'Christian Initiation,' while a collective term for the sacraments of baptism,
confirmation and the eucharist, it also witnesses to that ongoing process of
conversion-to-Christ which precedes and which follows these same rites.
By 'baptism' we are publicly chosen by God; we are made Christian, but there
will have been a period of discerning and answering that call first. By 'confirmation',
our incorporation into the body of Christ through baptism/the gift of the Holy
Spirit to us in baptism is confirmed by God, it is sealed by God and it is again
witnessed to by the gathered Church. Thirdly, by celebrating Sunday's eucharist,
this process of turning to Christ, it is deepened, it is nourished, it stands
out as something that spans a lifetime.
'Christian Initiation', then, is the Church's lifelong process for making and
sustaining Christians. This 'making' has ritual public focus in the sacraments
of baptism and confirmation. Our 'sustaining', our nourishing' is the purpose
and opportunity of every Sunday's eucharist.
At the annual general meeting of the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy/Irish
Commission for Liturgy held at Maynooth on November 25th last, Ms. Jane Ferguson,
Dublin, gave an address entitled: 'Christian Initiation in Ireland today'. In
it she used data from a national survey on Christian initiation which she conducted
recently on behalf of the National Centre for Liturgy. This survey tells a known
troubled, yet moreover hopeful story.
Jane Ferguson is Resource Coordinator of Parish Development and Renewal in the
Archdiocese of Dublin and is the newly-appointed chairperson of the Dublin Diocesan
Liturgy Commission. Following, is the text of her address.
Looking back over the last forty years, we would all agree that we have had
to deal with tremendous changes that have taken place in our society and in
our Church; many of them we would never have foreseen.
Forty years ago, for example, we would have been surprised by the initiatives
that are taking place today to provide faith friends and baptismal programmes
and other initiatives that encourage the participation of parents and teenagers
in handing on the faith to children. I think that we would have been delighted
about the efforts that are being made in parishes today to make the sacraments
of initiation meaningful, memorable and life-giving celebrations.
But, forty years ago we could not have foreseen what the overall experience
around the country in 2004 would be, that, for example, the important stages
in the life of a child would be marked by a once-off-sacrament mentality, nor
would we ever have believed that one-day confirmation would be described throughout
this land as "a rite of passage out of the Church".
And, forty years ago could we ever have imagined that becoming a full member
of the church would reap high financial reward or that the faith life of the
Church would be lost to commercialism and at its worst reflected in "false
nails, fake tans, permed hair and designer clothes". Would there have been
any question forty years ago about confirmation outside mass because the celebration
was taking too long?
Forty years ago it would have been difficult for us to imagine that many parents
and indeed teachers might no longer be involved in the sacramental life of the
Church.
Forty years ago, too, we would have been amazed to discover that over two hundred
adults a year wanted to be baptised into the Catholic Church in Ireland in the
first years of this new millennium.
Overall, forty years ago we would not have thought that priests and people from
every diocese in this country would today be voicing real concern and hoping
for national discussion and clear direction about the sacraments of initiation.
God Enlightens and Empowers us
But, remember how forty years ago, also, the Church was led by the Holy Spirit
to retrieve a treasure, a treasure that finds its roots in the life and experience
of the early Church, a treasure that today provides us with clear directions
and guidance. This treasure, the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA),
is the proper way in which we, as Church, initiate adults plus children of catechetical
age into our communities. It is, in fact, the model on which all Christian Initiation
is based. RCIA points to a new way of being Church in a rapidly changing world.
RCIA adapts itself to the local community and is a way of proactively shaping
that community.
RCIA provides us with a vision of what we might become. As we learn from the
RCIA and as we use it in our parishes and in our dioceses, we will move away
from:
· An emphasis on individual faith - to an emphasis on communal faith;
· initiation being the sole responsibility of the priest - to initiation
being the responsibility of the whole community;
· the once-off sacrament mentality - to an experience of the journey
of faith;
· paying lip service to God - to real engagement with the life of the
Church;
· commercialism - to a deeper relationship with Christ.
In the survey I conducted for the National Centre for Liturgy, I discovered
that fifteen dioceses in this country have begun to embrace RCIA. Out of that
fifteen, seven celebrate RCIA in its integrity. In other places, the adult/child
is baptised by the local priest but is, unhappily, confirmed only at a later
date by the bishop.
One diocese is promoting RCIA as a model for adult faith formation and another
diocese has an RCIA team in place, but they are not aware that anyone has come
forward for baptism or full initiation into the Church; not being aware, itself,
makes a negative statement.
One province, the province of Cashel and Emly has decided to explore the possibility
of holding a local conference similar to a conference on the RCIA held in Dublin
in 2003. That Dublin conference proved to be a starting point for fourteen out
of fifteen of the dioceses that currently use some form of RCIA.
In 2001, one hundred and ninety-five adults were baptised in Ireland. We have
no figures for the following years, but we can say with confidence that the
number has risen. The number of adults who went through the RCIA for last year
was only around the sixty-mark. What happened to the others?
This survey I conducted for the National Centre for Liturgy showed that there
does remain a reluctance to engage in RCIA. This reluctance was put down to
a number of reasons. These include: a lack of understanding of RCIA by priests
and the hierarchy, a concern that it will involve too much work, a reluctance
to change old ways and the practical reality that structures and resources at
diocesan and national level are not in place.
At present, our unhappy initiation practices are undermining our authenticity
as the Church, and if we allow this to continue, we are in danger of loosing
our credibility as people of the Good News of the Kingdom. RCIA is seen by many
as a problem to be avoided and not an opportunity to welcome.
The survey pointed to the need for diocesan RCIA teams that would provide formation
at a local level. It highlighted the necessity for resources that would meet
the needs of the Irish parishes and dioceses today. It highlighted the need
to explore, more fully, the whole area of evangelisation, not only of those
seeking initiation, but indeed, the evangelisation of the already initiated.
Where do we Go from Here?
These present concerns regarding Christian Initiation in Ireland are too big
for individual priests, individual parishes or indeed individual dioceses to
tackle. They are a matter of national importance for the Church and greater
informed discussion is needed by the Episcopal Conference. The survey pointed
to the need for:
· National guidelines for initiation to be drawn up. Guidelines that
address the difficulties and concerns around all areas of initiation and which
are grounded in the ecclesiology and the theology of RCIA;
· Diocesan RCIA teams that would provide formation at local level;
· National resources that meet the needs of Irish parishes and dioceses;
· An exploration of the whole area of evangelisation, not only of those
seeking baptism, but indeed the evangelisation of the baptised;
· One step that the Irish Commission for Liturgy took was to ask bishops
to appoint an RCIA representative for each diocese. Currently, there are eleven
dioceses with appointed RCIA representatives.
RCIA - Wonderful Hope!
RCIA offers us a lens through which we can address the larger picture of Christian
Initiation; it causes us to look at the whole community, not just one section
of it. It emphasises the centrality of ritual and the importance of the Word
of God and it encourages the development of a spirit of evangelisation and prayer
in the community.
RCIA is a treasure that could, if used fully, bring life, energy, enthusiasm
and joy back into our Church. Let us, therefore, 'spend' this treasure!
In the Diocese of Cloyne, the director for the implementation of the Rite
of Christian Initiation of Adults is Fr. Daniel Murphy, Office for Liturgical
Formation, Youghal Road, Killeagh, Co. Cork. From the First Sunday of Advent,
2004, the RCIA is the norm for the Christian Initiation of adults and of children
of catechetical age in the diocese of Cloyne. Since November 2003, a diocesan
committee for the RCIA has been preparing itself to offer guidance and support
to parishes on getting started.