RCIA Early Dismissal

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the source for your answer is the RCIA ritual book, which specifies differnt rites and differnet preparation for catechumens (unbaptized) and candidates (baptized) seeking full communion with CC. The answer is always in the Rite itself. Anyone responsible for RCIA must become immersed in the Rites. The church prays as the church believes.

It is more of a practical matter why many parishes treat both groups the same. I do because until this year I had no help and could not run two separate classes. And in many cases the catechetical needs of both groups are virtually the same. It is important for the director to get to know the members of the class to determine their individual needs, but sometimes it is hard to do. Our largest single contingent is baptized Catholic adults who have had no catechesis and need first communion and/or confirmation. Then it is other Christians married to Catholics who have decided to become Catholic, and many of them are far better educated and conversant in scripture than most Catholics. So far we have baptized only youth, no adults. (The Holy Spirit is probably waiting until I get my act together before He sends me any real converts),

We do not dismiss because I need to attend this complete Mass due to other parish commitments on Sunday. We do Breaking open the Word for the first half hour, then a break for coffee & donuts (a Catholic rite that is NOT in the book), then an hour of doctrinal class based on the catechism. We also do during Mass only those Rites that are mandatory. Some of the optional rites are done during the Class, others are disregarded if the team, with pastor, decides they are not appropriate or necessary for this group.

The mistake many RCIA programs make, as I learned the hard way, is to confuse BOW which is teaching based on the lectionary, with faith-sharing (where everybody gives their opinion and reaction to the scripture). This is a fine practice for mature christians in small groups, but it is not the same as lectionary-based catechesis, nor is it breaking open the Word. The director must be extremely careful discerning resources for BOW, if the catechist is not priest or deacon, because there is a lot of garbage out there.
 
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IPTgrad:
According to the National Statutes for the Catechumenate #31:

“Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate.”
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Is there a link to this document? I’m really feeling like I’m wading in the kiddie pool in RCIA; our resident apologist was accepted into the church only last September as a hurry-up, and I’d like to follow in his footsteps. This documentation would help.

DaveBj
 
Dear DAveBj,

I spent about 15 minutes searching the web for the document. For some reason my searches are not turning it up on-line.

I have the statutes in the back of my study edition of the RCIA itself (RCIA stands for Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults & the book that guides it includes all the rites as well as instructions to the rites… my book has some additional documents including the statutes.)

Your RCIA director & your priest should have this book with the documentation.

We do not often call upon statue #31 because most of the time our candidates have much to learn, but sometimes we get someone in who is reading the Catechism from cover to cover or who has been studying on his own for years & then we only need to spend a few months getting to know the person & trying to discern purity of motives & clear up misconceptions that may have crept in during self-study. We then have a period of purification & that person can be initiated at a parish Mass.

The National statutes are very very careful to distinguish between those already baptized & those not. They strongly suggest that those already baptized not be initiated at the Easter Vigil (statutes #32 & 33) in order to avoid confusion “or any perceived triumphalism in the liturgical welcome into the Catholic eucharistic community.” Of course, they say it’s okay to initiate them at the Easter Vigil as long as the difference between the baptized & non-baptized is very very clear… but they prefer another time… interesting, isn’t it?
 
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IPTgrad:
Dear DAveBj,

I spent about 15 minutes searching the web for the document. For some reason my searches are not turning it up on-line.
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Thanks for looking.

DaveBj
 
Really really strange… I’ve been attending RCIA in a Latin Rite parish for several weeks, and we’ve never had an early dismissal. I’ve sat through the entire Mass, just like I had before I started RCIA. Does that have anything to do with the fact that our class meets on Tuesday evening, instead of after the Mass?

I propose that there needs to be more uniformity in the way RCIA is conducted.

Dan
 
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JimG:
Catechumens, of course, are the unbaptized. But in RCIA, both the baptized and unbaptized depart for the early dismissal. This leads to some ironic situations. There are some in the RCIA who have attended Mass with their spouses and families for decades; but now that they are in the RCIA process, they must leave early!
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That is why the Rite calls for only the Catechumens to be dismissed. The Candidates have a right by virtue of their valid Baptism to remain.
 
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Eucharistic:
Are there any supporting articles, documents etc to not do the early dismissal before the Liturgy of the Eucharist. What is the History of this Early Dismissal?
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the document that governs RCIA is the Ritual book, Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults available from Liturgical Training Publications, ltp.org. the same publisher has reams of historical material on the theology of the restored RCIA including practices of the early church. so it follows if this document is the official liturgical and sacramental publication of the Catholic Church, that the same Church has not published any documents contradicting the practices advised here. That being said, every stage of the rites and the preparation for them provides for several variations and options. The dismissal is not an absolute requirement, and depends on many factors, including and especially the needs and resources of the parish.
 
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JimG:
Catechumens, of course, are the unbaptized. But in RCIA, both the baptized and unbaptized depart for the early dismissal. This leads to some ironic situations. There are some in the RCIA who have attended Mass with their spouses and families for decades; but now that they are in the RCIA process, they must leave early!
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only the catechumens (the unbaptized) should be dismissed after the Gospel. the baptized may remain for the entire Mass. If they are baptized Catholics preparing for Confirmation they must attend the whole Mass.
 
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mkw:
i HATED early dismissal. I just went through the RCIA process last year. I always felt like I was missing out on half the Mass (which I was). When we were dismissed, we would parade out after the Homily,(father sending us out with a blessing), then we would “discuss” the readings and tell what we “got out of them”.
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what should have been happening was a teaching based on the readings, a real catechetical session, tying the message to the doctrinal content it illuminates. Some sharing is welcome but that should not be the most important or longest part of the session. When the baptized candidates rejoin the group after Mass, a catechetical session on doctrine should begin (or should be held at another time during the week if more convenient).
 
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JimG:
I
Is there any possibility that this “breaking open of the word” will be eliminated? While it may have been useful in the early church, it is sometimes counterproductive in today’s world.
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RCIA takes as its starting point the proclamation of the Gospel, and is intended to have the lectionary readings as the foundation of catechesis for the unbaptized. this catechesis should begin with the readings, but must also include a systematic presentation of Catholic doctrine and practice. A well constructed full year round program that pays careful attention to the doctrinal themes in the readings can indeed make such a systematic presentation, but it takes very careful thoughtful planning when the lectionary is the only resource. There is no option in RCIA teaching not founded on the Gospels.

that being said, the baptized should have their instruction adapted for their condition, recognizing their status and taking into account their previous Christian living, education and formation. They often benefit more from a systematic catechesis based on the CCC.
 
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mkw:
OTM,you stated there is plenty of time to discuse theology in class (RCIA),I wish that was the case in my RCIA class. Only basic theology was touched on, and not in depth sadly. The coordinator was very honest with us when she said there was not enough time to get into a deep discussion and that we needed to do the research on our own. ?
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RCIA presents the basics of the doctrine, and is not meant to be an in depth college theology presentation. It is mean to awaken in the new Christian a hunger for more of the Word of God and more instruction on the marvelous elements of his new faith, and to lead for a desire for lifelong learning and faith formation. In fact in the early Church, the catechumens were not instructed at all in the sacraments before Easter, but received instruction in “the mysteries” after Easter in the period called aptly Mystagogia.
RCIA is the time to introduce the catechumen to the elements of the creed with enough detail for him to be able to profess it at baptism, and for the initial proclamation of the Gospel.

sorry I did not at first realize this was an old thread where much of this material has already been given, did not mean to be so long winded.
 
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