USCCB Consultation

The Committee on Divine Worship is in the early stages of preparing a new English edition of the RCIA, to be titled the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Although the Latin editio typica has not changed, the International Commission on English in the Liturgy has completed a new translation of the Latin text. The publication of a new book will provide an opportunity to review and evaluate the various distinctive features of the current English edition. These include its rearrangement of the Latin editio typica, the adaptations approved for the United States, and additional material composed and confirmed for use in this country.
 
The Committee and its consultants have had preliminary discussions on the current ritual book and the RCIA process. There has been a general agreement in these meetings that the book in its present form is effective, and that difficulties that have arisen in the RCIA process have more to do with implementation than with the liturgical book itself. The Committee has also received the results from two surveys on the National Statutes for the Catechumenate, both conducted in 2014: one by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate that looked specifically at how the statutes were being implemented, and the other a consultation conducted by the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions that suggested ways that the statutes could be improved.
 
As a complement to these discussions and expert consultations, the Secretariat of Divine Worship would also like to hear from our readers about their experiences with the RCIA, both the process in general and, in particular, the ritual book and the National Statutes:
• What have you found helpful and effective?
• What difficulties have you encountered?
• What changes would you recommend?
• Do you have other feedback concerning the RCIA (book and/or process)?
 
In your reply, please tell us a little bit about yourself:
• How have you been involved in RCIA ministry? In what capacity and for how long?
• Have you gone through the RCIA process yourself? What was your experience like?
 
Through December 31, 2018, responses can be e-mailed to [email protected] or sent by regular mail to: USCCB – Divine Worship, 3211 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC 20017, ATTN: RCIA Consultation.