Pre-Catechumenate Tools
Pre-catechumenate tools:
- Biography sharing
Encourage everyone to share something about themselves and their lives. Usually, each time the group tells something about themselves, new and unique dimensions emerge.
- Journaling
Early on the enquirers can be given a journal or notebook and encouraged to begin a journaling process that could include reflections from gatherings, new questions, their history, their hopes and so on. This isn’t a diary. It’s about the meaning and interpretation of experiences. You might want to include a mini session on basic journaling skills and techniques.
- Life map
In order to help enquirers situate their present search within the larger context of their life, one journaling technique is the life map. The enquirers are asked to think of 10-12 major transition points in their life, beginning with their birth and ending with the present moment. These events can drawn as if they were a road, indicating the highs and lows of events and the periods between them. These serve as possibilities for discussion. Throughout RCIA they can be encouraged to fill in the details of this map.
- Church Tour (Physical or virtual)
Art, architecture and sacred space have always served the community in a variety of capacities. One service has been catechetical. Te life of both the local community and the larger church can be discussed during a church tour. Spending time with the sanctuary, the altar, the ambo, the tabernacle, the pictures, windows statues, carvings and so on are all ways of basic instruction. Vestments and vessels allow an introduction to colours used in the church. The confessional may be something that is mysterious and frightening: open the doors and show them inside.
- Parish History
Parishes preserve their history in a variety of ways: photos, anniversary books, booklets. Spend time discussing the life and growth of the parish, indicating some of the unique features of this particular parish community.
- Parishioners
Invite members of the community to visit. Have a cross section of people: old, young, involved in organisations, etc. Ask each to spend a few minutes sharing who they are and why they are a part of this parish. Allow the enquirers to ask questions about life in the parish.
- Liturgical Year
You might want to use a liturgical calendar to help with this. Show the enquirers the various seasons and movements in the life of the community as indicated on the calendar: feasts, Ordinary Time, Advent,Christmastime, Lent, Easter. Talking about the seasons is a good way of telling some of the stories of our faith.
- Symbol Making
Provide opportunities to help enquirers name and discuss basic life symbols as well as personal symbols. Perhaps those who would rather not write in their journal could draw or describe a symbol that captures the day’s experience for them. These symbols, followed in sequence can begin to tell the story of the enquirer during this period.
- Open ended sentences
These are usually good for discussion. Provide a sheet with a series of opening phrases of a sentence and allow the enquirers time to respond to them. The sentences could be constructed in response to issues raised in a previous session. For example:
- My greatest hope....
- I’m here because....
- When I think of death.....
- What I really want....
- To love.....
- Photo Stories
Whenever people show family photos, immediately the stories begin to be told. Encourage people to bring in a few photos – perhaps of different times in their lives. This is a good opportunity to show photos of people and places in the Catholic tradition.
- Storytelling
Needless to say, this is going on all the time throughout the precatechumenate meetings. As people begin to tell their stories, the team can also begin to tell the stories of the Catholic community.
- Telling the Jesus Story
Throughout the precatechumenate it will be essential to tell the story of Jesus, stories of the Hebrew and early Christian communities, and the Catholic community again and again.This will be most effective when collaborated with the questions and concerns of the enquirers.
- Current events
An important part of the journey of faith is to be able to recognise the movement of God in the ordinary of life. Encourage enquirers to bring in news clippings to discuss with the group. What’s happening? How am I affected by this? How is God present in this? How can I respond? How do we respond? The team may also want to keep abreast of news that would have a particular interest for enquirers – things they have talked about, newsworthy events in the Catholic community, items or concerns that call us to prayer.
- Catholic Trivia
Encourage the enquirers during the week to think of questions about Catholic life- any questions, such as: What are the candles in front of statues for? Why are priests celibate? Where do we get the hosts? Who chooses the scripture readings at Mass? You could then choose one member of the team to be in the “Mastermind” chair and ask the questions to try to stump the team member.
- Scripture
Enquirers need to see the Bible- to recognise its basic structure, how it’s broken down into a variety of books, and so on. This can be done very informally. Include a story or passage from the scriptures at each meeting and let them know where it came from. If you have enquirers from other Christian denomination they may have questions about the so-called Catholic books of the Bible.
- Written questions
At the end of each meeting the enquirers can be asked to spend a few moments reflecting on the content of the meeting and then asked to write at least one specific question about what was discussed, or about Catholic life. The questions can then be reviewed by the team during the week and used to help prepare for the next gathering.
- Prayer
Regularly the enquirers need to be invited into experiences of prayer. A variety of prayer forms can be used to accommodate the needs and differences of the enquirers. This is a good time to use simple and spontaneous prayers with them, leading them into an awareness of prayer of petition and thanksgiving.