What does a RCIA team member do?

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rarndt01

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Our church asked for people to come out during the week and sign up to be RCIA team members for those who will be going through RCIA classes starting this October. I went this last night and the priest asked us(only 6 people showed up) to introduce ourselves. He said he would do the instruction and showed us the plan. But other than that he wished us to come and be a “witness” to our faith.
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             Huh? I don't get it? If Father is doing all the talking and teaching to these new converts, then what exactly will we be doing all these weeks?  That's what I want to know. Just warming the chair and smiling ever so nicely? Have any of you done this before. If so, what exactly did you do?
Ron from Ohio
 
You have no idea how much your quiet witness can do for someone inquiring into the faith. It is a wonderful affirmation. And I am sure you will be surprised at how much participation will develop as the weeks go by.
 
Father may be instructing the candidates, but during the class, there will be open discussion and group exercises among the candidates and team members. If it is run like it is in my Parish, then you will have lots of opportunities to speak and witness to the candidates.
 
A team member is just that a member of the team with a position to play. Yes, father (or the catechist) is the quarterback. If you do not your position ask the priest.

Some suggestions: Help decorate the RCIA room as the liturgical seasons change. Bring in snacks for the candidates. Be open to becoming a sponsor for one of the candidates. When questions arrise, share your understanding of the issues. Help clean up after the classes are over. Take the innitiative, bring in a “catholic” game to play (we play catholic jeopardy alot, with little prizes at the end). Introduce yourself, individually, to one of the candidates. Take one, under your wing. Invite him/her out for coffee. Have an RCIA banquet for Christmas at your house.

Want more?

Being a team member can be awsome just for the opportunity to whatch someone discovering the faith for the first time.

God Bless,
Ross
(in fairness to full disclosure: and RCIA Director)
 
I’m an RCIA team member in my parish. The director of adult faith formation leads our weekely meetings with the candidates and catechumens. She leads the discussions and the flow of the class.

We have both of our priests, and our deacon, plus an outside priest to handle the theological stuff, (like the teaching mass, topics like the Trinity, Incarnation, Sacraments, etc).

As an RCIA team member, our main objective is helping to share the faith with the candidates. it is us that helps make the faith real and tangible to the people who are enquiring.

RCIA is a lot more than just a classroom where we learn about the Church. it is a faith experience, and the RCIA team member has the goal of making the faith applicable to everyday life circumstance.

We make it real.

For example,

In our meeting this past Wednesday, we talked about Jesus, who he was, what his life experiences were, how he related to people.

We took many bible verses that showed different sides of Jesus.
Jesus being tempted, Jesus weeping at the death of a friend, Jesus feeling abandoned on the cross, Jesus being angry at the moneychangers in the temple. jesus being frustrated because his disciples just did not “get it” about him.

As RCIA team members, we then help to share how personal God is that God came in the flesh and experienced what we experienced, felt the things we feel, went through the trials that we can go through, and we relate this with examples of our own journey of faith.

The idea is to bring God in a personal way because that it really what our faith is all about. It is about relationship. The priests and deacons teach all the theology stuff.
We help make it real and tangible for those who want to come into deeper communion with God through the Catholic Church.
 
oh, also.

We go to mass as a group every weekend. We have 4 masses at our parish including Satuday evening mass.
After the homily we are dismissed and one of the team members leads what is called, breaking open the word.

The candidates/catechumens get together with one RCIA team member who is facilitator to talk about the readings and apply them to ourselves.
We try to take the gospel and make it real for our lives today.
 
the priest may also be wishing to get to know you all better so he can ask some to be sponsors for the catechumens and candidates, a sacred task, please say yes if you are asked. Team means just what is says. Everybody is not the coach, manager or quarterback, but everyone is essential.

RCIA is not one on one instruction, passing and exam and being rewarded with sacraments. It is a process of inquiry, initial conversion, formation, instruction, ongoing conversion, purificiation and enlightenment, initiation into the Christian mysteries, and further contemplation of those mysteries. It is a period of incorporation into the life of Christ and the life of the church, as experienced in the parish. This is the contribution of a team, “a cloud of witnesses”, not the product of reading a book, watching a video or hearing a lecture. Be part of it. Your own faith will never be the same.

This is a challenge, you are up for it. You have been called by name, by the person in authority to call you. Please don’t say no.
 
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rarndt01:
Our church asked for people to come out during the week and sign up to be RCIA team members for those who will be going through RCIA classes starting this October. I went this last night and the priest asked us(only 6 people showed up) to introduce ourselves. He said he would do the instruction and showed us the plan. But other than that he wished us to come and be a “witness” to our faith.

Huh? I don’t get it? If Father is doing all the talking and teaching to these new converts, then what exactly will we be doing all these weeks? That’s what I want to know. Just warming the chair and smiling ever so nicely? Have any of you done this before. If so, what exactly did you do?

Ron from Ohio
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I would guess that maybe he should have used the word “Sponsors” instead of “Team Members”. Each person seeking union with the Catholic Church has a Catholic from the community into which they will enter walk with them on the journey. The Sponsor is there to answer questions, pray with, attend Mass and other Rites and parish Devotions with the Catechumen or Candidate. Most of the sponsors “work” is done outside of the RCIa meetings, but they do attend so that they can understand when questions are asked.
 
The presence of the team members at each meeting strongly conveys to the rcia class members that your parish is interested in them and wants new members and is an active, happening kind of church and not a dead zone.

Also, each team member will appeal to different types of class members and so having a team makes it easier for the class members to pick someone after class to ask all those questions that they didn’t want to ask in class.

Yes, you might feel like you are just window dressing, but you really are NOT such.
 
It seems if we are asked to be a part of this team, we should feel honored that we are thought of highly enough to be a sponsor & example for the candidate to talk to should they have any concerns regarding this new chapter in their life. Be yourself & be a testimony to your faith.
 
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