Who are the catechumens?

Trying to figuring out who’s who is a common human activity. At weddings, funerals, family and class reunions we like to know who we are sharing our time with and what relationship they have-or don’t have-to us. So it is with the church that gathers on Sunday for Mass. Many of the faces are as familiar as our own, but as with any healthy group, new faces are to be expected and welcomed. Some may be visitors, some may be fellow Catholics who have recently moved into the neighborhood, and some may be responding to a faint or fiery call to find out more about Christ and his church.

The church opens its arms to these seekers with the wisdom and rituals of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, commonly called the RCIA. People who are seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith and its mission fall into two main groups: catechumens and candidates. Catechumen is a strange word. It comes from a Greek word meaning "to resound." The words catechist and catechism are related to it. A catechumen is someone who has never been baptized; he or she may be an adult, a teenager, or a young child. The journey to the waters of baptism normally takes place over the course of a year.

After an initial period of inquiry into the Catholic faith, those ready to do so publicly declare their intent to join the church and are accepted into the "order of catechumens." Then, with the help of catechists, sponsors, and the entire community of believers, the catechumens begin to share in the life of the community and do what Christians do: read the scriptures, gather on Sundays with other believers and bear witness to the message of Jesus in word and deed. Often the catechumens are dismissed on Sundays after the homily to continue reflecting on the day’s scriptures.

The liturgical year plays an intimate part in their introduction to the Christian way of life. Lent is a period of intensified preparation, beginning with a ritual when the catechumens are chosen ("elected") for initiation. Now they are called "the elect." At the Easter Vigil, the elect are baptized, confirmed, and welcomed to the Lord’s table for the first time. The Easter Vigil marks a high point in their journey-in much the same way that a wedding day is a high point in a couple’s relationship-but, of course, the adventure has just begun.