Event Planning
Rite of Welcoming/Acceptance
We start the discernment process for this rite in late August/early September. If people aren’t ready to commit, it can be pushed back indefinitely.
Bulletin: Announce the rite in bulletin the week before and the week of
------
(sample bulletin insert, to be adapted for the circumstances)
Rites of Acceptance and Welcoming: Sunday, December 3rd will be a special day for our RCIA participants, who have been studying, praying and asking questions about the Catholic faith. In the Rite of Acceptance, celebrated at the 10am Mass, inquirers will publicly declare for the first time that they want to be Baptized. In the Rite of Welcoming, also at the 10am Mass, those who have already been Baptized will be expressing their desire to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church. Through these Rites, both groups will be entering into a formal, although still incomplete, relationship with the Church. These Rites will supply them with the graces they need to grow in this new way of life as they continue their journey to the Easter Sacraments of Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation. Please pray for those who are preparing to take this momentous step, and please help us to welcome and support them as they join us on our road to Heaven!
------
Ushers:Make sure ushers know about the Rite (and if candidates will be processing out to reflect on the Scriptures, the ushers will need to know that too). Father thought a sheet of paper left on the gift table in the back of church would work (use your judgment!). A worship aid with “Ushers” written across the top would probably help too.
Choir:Let the choir know the rite is coming. Since it looks like we’ll have a catechumen this year, the rite will begin with the RCIA group at the entrance, knocking on the door. Father will process back to meet us, greet us, then we will process in to a song. Also suggest that they be ready to sing the first 2 verses of “God’s Blessing Sends Us Forth” for the dismissal. Give them worship aids.
Lector: Give them a heads-up so they know to wait for the opening ceremony. (We haven’t done this, but it would be nice!)
Priest: Make sure Father has his script (we have the scripts from previous years, which will need to be adapted). Give him the bibles and crucifixes to be given to the candidates. Have an extra script ready, just in case Father misplaces his!
Worship aids: Copy & put out worship aidsfor parishioners (we have previous years’, to be adapted). We put them at all the entrances, but people haven’t been very good about taking them (if you have any ideas for improving that, go for it!).
Pews: Reserve the front pew(s) for RCIA before Mass--early enough that nobody else is there yet! If we have both baptized & unbaptized, we’ll need pews on each side of the church (to distinguished baptized from unbaptized)--so far we only have unbaptized, so we’ll only need one side, but that could change!
Retreat: Tell custodian the timing of the retreat as soon as we have a date so he can turn the heat on for us & make sure he doesn’t plan to tear things apart that weekend!
Lunch: Coordinate food for lunch (& let us know if we need extra disposable plates, cups, silverware, or napkins). You can submit the receipts to the parish for reimbursement. Have little cards with the meal prayer (there may still be some in the cupboard, otherwise, we have the file)
Snacks/beverages: Set out the usual snacks/beverages
Event Planning
Rite of Sending/Election/Call to Continuing Conversion (March 13, 2010)
Bulletin: Announce the rite in bulletin the week before and the week of
------
(sample bulletin insert, to be adapted for the circumstances)
RCIA: Rite of Sending: Next Sunday, February 25th, is a big day for RCIA! Our candidates and catechumens will pass yet another milestone on their way to full communion with the Catholic Church as we celebrate the Rite of Election/Call to Continuing Conversion at the Cathedral in LaCrosse. Bishop Listecki will formally recognize their progress and will accept our catechumens as the “Elect” chosen by God to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil this year. He will call our candidates (who are already Baptized) to continuing conversion leading up to the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Communion at the Vigil. We will have a special send-off for them, called the “Rite of Sending”, at the 10am Mass that day. Please continue to welcome and pray for them!
------
Ushers: Make sure ushers know about the Rite (and to wait to start the collection until the candidates have processed out). Father thought a sheet of paper left on the gift table in the back of church would work (use your judgment!). A worship aid with “Ushers” written across the top would probably help too.
Choir: Let the choir know the rite is coming. Suggest that they be ready to sing the first 2 verses of “God’s Blessing Sends Us Forth” for the dismissal. Give them worship aids.
Priest: Make sure Father has his script (we have the scripts from previous years, which will need to be adapted). Have an extra script ready, just in case Father misplaces his! Coordinate with him to have a stand & pen (and a backup pen, just in case!) for the Book of the Elect, for the candidates to sign during the ceremony (and make sure the book, pen & stand get set up before Mass).
Worship aids: Copy & put out worship aids for parishioners (we have previous years’, to be adapted).
Pews: Reserve the front pew(s) for RCIA before Mass--early enough that nobody else is there yet! If we have both baptized & unbaptized, we’ll need pews on each side of the church (to distinguished baptized from unbaptized)--so far we only have unbaptized, so we’ll only need one side, but that could change!
Retreat: Tell Marvin the timing of the retreat as soon as we have a date so he can turn the heat on for us & make sure he doesn’t plan to tear things apart that weekend!
Lunch: Coordinate food for lunch (& let us know if we need extra disposable plates, cups, silverware, or napkins). You can submit the receipts to the parish for reimbursement. Have little cards with the meal prayer (there may still be some in the cupboard, otherwise, we have the file)
Snacks/beverages: Set out the usual snacks/beverages
Event Planning
(Penitential Rite)
(March 20, 2010, if we have an unbaptized candidate--we don’t yet)
Bulletin: Announce the rite in bulletin the week before and the week of--the week before is the Rite of Sending/Election/Call to Continuing Conversion--you could combine announcements or have 2 separate ones.
------
(sample bulletin insert, to be adapted for the circumstances)
RCIA: Penitential Rite: Next Sunday, at the 10am Mass, we will celebrate the Penitential Rite for our candidates (who are already Baptized). In this ceremony, we as a parish ask God to free our candidates from sin, and to give them the insight, humility and courage they will need to celebrate the Sacrament of Confession for the first time. In answer to our prayers, God will pour out His grace to prepare them for spiritual cleansing and healing. Please continue to welcome and pray for them!
------
Ushers: Make sure ushers know about the Rite (although it really shouldn’t affect them). Father thought a sheet of paper left on the gift table in the back of church would work (use your judgment!). A worship aid with “Ushers” written across the top would probably help too.
Choir: Let the choir know the rite is coming, but that it shouldn’t affect them much (unless the candidate chooses to be dismissed to reflect on the Word, in which case the choir will sing the first 2 verses of “God’s Blessing Sends Us Forth” for the dismissal, but if that’s the case, they’d have been doing that for months already). They’ll just need to wait for the ceremony before they continue with their usual music. Give them worship aids.
Priest: Make sure Father has his script (we have the scripts from previous years, which will need to be adapted). Have an extra script ready, just in case Father misplaces his!
Worship aids: Copy & put out worship aids for parishioners (we have previous years’, to be adapted).
Pews: Reserve the front pew(s) for RCIA before Mass--early enough that nobody else is there yet! Only Baptized candidates participate in this Rite, so we’d only need pew(s) on one side.
No retreat
Event Planning
Scrutinies (March 27, April 6, April 13)
Bulletin: Announce the rite in bulletin
------
(sample bulletin insert, to be adapted for the circumstances)
RCIA: First Scrutiny: This week, next week and the week after, we will celebrate three “Scrutinies” for the Elect (who are preparing for Baptism). This first week, the ceremony is based on the story of the conversion of the Samaritan woman at the well, who’d had 5 husbands and was living with yet another man. We pray that our Elect, like this woman, will thirst for the living water that only Jesus can give. The Elect cannot celebrate Sacramental Confession yet (you have to be Baptized for that), so the scrutinies are to uncover and heal all that is weak, defective or sinful in their hearts, and to bring out and strengthen all that is upright, strong and good. Basically, we say to the devil, “Hands-off! These are God’s chosen ones!”
RCIA: Second Scrutiny: Next Saturday at the 4pm Mass we will celebrate the second of the three “Scrutinies” for the Elect to help them prepare for Baptism. The second scrutiny is based on the healing of the man who was blind from birth. We pray that God will give new spiritual sight to our Elect through the light of faith. This celebration also invites the rest of us to reflect on our own areas of spiritual blindness and to beg Jesus to heal us.
RCIA: Third Scrutiny: Next Saturday at the 4pm Mass we will celebrate the last of the three “Scrutinies” for the Elect to help them prepare for Baptism. The third scrutiny is based on the raising of Lazarus from the dead. We pray that God will prepare our Elect to die to sin and rise to new life through the sacrament of Baptism. This celebration also invites the rest of us to die to our own sin and rise to new life in Christ.
------
Ushers: Make sure ushers know about the Rite (although it really shouldn’t affect them). Father thought a sheet of paper left on the gift table in the back of church would work (use your judgment!). A worship aid with “Ushers” written across the top would probably help too.
Choir: Let the choir know the rite is coming, but that it shouldn’t affect them much. They’ll just need to wait for the ceremony before they continue with their usual music (which will include singing the first 2 verses of “God’s Blessing Sends Us Forth” for the dismissal of the Elect, as they’d have been doing since the Rite of Acceptance). Give them worship aids.
Priest: Make sure Father has his script (we have the scripts from previous years, which will need to be adapted). Have an extra script ready, just in case Father misplaces his!
Worship aids: Copy & put out worship aids for parishioners (we have previous years’, to be adapted).
Pews: Reserve the front pew(s) for RCIA before Mass--early enough that nobody else is there yet! Only ubaptized candidates participate in this Rite, so we’d only need pew(s) on one side.
No retreat
Event Planning
Holy Saturday (April 23)
Bulletin: Announce the rite in bulletin
------
(sample bulletin insert, to be adapted for the circumstances)
RCIA: The Countdown! This marks the final week of preparation for the Easter sacraments! A
retreat on Holy Saturday will lead right into the Easter Vigil, where N.N. will (at long last!) be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church. Next they enter a season called “mystagogy”, a time of “unpacking” the mysteries of grace that God showers on them this weekend. For the next year they will be “neophytes” (someone who’s new at something). Please continue to encourage, welcome and pray for them as the big day approaches!
------
Ushers: Make sure ushers know about the Rite (especially that the new Catholics will be bringing up the gifts). Father thought a sheet of paper left on the gift table in the back of church would work (use your judgment!). A worship aid with “Ushers” written across the top would probably help too.
Choir:Give the choir a script with their parts highlighted.
Priest: Make sure Father has his script (we have the scripts from previous years, which will need to be adapted). Have an extra script ready, just in case Father misplaces his! Make sure Father has candles, towels & albs (Baptismal garment) for those to be baptized, and chrism for confirmation (and a way to wash his hands afterward).
Worship aids: Copy & put out worship aids for parishioners (we have previous years’, to be adapted).
Pews: Reserve the front pew(s) for RCIA before Mass--early enough that nobody else is there yet! If we have both baptized & unbaptized, we’ll need pews on each side of the church (to distinguished baptized from unbaptized)--so far we only have unbaptized, so we’ll only need one side, but that could change!
Retreat: Tell custodian the timing of the retreat as soon as we have a date so he can turn the heat on for us & make sure he doesn’t plan to tear things apart that weekend!
Lunch: Coordinate food for a light (meatless) supper (& let us know if we need extra disposable plates, cups, silverware, or napkins). You can submit the receipts to the parish for reimbursement. Have little cards with the meal prayer (there may still be some in the cupboard, otherwise, we have the file)
Snacks/beverages: Set out the usual snacks/beverages