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The Uncatechized Baptized Member by
Forum Team Member Rick Goodwin The
various rites for candidates (baptized but uncatechized Roman Catholics
or members of another Christian community) provided in the Rite of
Christian Initiation of Adults in the United States and Canada are
beginning to receive greater attention after ten years of pastoral
experience. How well have
they worked? Have they been
properly implemented? A
related question is the inclusion of candidates in the dismissal rite,
whether in company with catechumens or in their own group. Team member
Rick Goodwin offers some initial insights into the values involved. What is
a catechumenate director or, for that matter, the parish to do in
relation to catechumens, candidates, and the dismissal rite? With catechumens, the Rite of Christian Initiation of
Adults is quite clear and precise.
The journey of faith is outlined and precisely mapped out for the
person who is coming from no faith to faith.
The true messiness in the catechumenate is working with
candidates who are already baptized, perhaps even confirmed, but are
uncatechized. It is
important to point out that these brief reflections refer only to
candidates who are uncatechized, not catechized.
As for the latter cases, these candidates do not follow the
guidelines of the catechumenate (see, for example, the U.S. edition of
the Rite, ANational
Statutes for the Catechumenate@, no. 31). I refer
to an uncatechized adult as anyone who has reached catechetical
age, but has received little or no faith formation.
In other words the person may know information and even some
Catholic practices, but is not in a living relationship with the Church. How do
we live out the integrity of the Rite when A>those who have already been baptized in another Church or ecclesial
community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated@
(U.S. National Statutes, no. 30)? Are candidates dismissed or not?
The A>sorting
of fish= should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a
Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately
catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church@ (U.S. NS, no. 30). The Rite suggests that the whole parish , not just
the initiation team, must welcome candidates to complete their
initiation or welcome those to full communion (see U.S. NS, no. 9). This means that the doctrinal and sprirtual journey of each
uncatechized candidate is individually constructed to meet the needs of
the member. We can no
longer indiscriminately place candidates with catechumens for lack of
community support. This is
not a good pastoral decision or pastoral practice. A critical
look at the U.S. edition of the Rite indicates that no direction is given
for candidates to join the catechumens in the dismissal, or,
alternatively, to be sent forth as a group of their own. In its purest
form, the dismissal rite exists for catechumens. The Rite clearly states Atheir status (candidates) differs from that of catechumens, since by
baptism they have already become members of the Church and children of God@
(U.S. edition, para. 400). Nonetheless, the Rite directs that they may
take part in some ritual elements of the catechumenal formation, either
parallel to the formation being experienced by the catechumens or together
with them (see, for example, U.S. edition paras. 402, 406, 407, 478, and
U.S. NS nos. 25, 30, 31). Further, the Canadian edition of the Rite makes
provision for dismissal of the candidates for reception following the
intercessory prayer for the candidates in the Rite of Welcoming (see
Canadian edition paragraphs 467-487). In either case, the Rite
assumes careful discernment. For good pastoral reason, then, it may
be appropriate to invite the uncatechized candidates to go forth from the
assembly with their catechist after the homily. The
priority of baptism must emphatically be considered before the community
includes candidates in the dismissal rite, whether or not this is done in
conjunction with the dismissal of catechumens.
This takes careful discernment with the candidate.
Only after recognizing the baptismal status of the individual will
we as a community of faith grow to appreciate more fully our own baptismal
commitment. An
excellent resource for further study of this and related issues is One
at the Table: The Reception of Baptized Christians, ed. Ronald A.
Oakham, O.Carm. (available through Forum=s Book Service). Rick Goodwin |
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