The Vision of the RCIA Adapted for Children
One Day Workshop
Location: St. Dominic Chancery, 2403 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, Texas, 77021
Date: August 7, 2019
Time: 9:00am - 3:00pm
Important Information:
Click here to download a PDF with important information.
Deadline to Register: August 1, 2019
Registration Website: https://archgh.cvent.com/VisionoftheRCIA
Individual Registration: $20 per person.
Each participant will receive a copy of Guide to Adapting the RCIA for Children by Rita Burns Senseman (LTP, 2017).
Please bring your copy of the RCIA ritual text.
Lunch is included.
For questions or more information: Contact Juan Carlos Moreno in the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis at 713-741-8794 or jcmoreno@archgh.org.
Workshop Presenter:
Michael Ruzicki is the training and events managerat Liturgy Training Publications and is the author of Guide for Training Initiation Ministers: An Introduction to the RCIA (LTP, 2018) and served as the director of music at Notre Dame de Chicago Parish until June 2019. Michael was also a team member of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate. Michael is a graduate of The Catholic University of America and the Washington Theological Union.
This workshop aims to recognize and acknowledge that children of varying ages and states of faith formation undergo a variety of paths to Christian initiation. However, using the rite itself as a backbone, this series of workshops will help RCIA coordinators, catechists, and DREs with suggestions on how to adapt the rite for children. Participants will learn about various parish-tested models, consider sample catechetical sessions, and explore ways to collaboratively prepare the liturgical rites.
SESSION 1 Overview of the Vision and Models of Implementation
Whether children or adults, the Church turns to the rites and formation periods found in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Its vision is to form catechumens into fully initiated disciples, no matter what age. After presenting the guiding principles of the RCIA, the session will include practical ways to implement the RCIA adapted for children in your parish community.
SESSION 2 The Periods of the RCIA and Parish Faith Formation
The National Directory for Catechesis #35.D describes the catechumenal process as “a process of formation and a true school of faith” because it includes “a fruitful blend of instruction and formation in the faith.” Participants will explore what they are currently doing in their parish faith formation program and examine how it can work together with, and be inspired by, the baptismal catechumenate.
SESSION 3 Liturgical Rites and the Parish Community
The liturgical rites of the RCIA adapted for children are not only celebratory, but they are also inherently catechetical. This session will include the pros and cons for combining the children and the adults. Furthermore, practical advice will be presented for effective collaboration among coordinator, catechist, liturgist, musician, and priest. The community’s participation will be greatly emphasized throughout this session.