2008 RCIA Schedule for Catechumens & Candidates

The Schedule for January-May 2008 is shown in the posts below.

Unless otherwise noted:

Dismissal will meet at the 11:30 a.m. Mass in the Conservatory of the rectory.

Catechumenate will meet from 7-9 p.m. in the North Conference Room.

January 2008 (Cat/Cand. Sched.)

JANUARY

Weds 9: Catechumenate: Confirmation as Mission;USCCA 16

Sun. 13: Dismissal:

Weds16: Catechumenate: Baptism; USCCA 15
Sponsor Meeting to prep for Discernment Retreat (During Catechumenate)

Sat. 19: Discernment Retreat: National Shrine, 10:00 a.m.-6:15 pm., including Mass

Sun. 20: Dismissal—11:30 Mass for those not on Retreat the day before:

Weds 23: Catechumenate: RCIA Service Day (Tentative)
Catechumens, candidates, sponsors and team members will visit local outreach facilities, such as L’Arche and Catholic Worker House

Sun. 27: Alternate Discernment Retreat National Shrine, 9:15 a.m.-5:30 p.m., including Mass
Dismissal—11:30 Mass for those not on Retreat:

Tues 29: Deadline for Sponsor letters of recommendation and Cat./Cand. Letters of intent

Weds 30: Catechumenate: Evening over Letters
Sponsors must be available for consultation at Catechumenate session

February 2008 (Cat/Cand. Sched.)

FEBRUARY

Sun. 3 Dismissal

Weds 6 Catechumenate Ash Wednesday/Repentance 18

Sun. 10 Dismissal

Weds 13 Catechumenate Created in the Image of God 6

Sun. 17 Rite of Sending 11:30 Mass
Dismissal
Lunch @ Penang
12:30 Rite of Election
3:00 Mass at the Shrine

Weds 20 Elect/Candidates Prep for First Scrutiny

Sun. 24 Dismissal/Scrutiny

Weds 27 Presentation of the Creed (5:30 Mass)
Elect/Candidates (7-9 p.m.) Prep for Second Scrutiny

March 2008 (Cat/Cand. Sched.)

MARCH

Sun. 2 Dismissal/Scrutiny

Weds 5 Elect/Candidates Prep for Third Scrutiny

Sun. 9 Dismissal/Scrutiny

Weds 12 Presentation of the Lord’s Prayer (5:30 Mass)
Elect/Candidates (7-9 p.m.) Reflection on the Raising of Lazarus

Sat.15 Initiation Retreat 9-4 pm

Sun. 16 Palm Sunday 10:00 Mass (9:45 Blessing of Palms)

Mon. 17 Chrism Mass 7:00 p.m.

Tues 18 Communal Penance Service 12:10 p.m.

Weds 19 Tenebrae 7:30 p.m.

Thurs. 20 Holy Thursday 5:30 p.m.

Fri. 21 Good Friday Reflections on the Seven Last Words 12:00 p.m.
Liturgy of the Lord’s Passion 1 p.m.
Stations of the Cross 7:30 p.m.

Sat. 22 Vigil Rehearsal 12-3 pm Cathedral
Recitation of the Creed included in Rehearsal
Return to Cathedral 7:30 pm Cathedral
Easter Vigil 8 p.m., followed by a reception for newly baptized/received and their guests

Sun.23 No Meeting Easter Sunday

Weds 26 First Mystagogy Meeting
Potluck Reflection on the Easter Vigil

April/May (Catechumenate Sched.)

APRIL

Weds 16 Second Mystagogy Meeting
Potluck Reflection on the Eucharist through a Mystagogical Lens

Mon. 21 Service Day for Neophytes—St. Matthew’s Homeless Ministry

MAY

Thurs. 1 Service Day for Neophytes—Catholic Worker House (serving sandwiches in LaFayette (?) Park

Weds. 7 Third Mystagogy Meeting

Potluck Reflection on Social Justice Action

Sat. 10 Closing Mass and Picnic for Easter Initiates Location TBD

Please contribute Thoughts on Using a Blog for RCIA

We would love to hear back from you about the idea of using this blog to have discussions online and to share reflections on our experience. Similarly, we are interested in seeing who responds and finding out how easy you find the process of reading and posting comments. Please take a moment to read a bit about the initial concept of this blog and then post a comment by clicking on the link shown at the bottom of this post or section. (See previous post below if you are confused as to what a blog is)

As you can see below this blog has already served as a way to make our Catholic Reading List more accessible. But originally, Phil envisioned the blog as being a way to give others an insight into the experience of being involved in RCIA at St.Matthews. This thought came as a result of discussions about making a pamphlet for placement at the back of the Church. His original idea was to have the Blog referenced as a single line in the pamphlet as a place where those interested can look into the matter more closely and find as much information as we members of the RCIA program choose to post. This can include testimonials, reflections, pictures... whatever.

Another use of the blog can easily be to have facilitated discussions in which one person would start a topic by posting it on the blog. This can include links to documents online, reflections, suggested reading for weekly sessions or anything you can put in print and images. Others could then respond to the topic either by making more posts or, usually better for keeping things navigable, by posting comments on the original topic.
Some important aspects of the blog that are worth knowing:

• We can define who reads the blog, who posts to the blog and who posts comments
• We can probably make the blog also send automatic emails to those wanting the information but not likely to use the blog
• Each of us can also have the blog notify us when there is a new post, a new comment or both.
• Each of us can also utilize a tool known as a blog reader that will summarize what's new that we haven't read yet on the blog.

Of the four bullets above, the first is definitely the most important since the privacy we build into the blog will definitely affect the nature of what we are willing to put on the blog. Note also that we can make a public and a private version of the blog without much trouble.

What's a Blog?

For those of you not familiar with blogs, they are a type of website that is specifically designed to make updating easy. Basically, the process is no different from composing an email message. Unlike email, however, recipients do not need to store the email on their computers or accounts and the blog automatically makes a very useful type of map of the posts. Blogs are typically used by individuals but are now very commonly used at universities to enable class discussions. In this way they are similar to discussion groups like yahooGroups, but the resulting product is far easier to read and follow and navigate.
Learning to use a blog is very easy and we can definitely arrange to help anyone interested in participating in this blog.