ADAPTATION OF THE CATECHUMENAL PROCESS: O Canada, Eh? An Honest Recounting of Strengths and Areas of Need

In an affluent Anglican Church in Ottawa. Avg Sunday attendance 150.

Background

1. What four characteristics best describe your church community, especially what makes you unique?

Community has a long choral tradition, boys’ choir, adult choir in a wealthy area of Ottawa. A strong bureaucratic, educated, sophisticated community

2. What is the biggest challenge facing your community?

Very few children, little growth, very secular almost anti-Christian area. Building costs and staffing costs crushing investment in ministry and growth

Pattern of the catechumenal process

3. How does an inquirer connect with your community? How is initial contact made?

The priest would approach newcomers, people inquiring about marriage or their infant baptism. Parishioners might direct them to the priest.

4. How do you figure out what their background is? And what they are seeking? E.g., unbaptized, returning, unchurched, reaffirming?

I ask them.

5. How do they get to know other inquirers? When do you have gatherings with them?

We use the “Becoming the Story We Tell”(BST) process for those already baptized, and people wanting to re affirm or deepen their faith. In addition, we go through a catechumenal process with people having their children baptized. We have had no unbaptized adults coming forward. People meet each other through these sessions

6. What is a typical format for a gathering? How long does it usually last?

BST included a shared meal with a short address on a topic, sometimes following the themes of Rowan William’s book “Being Christian”. This would happen through Lent with up to 130 people attending. Then groups would break off for the Lectio-style scripture experience in groups of 5-8. Four weeks, then Holy Week and then one Eastertide session. For catechumens, they would meet 3-5 times with sponsors and catechist in small gatherings following the JBL process. Rites would be held over this 6-month period or so, with baptisms at vigil or Easter 2.

7. Who serve as their catechists and mentors through the process? Lay people? Clergy?

Lay people

8. When do you provide them with sponsors as companions and support?

From the beginning.

Stages of the growth in the catechumenal process

9. When are they ready to be recognized by the congregation as seekers/hearers/catechumens?

Lent 1

10. How do your gatherings help them to encounter the Word of God, especially as it is found in the lectionary?

The sessions are almost all lectio style gatherings based on the lectionary or the Lent A cycle of readings. NOTE we strongly differentiate between unbaptized and those reaffirming faith.

11. What additional topics from Christian tradition and practice do you try to share with them in your gatherings? E.g., the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostles’ Creed

I have explored creed, Lord’s Prayer and Rowan William’s Book “Being Christian” BAPTISM, BIBLE, EUCHARIST, PRAYER. I would usually spend time helping them build a prayer life by introducing Centering Prayer.

12. When are they ready to be recognized by the congregation as candidates for Baptism? How do your gatherings use the Word to open their minds and hearts to a deeper sense both of repentance and of Jesus’s love?

LENT 1 as I already mentioned above, question 9

I am not sure this was achieved, other than the strong experience of liturgy.

13. How does the period of intense preparation prepare them to make the Baptismal Covenant/Promises?

I did not feel I was able to create an intense preparation. The very few that we baptized were usually infants of families already in the congregation.

14. How have you best managed to involve the participants in the life of your community, especially in service to the world?

Some intensified their volunteerism but not particularly. Some were brought closer together and built stronger relationships.

15. How have the various rituals of the catechumenate affected your participants?

Some reported a deeper sense of the participatory nature of ritual vs. just a ceremony, but cannot report tremendous depth here.

16. How have the various rituals of the catechumenate affected the congregation?

Some found it very moving, some reported it felt like a ‘cult’.

17.What is the most important bit of advice that you have for another practitioner in your situation?

Be Patient. This movement is in direct opposition to the social direction of our culture. Even our wider liberal church places value primarily on social justice and inclusiveness (very good things!) and anything that sounds like exclusiveness or commitment, or not ‘open table’, or is not relativism, is an automatic uphill battle and being pushed to the margin as ‘conservative’ or outdated. If you believe in the catechumenate and believe that being Christian means something, that it means change, and one wants to remain in the Anglican Church of Canada, leaders must steep in Jesus Christ, stay connected and support one another, and extend that means of grace but be prepared for a tremendous challenge and a long, long road.

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Journey to Baptismal Living is an ecumenical community of Christians seeking to support formation in discipleship by exploring the meaning of baptismal identity, faith, and mission. The leadership offers training programs and events to develop skills and resources for baptismal preparation and for deepening faith in baptismal living. https://journeytobaptism.org