Catechumenate

During an ongoing reform of parish staff led by the Church authorities ofthe Russian Orthodox Church, new positions in parishes are establishing, that of religious educator (catechist), social worker and youth worker. The principal object of this activation of parish life through structural changes is transforming parishes into missionary centers. Nevertheless, not always and not everywhere this initiative is welcomed enthusiastically or results in intensification of social, missionary and youth activities. In fact, many parishes followed the requisitions only nominally. In that context, it is only logical to consider the experience of the Catholic Church, where laypersons over half a century are holding established positions in parishes, including posts with the same responsibilities. However, if in the Russian Church the attempts to involve laypersons in parish work and emerge their role are not only conditioned but also motivated mostly by purely practical reasons, the idea of Church ministry of laypersons in the Catholic Church is based on profound theological foundations. The author sets forth premises of establishment of the parish positions for laypeople in the Catholic Church, introduced mainly at Vatican II. For this, he considers the change in expressing the idea of hierarchical structure of the Church, the council's teaching on Church ministry and relationship between priests and laity. As an example of the practical realization of these theological premises, the author cites the German Catholic Church, where due to limited number of priests lay activity in parishes is widely spread and is quite versatile.
Keywords: Second Vatican Council, ecclesiology, Catholic Church, priesthood, lay people, parish, Church ministry, catechumenate, mission, youth work.

Toujours d’actualité dans notre monde occidental déchristianisé, la pastorale des recommençants peine à exister dans la vie des communautés chrétiennes, plutôt indifférentes à ces baptisés éloignés de l’Église. Il s’agit là d’un vrai problème ecclésiologique à éclairer. La pastorale des recommençants ne contiendrait-elle pas justement un ferment de conversion missionnaire des communautés chrétiennes ?

Chaque année en France, de nombreux adultes demandent le baptême. Ils souhaitent faire partie de la famille de Dieu. Ce qu’ils expriment de leur quête révèle des attentes contemporaines envers l’Eglise catholique. Grâce à un dialogue, dans une culture donnée, entre paroles de catéchumènes, Ecriture et tradition, émergent peu à peu la richesse du catéchuménat tel qu’il est mis en œuvre en France, et quelques aspects qui pourraient être approfondis. Ces catéchumènes, qui sont la joie de l’Eglise, sont aussi le signe de son être génétique, de sa vie qui, à travers les âges, va de commencements en commencements.

In this work, Benjamin Edsall breaks new ground in New Testament reception history by bringing together early Pauline interpretation and the study of early Christian institutions. He traces the close association between Paul and the catechumenate through important texts and readers from the late second-century to the fourth-century to show how the early Church arrived at a wide-spread image of Paul as the apostle of Christian initiation. While, on one hand, exploring what this image of Paul means for understanding early Christian interpretation, Edsall also examines the significance of this aspect of Pauline reception in relation to interpretive possibilities of Paul’s letters. Building on the analysis of early interpretations and rhetorical images of the Apostle, Edsall brings these together with contemporary scholarly discourse about Paul. The juxtaposition highlights both continuity and conflict in exegetical discussions and dominant Pauline images across the centuries. The book closes with broader hermeneutical reflections on the value of historical reception work for the field of New Testament Studies.

Although widely recognized as an unorganized catechetical document, Cyprian’s Ad Quirinum Book Three has not been systematically analyzed for what it might reveal about the third century North African catechumenate. By mapping discernible patterns in the headings and accompanying Scriptures, I will demonstrate that large sections of Book Three have a logical order, which helped catechists and catechumens memorize and practice the Scriptures. The first twenty-three precepts trained catechumens to practice economic sharing and to nonviolently respond to expected mistreatment. Later sections focus on disciplina, biblical book studies, and eschatological and baptismal concerns.

Une approche historique de la renaissance du catéchuménat et son développement en France depuis les années 40 met en évidence un modèle catéchuménal de type pastoral, développé par les praticiens du catéchuménat. La problématique catéchétique du modèle catéchuménal basée sur une analyse de ses différents éléments dans des textes du Magistère et de certains théologiens de la catéchèse révèle la complexité du modèle dont l’élément essentiel apparait être la sacramentalité.

In Patristic times, the sacramental order concerning Christian initiation (Baptism, Christening and Eucharist) was characterized by two periods of formation: one pre-baptismal, also called catechumenate, and another one post-baptismal, known as mystagogy. The second period mainly developed when the catechumenate – initially lasting for some years – was reduced to the limited extension of just lent. This ecclesial habit gradually disappeared when Christianism got more spread out in history and when the ordinary procedure of becoming Christian was not any longer the adults’ conversion and consequently an extended
catechumenal process, but the early infants’ Baptism. Still in the caroling epoque the ancient costume could be found frequently; at the beginning of the second millennium children’s Baptism definitely got so important to win over the adults’ one whose destiny it was to disappear. The three sacraments of Christian initiation therefore got separated and distinguished until the Second Vatican Council rediscovered their intrinsic unity. One may wish that the theological reflection and the pastoral-celebrative experience are going to repropose Christian initiation in a sacramental perspective and in a liturgical setting that are both characterized by a unifying principle.

"L’auteur expose tout d’abord brièvement l’évolution historique contemporaine des relations entre l’Église et l’État en Hongrie, déterminante pour la foi des adultes. Elle rapporte ensuite les conceptions théologiques et les cheminements existentiels des catéchumènes afin de les comparer à l’offre pastorale. L’intérêt de cette partie est qu’elle se base sur l’expression libre des témoins qui permet une compréhension qualitative de leur univers religieux. Elle poursuit en résumant l’enseignement de l’Église à propos de la catéchèse d’adultes. En finale, elle fait des propositions pastorales pour le diocèse d’Esztergom-Budapest."

La diversité des parcours et des modes de croire sont autant de nouveaux défis pour l’Eglise. Les nouveaux modes d’appartenance et de construction personnelle changent inévitablement la donne quant au rapport à la communauté chrétienne. En observant ce qui se passe du côté des demandes de baptême par des adultes, il semble que nous puissions cerner, plus concrètement, ce qui se passe dans la relation individu/ communauté, caractéristique du profond changement du rapport au religieux de nos contemporains

Alors que la pastorale des recommençants est souvent perçue comme une nouveauté, l’expérience faite à Lyon autour d’Henri Bourgeois permet d’en situer la genèse dans les années soixante-dix. L’évolution de la pratique et de la réflexion du théologien lyonnais permet d’une part de prendre au sérieux la démarche des recommençants et sa prise en compte, d’autre part d’envisager des pistes possibles pour l’avenir de leur accueil et de leur accompagnement.

This article reports on a survey of catechetical methods used in English-language parishes in the ROCOR Diocese in Australia and their impact on disaffiliation. The survey identified higher disaffiliation rates correlating with whether the convert was received quickly, if the catechesis was self-directed, or if the convert was a young adult. The article makes a number of observations regarding catechetical processes and recommends a catechism that includes a curriculum of study undertaken over a period of about one year.

Chaque année, de plus en plus d’adultes demandent à recevoir le baptême dans l’Eglise catholique. Pour s’y préparer, ceux-ci suivent une formation, appelée accompagnement, d’un ou deux ans. Nous nous sommes interrogé sur leurs motifs d’engagement : quels sont les motifs d’engagement des catéchumènes baptisés en 2010-2011-2012 en Région wallonne ?
Remarque : par respect pour la confidentialité de certains entretiens, les annexes 13 à 16 ne sont pas reprises dans la publication en ligne.

This article is focused on a short sermon of St. Augustine, which F. Dolbeau discovered in Stadtbibliothek in Meinz in 1990. It is not a regular sermon, but a kind of so called post tractatum: a short ex- hortation, which bishop addresses to his community about some ac- tual problem after a usual speech. In this post tractatum Augustine clears up the church clauses about the burial of catechumens. The bishop explains, that the body of dead catechumen cannot be buried in the church building itself, because there the sacraments of faith- ful are celebrated and access to sacraments is strictly prohibited for catechumens through a church institute named disciplina arcani. In this sermon we can see, how the burial rites of Romans are in the Christian community adjusted according to Gospel principles and that the crucial point for man's eternal life was no more a ritual burial but only the baptism.

In the use of the united Church from the late forth century was developed the catechumenate, meaning a long and profound preparation for Christian Initiation, usually received in the Easter Vigil. However, candidates would receive explanation of the rites only after they were performed, namely during the Easter week. This practice was based on the so-called mystagogical method, the conviction that rites speak by
themselves in a powerful manner. The Catechesis of Jerusalem (of Cy;;il or John, his successor), the Catechetical Homilies of Theodore of Mopsuestia along with the Baptismal Homilies of John Chrysostom in the East, but also both treatises (De mysteriis and De sacramentis) of Ambrose of Milan witness with different nuances to the mystagogical approach, namely the introduction into the mysteries and the Mystery
itself by means of ritual actions. In the present study, I will focus on John
Chrysostom 's Baptismal Ilomilies, underlining some aspects: their timely framework, their connection with other similar texts and the general structure of the preparation for the Christian Initiation.

The article shows the origins and the development of the Christian catechumenate and the rites of Christian initiation in North Africa in the second and the third century. These institutions are shown on the basis of the extant writings of the two main representatives of the African Christianity: Tertullian and Cyprian. Each of the two main sections discusses these institutions presenting common points and differences in the description of the catechumenate and Christian initiation rites in the writings of both authors.

Liturghia catehumenilor, la început un serviciu divin cu o existență proprie, care se săvârșea independent de Sfânta Euharistie, a devenit foarte de timpuriu o rânduială liturgică inseparabilă de Liturghia euharistică, aceasta fiind rezultatul firesc al deplasării începutului Liturghiei. Întocmirea acestei rânduieli i-a avut în vedere la început, în mod special, pe cei care se pregăteau de Botez; de aceea, și numirea respectivei părți a Liturghiei se referea mai cu seamă la aceia. Odinioară, scopul și caracterul Liturghiei catehumenilor era prin excelenţă unul didactic (pregătitor), în vederea primirii Botezului; astăzi, după ce instituția catehumenatului a încetat de mult (sec. VI), nu ne rămâne decăt să redescoperim dimensiunea și importanța acestei prime părți a Liturghiei care a cunoscut o evoluție deosebită și a căpătat o nouă formă.

Die päpstlichen Dokumente 'Evangelii gaudium' (2013) und das neue 'Direktorium für die Katechese' (2020) betonen die grundlegende Notwendigkeit einer christlichen Verkündigung und unterscheiden methodisch zwischen kerygmatischer Erstverkündigung und fortwährender mystagogischer Weiterbildung. Vorbild für eine prozessual verstandene Evangelisierung ist die kirchliche Praxis des Katechumenats, wie sie seit dem Urchristentum bezeugt ist und bis heute im Leben der Kirche Anwendung findet.
In diesem Kontext stellen die Autoren den Neokatechumenalen Weg vor, eine pastorale Initiative, die seit 2008 als Itinerarium katholischer Formung vom Heiligen Stuhl durch Statuten kirchenrechtlich anerkannt ist. Dessen graduelle Methodik von Erstverkündigung und vertiefender Weiterbildung entspricht in der Praxis, so die These, sehr genau dem in den genannten Dokumenten angeregten katechetischen Modellen.
Zuletzt lassen die Autoren den Innsbrucker Theologen Josef Andreas Jungmann (1889-1975) zu Wort kommen, der bereits Mitte des 20. Jahrhunderts eine Kerygmatische Theologie beziehungsweise Theologie der Verkündigung formulierte.

This article makes the case that churches are uniquely positioned to accompany returning veterans through a process of re-training themselves for civilian life.  The first part of the article explains how basic training and combat instill certain habitus or "game instincts" for living.  The second part introduces ways that the liturgical traditions of the catechumenate, reconciliation, and healing provide resources for congregations wishing to accompany returning veterans through a process of re-training, a process that instills Christian habitus that are appropriate for civilian life.