RCIA Candidates Anointings

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We have begun a year-round process in our parish and as a result we will not be having any catechumens being baptized at this year’s Easter Vigil. We are going to have a candidate’s profession of faith, but he is only one of about 6. We would like to have a couple of anointings in the place of the scrutinies and I am needing a bit of guidance in this area. Can you suggest any prayers/services, etc. that we can use? I know there is an anointing in the RCIA rite book, but we would like to use something different. We would like to have perhaps 2 or 3 anointings perhaps at different Masses or maybe even at one of our weekly sessions. We would like to have other members of the church who may not go to the normal RCIA 9a.m. Sunday Mass get acquainted with those coming into our church. I’d appreciate anything you can suggest.
 
We have begun a year-round process in our parish and as a result we will not be having any catechumens being baptized at this year’s Easter Vigil. We are going to have a candidate’s profession of faith, but he is only one of about 6. We would like to have a couple of anointings in the place of the scrutinies and I am needing a bit of guidance in this area. Can you suggest any prayers/services, etc. that we can use? I know there is an anointing in the RCIA rite book, but we would like to use something different. We would like to have perhaps 2 or 3 anointings perhaps at different Masses or maybe even at one of our weekly sessions. We would like to have other members of the church who may not go to the normal RCIA 9a.m. Sunday Mass get acquainted with those coming into our church. I’d appreciate anything you can suggest.
My suggestion is that you not try and create your own customized Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. If you have no Catechumens ready for the Easter Vigil this year then you simply don’t have the Rite of Sending or the Scrutinies. You simply Receive the one Candidate if they are ready at the Easter Vigil, since you have no Baptisms. DO NOT invent your own liturgical Rites. I believe you are speaking of the Anointing of Catechumens with the Oil of Catechumens which is in the RCIA, but that should be done when they enter the Catechumenate after the Rite of Acceptance. Your dismissals can be rotated between Masses so everyone gets acquainted with the catechumens.
 
Thank you for your response, but I was not clear enough. We recently had an anointing of our catechumens not with the Oil of Catechumens but with St Joseph oil from a shrine. (I have holy water from the Holy Land that we would also like to use.) Each member of the team then put hands on them and just prayed over them. We are not reinventing a Rite, but we would like to just pray over our catechumens. We want them to experience the power of prayer and figure that anointing them also would make a bigger impact on them. I hope this explains our situation better and you can suggest some prayers that we can use for our anointing ceremony.
 
Thank you for your response, but I was not clear enough. We recently had an anointing of our catechumens not with the Oil of Catechumens but with St Joseph oil from a shrine. (I have holy water from the Holy Land that we would also like to use.) Each member of the team then put hands on them and just prayed over them. We are not reinventing a Rite, but we would like to just pray over our catechumens. We want them to experience the power of prayer and figure that anointing them also would make a bigger impact on them. I hope this explains our situation better and you can suggest some prayers that we can use for our anointing ceremony.
I’m sorry but I would not recomend anointings with Shrine oil. (I personally have some, but would not use it in such a way) Or water from the Holy Land, depending on exactly where it came from, it may not even be “Holy Water” for use as a sacramental. Doing this IMO can just lead to confusion about Sacraments and sacramentals. There are prayers in the Rite that can be used to pray for Catechumens and Candidates outside of the Liturgy. One good way, since RCIA is a Pariah wide ministry is to place many small cards with each persons name on them near the church entrance. Have the priest at the end of Mass ask everyone to take a card or two and pray for the person(s) and send them short personal notes (via the parish RCIA office) to encourage them.
 
I have waited to answer to be sure of my ground, so I checked. At least in this diocese anointings by lay persons with any type of oil blessed or not is specifically forbidden, whether it is for “healing” or any other purpose. As far as RCIA, the ritual book spells out when, where, how and by whom, and upon whom, specific anointings may be done. There is no provision for anyone other than ordained ministers to do these anointings.

My suggestion is that you follow the RCIA and do what it says as your bishops have modified it for your country, and don’t try to DIY. RCIA is confusing enough with all the options without confusing the candidates even more by ad hoc procedures and para-rituals.

Pray with them as you teach them Christian prayer, and pray for them in the manner, times and places suggested in the RCIA ritual book. Period.

Do not add any such rite in Mass where it is not specified in the ritual book, and do those only as approved by the presiding priest.

have your dismissal from different Masses from time to time, or have the scrutinies at 3 different Masses. It is not essential that the entire parish get to see them, only that a representative body of parishioners be present at the appropriate times.
 
Thank you both for your (name removed by moderator)ut and I will follow your suggestions. Thank you
 
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