Children and Youth in the Catechumenate

Anne Y. Koester, JD, MA, is Associate Director of the Georgetown Center for Liturgy in Washington, D.C. She has been published in a number of religious journals and is the editor of Liturgy and Justice: To Worship God in Spirit and Truth and co-editor of Vision: The Scholarly Contributions of Mark Searle to Liturgical Renewal and Called to Participate: Theological, Ritual, and Social Perspectives, published by Liturgical Press.

"This book offers solid insights into the process of Christian initiation for adults and children, accompanied by a wealth of practical questions and suggestions to help parish RCIA teams guide children and teens on the path to conversion and faith. Readers might start with Chapter 4 (a gem in itself) to get a solid grasp of the goal and process of initiation and then go to the beginning and work through each stage of the RCIA. Anyone working with young people seeking to join the Catholic Church and celebrate the sacraments of initiation will find this book quite helpful."Fr. Lawrence E. Mick, author of RCIA: How Are We Doing?, is a priest of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati

• ContentsAcknowledgments viiPART ONEChapter 1Critical Questions 1Chapter 2Starting Points 7Chapter 3Roles and Responsibilities 15Chapter 4Faith and Conversion 32PART TWOChapter 5Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate 41Chapter 6First Ritual Step: Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens 59PART THREEChapter 7Period of the Catechumenate 65Chapter 8Second Ritual Step: Election or Enrollment of Names 81PART FOURChapter 9Period of Purification and Enlightenment 85Chapter 10Third Ritual Step: Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation 92PART FIVEChapter 11Period of Postbaptismal Catechesis or Mystagogy 97