Christian Initiation of Adults
“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.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1229)
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First Stage:
Precatechumanate: Proclamation of the Word
This is the most important moment in the journey towards Baptism. It is the moment of Evangelization by word and the testimony of life, in fulfillment of Christ’s command. In the Catholic tradition, this period is called the ‘precatechumenate’.
The precatechumenate is the first stage of the Christian initiation of adults. Its characteristic is a strong emphasis on evangelization to inquirers/candidates, and the involvement of the whole local community.
“This Christian initiation in the catechumenate should be taken care of not only by catechists or priests, but by the entire community of the faithful, so that right from the outset the catechumens may feel that they belong to the people of God.” (AG, 14)
The local community is involved in inviting, welcoming, giving witness, sharing of faith and proclaiming the Gospel. Each inquirer / candidate is accompanied by a member of the local community during this journey of faith and conversion. When the inquirers/candidates are ready to accept Jesus as their Teacher and Saviour and are willing to begin the long journey of personal conversion, they are accepted into the Catechumenate.
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Second Stage:
Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens:
This rite is the bridge between the precatechumenate and the catechumenate. Through this rite, the inquirers/candidates, in front of the local community, profess their initial faith in Jesus entailing their personal conversion.
“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 successive sacred rites.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1248)
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Third Stage:
Rite of Election
The Catechumenate period comes to a close with the Rite of Election (sometimes referred to as the Enrollment of Names).
The Rite of Election corresponds with the beginning of the Liturgical season of Lent (the rite of election is normally held on the first Sunday of Lent), and ushers the Elect from the period of the Catechumenate (where the focus was on learning the ways of living the faith in the Church and in the world) into a period of purification and enlightenment, in keeping with the spirit of the season.
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Purification and Enlightenment:
the period of Purification and Enlightenment is the final period of preparation for initiation at the Easter Vigil. It usually coincides with the Season of Lent.
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Presentations:
During the period of Purification and Enlightenment, the elect are presented with the Creed and the Lord’s prayer (the Our Father) through special rites. For pastoral reasons, both presentations can be anticipated during this Period of the Catechumenate.
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The three Sacraments of Christian initiation:
Today in all the rites, Latin and Eastern, the Christian initiation of adults begins with their entry into the catechumenate and reaches its culmination in a single celebration (normally during the Easter Vigil celebration) of the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist.
Through water and the Holy Spirit, the neophyte is reborn as a child of God, a member of Jesus’ Church and a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Through the anointing with chrism and imposition of hands (in the sacrament of confirmation), the outpouring of the Spirit makes the neophyte a strong witness of Jesus.
Through the Eucharist, the neophyte is nourished and united to Jesus in the most intimate way.
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Fourth Stage:
Mystagogy: the fourth and final period of Christian initiation of adults, which is from Easter to Pentecost. The characteristic of this period is the experience of the neophytes. While in the catechumanate, the catechumens were learning and preparing for the sacraments of initiation, during the period of mystagogy, the neophytes are sharing their personal experience of the sacraments and Christian living.
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