1. Setting up the RCIA in Your Parish
An Holistic Approach to Initiation

2. Introductions Name & Parish
What are the main challenges you face in setting up & leading initiation?

3. Parish as a System
How is the ministry of Initiation seen by the wider parish community?
The more deeply all parishioners see themselves as part of initiation & RCIA the easier it becomes to implement
Varroville; Ryde; Surfers’ Paradise

4. INTER-RELATIONSHIPS
HEALING
OUTREACH
CREATION
FAMILY

5. WORSHIP & PRAYER WORD MISSION COMMUNITY LIFE
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6. Ministries & Roles within RCIA
What ministries & roles are you aware of that need undertaking in the process of initiation?

7. Ministries & Offices in the Rite
Community RCIA #9
Sponsor RCIA #10
Godparents RCIA #11
Bishop RCIA #12
Priests RCIA #13-14
Deacon RCIA #15
Catechist RCIA #16
The next section to consider are the various ministers of the Rite. The Rite provides eight paragraphs dealing specifically with the different ministers,
Click each in turn
Community RCIA, # 9
Sponsor RCIA, # 10
Godparents RCIA, # 11
Bishop RCIA, # 12
Priests RCIA, # 13-14
Deacon RCIA, # 15
Catechist RCIA, # 16
Notice the order of the ministries? The community is the primary minister of the Rite.

8. Other Community Roles Hospitality Prayer support Greeters & Welcomers
The Liturgy Team
Musicians & Readers
Parish Groups
Community Mentors
Within each of our communities there are many other teams and groups who play an important role in initiation, some of these are:
Click each in turn
Hospitality teams - provide a welcoming place and environment.
Prayer support - parishioners who pray for those on the RCIA faith journey.
The Liturgy team
Musicians and Readers
Parish Groups
Community Mentors - people who look out for the inquirers at Sunday Mass, for example introduce them to others, sit with them, “show them the ropes”. An informal role.

9. Ministries & Offices
Spend some time reflecting on the roles & responsibilities outlined on the sheet.
Discuss:
Is there anything missing?
What captures your attention?

10. Implementing the Rite A Coordinating Group Pastoral oversight
Assist, plan and coordinate
Work with the parish Liturgy Team
Assist the catechists
So, having looked at each part of the Rite and the whole process we can see that there are many people involved. Thus, there are some good reasons for having a coordinating team. Some of the reasons for such a team would be:
Click each in turn
Pastoral oversight of the faith journey of Christian initiation of adults and children of catechetical age.
Assist, plan and coordinate the identification, the invitation, the formation and the ongoing support of the ministers of Christian initiation.
Work with the parish Liturgy Team in planning and coordinating the rites of the catechumenate.
Assist the catechists in planning and coordinating discussion groups.
You will notice that they are a coordinating and planning team – not a ministry or catechetical team. They are inviting, encouraging and guiding others within the community to take up their baptismal responsibility in a variety of areas of ministry. Therefore, being part of the team ought not be an overly onerous proposition.

11. A Model STRUCTURE St Francis Cathedral Coordinating Group
Dismissal Team
Sponsors
Hospitality / Social Teams
Liturgy Teams
Occasional Catechists
PROCESS
St Francis Cathedral
Catechesis every 2nd Week in the region
Dismissal each week
Parish social contact 1/month with either
a parishioner,
member of a ministry or
attending a ministry / group meeting.

12. Engaging the Community
Spend time working on the Framework sheet

13. Supporting Participation
What has been most effective in your parish for:
Attracting people to undertake roles
Keeping people motivated and engaged in their roles
Keeping the ministry going when people move on to other ministries?

14. Supporting Participation
What are the elements of effective participation?
Promotion / Awareness
Advertising & Recruitment
Personal invitation
Identifying small manageable roles
Creation of simple role & responsibility descriptions
Initial Training or Formation
Participation
Operating Procedures
Formation & Ongoing Training
Mentoring & Debriefing
Resourcing, Record Keeping & Duty of Care
Reviewing & Developing Effectiveness
Handover & Succession Planning
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