There are a number of excellent books about Christian Initiation of Adults however these all pale into the background compared to the one and only Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults.
If you are a new team member, catechist or sponsor it is crucial that you have access to the ‘bible’. Your parish priest will have a ‘ritual edition’ version for use in in each of the rites, presentations and scrutinies. It is essential that you, also, have access to a copy of the text.
As well as the rituals and prayers there are ‘introductions’ for each section that are invaluable for team members and ministers.
The catechumenate is both ‘old and new’. At the Second Vatican Council there was a call to restore or reintroduce the catechumenate into the liturgical life of the Church.
One of the documents of the Council, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy had this to say about adult initiation:
‘The catechumenate for adults, divided into several stages, is to be restored. By this means the time of the catechumenate, which is intended as a period of well-suited instruction, may be sanctified by sacred rites to be celebrated at successive intervals of time.’ (#64)
A provisional text of the rite was made available in English in 1974. This text enabled parishes such as Whyalla Norrie (diocese of Port Pirie) and Goodna (Archdiocese of Brisbane) to be pioneers in the implementation of the restored catechumenate in Australia.
In 1987 the Australian publishers, EJ Dwyer, printed the first copies of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults that had been approved for use in Australia by the Australian Episcopal Liturgical Commission.
When EJ Dwyer’s closed for business copies of the Rite were not available for many years until Fr Michael Goonan SSP took up the challenge and St Paul’s Publications published the text in two versions: a Study Edition and a Ritual Edition ($14.95).
These can be purchased from your local bookshop or direct from St Pauls.
[Articles in Network News often quote from these texts. When the reference is given for the quotes, paragraph numbers are used (e.g. #35) and not page numbers.]
