mandated by Vatican II,
was published. A provisional English version of the text was made available in 1974.

c. For the next ten years, parishes in the United States (and the Diocese of Fort Worth)
began implementing the catechumenal process of initiation.

d. In 1983, several minor changes were made in the RCIA to bring it into conformity
with the new Code of Canon Law.

e. National statutes for the catechumenate for the United States were approved by the
National Conference of Catholic Bishops in 1986 and confirmed by the Holy See in
1987. The final English version of the ritual text was published and its
implementation mandated in 1988.

f. The Christian initiation of adults includes not only a period of well-suited instruction
and a time sanctified by liturgical rites to be celebrated at successive intervals, but
also a gradual integration into the full, conscious and active life of the Catholic
community.

g. While current practice, both worldwide and locally, remains varied, the trend is
moving away from a school year model of implementation to an approach that is
more flexible. Such flexibility is better suited to the individual needs of those
seeking full communion with the Church and to the process of conversion which is
continually turning one’s life toward the Gospel.
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B. THEOLOGY OF THE SACRAMENTS OF INITIATION, CORRELATION WITH
THE CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND THE RITE FOR CHRISTIAN
INITIATION OF ADULTS, AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PREPARATION FOR FULL
INITIATION INTO THE CATHOLIC CHURCH.

1. Participation in the Paschal Mystery through membership in the Church is a gift
God gives through preparation for and celebration of the sacraments of initiation:
Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist.
• Baptism brings forgiveness of all sin and the beginning of new life in Christ.
• Confirmation strengthens and seals the baptismal mission of the faithful.
• Eucharist, sacrifice and meal, nourishes the faithful with Christ’s Body and Blood.

Correlation with The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and The Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

CCC 1229: From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been
accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be
covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be
present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing
conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
and admission to Eucharistic communion.

RCIA, Christian Initiation, General Introduction 1: In the sacraments of
Christian initiation we are freed from the power of darkness and joined to
Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. We receive the Spirit of filial adoption
and are part of the entire people of God in the celebration of the memorial of the
Lord’s death and resurrection.

CCC 1263: By Baptism all sins are forgiven, original sin and all personal sins, as
well as all punishment for sin. In those who have been reborn nothing remains
that would impede their entry into the Kingdom of God, neither Adam’s sin, nor
personal sin, nor the consequences of sin, the gravest of which is separation from
God.

RCIA, General Introduction 2a: Baptism incorporates us into Christ and forms
us into God’s people. This first sacrament pardons all our sins, rescues us from
the power of darkness, and brings us to the dignity of adopted children, a new
creation through water and the Holy Spirit. Hence we are called and are indeed
the children of God.

CCC 1296: Christ himself declared that he was marked with his Father’s seal.
Christians are also marked with a seal: “It is God who establishes us with you in
Christ and has commissioned us; he has put his seal on us and given us his Spirit
in our hearts as a guarantee.” This seal of the Holy Spirit marks our total
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belonging to Christ, our enrollment in his service for ever, as well as the promise
of divine protection in the great eschatological trial.

RCIA, General Introduction 2b: By signing us with the gift of the Spirit,
confirmation makes us more completely the image of the Lord and fills us with the
Holy Spirit, so that we may bear witness to him before all the world and work to
bring the Body of Christ to its fullness as soon as possible.

RCIA 215: In accord with the ancient practice followed in the Roman Liturgy
adults are not to be baptized without receiving confirmation immediately
afterward, unless some serious reason stands in the way. The conjunction of the
two sacraments signifies the unity of the paschal mystery, the close link between
the mission of the Son and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and the connection
between the two sacraments through which the Son and the Holy Spirit come with
the Father to those who are baptized.

CCC 1322: The holy Eucharist completes Christian initiation. Those who have
been raised to the dignity of the royal priesthood by Baptism and configured more
deeply to Christ by Confirmation participate with the whole community in the
Lord’s own sacrifice by means of the Eucharist.

RCIA, General Introduction 2c: Finally, coming to the table of the eucharist, we
eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of Man so that we may have eternal
life and show forth the unity of God’s people. By offering ourselves with Christ we
share in the universal sacrifice, that is, the entire community of the redeemed
offered to God by their High Priest, and we pray for a greater outpouring of the
Holy Spirit, so that the whole human race may be brought into the unity of God’s
family.

Implications:
Christ’s Paschal Mystery, his death, resurrection, ascension, and the sending of
the Holy Spirit, is the foundation of the Church and the Church’s sacraments.
Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist initiate one into this Mystery. RCIA teams
help those to be initiated to recognize how the Holy Spirit reveals the dying and
rising pattern of the Paschal Mystery in their lives. Though human expertise,
planning, and work are needed for the preparation of these sacraments, the
sacraments themselves are a gift from God and not from human initiative.
Therefore the process of initiation is not governed by human conventions such as
an academic year or membership in a particular year’s class.

Correlation with The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and The Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

CCC 1212: The sacraments of Christian initiation – Baptism, Confirmation, and
Eucharist – lay the foundation of every Christian life.

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2. Together forming the core of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), these
three sacraments are the foundation of Christian life, both for individuals seeking
conversion to Christ in the Church, and for the Church herself.

RCIA, General Instruction, 2d: Thus the three sacraments of Christian initiation
closely combine to bring us, the faithful of Christ, to his full stature and to enable
us to carry out the mission of the entire people of God in the Church and in the
world.

Implications:
− All activities related to catechumenate should be inspired by the ritual text.
− While retaining their distinct characteristics and proper ends, the sacraments
of initiation form a unity and are combined in one liturgical celebration.
− Those responsible for preparation of catechumens and candidates for full
communion and for the corresponding liturgical celebrations should
themselves be thoroughly familiar with the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults and adequately prepared for whatever ministries they undertake.
− In order to acknowledge and honor the valid baptism of those seeking full
communion with the Church, care must be taken to maintain all legitimate
distinctions between catechumens (unbaptized) and candidates (baptized
Christian but uncatechized in the Catholic faith).

3. The goal of Christian initiation is conversion to Christ in a life of discipleship.

Correlation with The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and The Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

CCC 1692: The Symbol of the faith confesses the greatness of God’s gifts to man
in his work of creation, and even more in redemption and sanctification. What
faith confesses, the sacraments communicate: by the sacraments of rebirth,
Christians have become “children of God,” [Jn 1:12 ; 1Jn 3:1 .] “partakers of
the divine nature” [2Pet 1:4.] Coming to see in the faith their new dignity,
Christians are called to lead henceforth a life “worthy of the gospel of Christ.”
[Phil 1:27 .] They are made capable of doing so by the grace of Christ and the
gifts of his Spirit, which they receive through the sacraments and through prayer.
RCIA 1: The rite of Christian initiation presented here is designed for adults
who, after having the mystery of Christ proclaimed, consciously and freely seek
the living God and enter the way of faith and conversion as the Holy Spirit opens
their hearts. By God’s help they will be strengthened spiritually during their
preparation and at the proper time will receive the sacraments fruitfully.

Implications:
− Catechumens and candidates need to be taught explicitly that the goal of the
process is not membership in a merely human institution, but a new way of
living in Christ, expressed through active participation in the mission of the
Church, in which the Spirit of God resides.
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− The challenges and blessings of discipleship as a way of life should be made
clear throughout the entire process.

4. Conversion to Christ is a journey, marked by a series of initiatory stages and
affirmed by ritual celebrations, as quoted below (Part 1, Rite of Christian Initiation
of Adults; no paragraph number given, see p. 14)

PERIOD OF EVANGELIZATION AND PRECATECHUMENATE
This is a time, of no fixed duration or structure, for inquiry and introduction to Gospel
values, an opportunity for the beginnings of faith.

First Step: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens
This is the liturgical rite, usually celebrated on some annual date or dates, marking the
beginning of the catechumenate proper, as the candidates express and the Church
accepts their intention to respond to God’s call to follow the way of Christ.

PERIOD OF THE CATECHUMENATE
This is the time, in duration corresponding to the progress of the individual, for the
nurturing and growth of the catechumens’ faith and conversion to God; celebrations of
the word and prayers of exorcism and blessing are meant to assist the process.
Second Step: Election or Enrollment of Names
This is the liturgical rite, usually celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent, by which the
Church formally ratifies the catechumens’ readiness for the sacraments of initiation and
the catechumens, now the elect, express the will to receive these sacraments.

PERIOD OF PURIFICATION AND ENLIGHTENMENT
This is the time immediately preceding the elects’ initiation, usually the Lenten season
preceding the celebration of this initiation at the Easter Vigil; it is a time of reflection,
intensely centered on conversion, marked by celebration of the scrutinies and
presentations and of the preparation rites on Holy Saturday.

Third Step: Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation
This is the liturgical rite, usually integrated into the Easter Vigil, by which the elect are
initiated through baptism, confirmation, and the eucharist.

PERIOD OF POSTBAPTISMAL CATECHESIS OR MYSTAGOGY
This is the time, usually the Easter season, following the celebration of initiation, during
which 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 eucharistic celebration.

Correlation with The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and The Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

CCC 1229: From the time of the apostles, becoming a Christian has been
accomplished by a journey and initiation in several stages. This journey can be
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covered rapidly or slowly, but certain essential elements will always have to be
present: proclamation of the Word, acceptance of the Gospel entailing
conversion, profession of faith, Baptism itself, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit,
and admission to Eucharistic communion.

RCIA 2: This rite includes not simply the celebration of the sacraments of
baptism, confirmation, and eucharist, but also all the rites belonging to the
catechumenate.

RCIA 5: 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 action of the Church, and the circumstances of time and place.

Implications:
− Dialogue with the biblical stories of journey and the lived tradition of the
Church is a primary source for the process of initiation.
− Each one of the periods and rituals is integral to the process of initiation of
catechumens and deserves careful attention.
− Since the RCIA is the norm for all initiation, the journey of baptized
candidates—even those whose preparation requires less time—also follows
the pattern of initiatory stages and ritual celebrations.
− In the initiation process, the role of the bishop as pastor of the local Church is
always honored.

5. Preparation for the new life of discipleship, because it involves the whole person, has
the character of an apprenticeship in Christian life. It requires a balance of
doctrinal, liturgical and spiritual formation, in the context of a community of faith,
flowing from the proclamation of the Word of God.
• Nurturing an initial call to faith and repentance
• Discerning God’s presence through reflection on daily life in light of Scripture and
prayer
• Fostering inclusion in the community of faith
• Developing the habit and practice of prayer and regular reading of Scripture.
• Encouraging a life of active witness through justice and charity

Correlation with The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) and The Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

CCC 1248: The catechumenate, or formation of catechumens, aims at bringing
their conversion and faith to maturity, in response to the divine initiative and in
union with an ecclesial community. The catechumenate is to be “a formation in
the whole Christian life . . . during which the disciples will be joined to Christ
their teacher. The catechumens should be properly initiated into the mystery of
salvation and the practice of the evangelical virtues, and they should be
introduced into the life of faith, liturgy, and charity of the People of God by
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