To help bring people to faith and welcome them into the Catholic Christian community (the core of the Christian mission) parishes need an engaged assembly. They need disciples ready to welcome and support the newcomers in their journey, to share their faith, and to fully, consciously, actively participate in the initiation rites.
Yet few of the baptized understand the privileges and responsibilities that Baptism imparts and since many of the activities in the process of initiation take place outside of the Sunday liturgy, many assembly members don’t know what unfolds in each period. They may not even realize that the experience of people undergoing a first conversion to the faith enriches the ongoing conversion of the baptized.
Even parishioners with an interest often don’t have time to invest in learning. For that reason, this resource offers bite-sized portions of information and inspiration about Christian initiation—little seeds that the parish can broadcast every week throughout the liturgical year. They come in attractively designed JPG files on a CD-ROM: 1) 73 short Q & As about Baptism and the process of Christian initiation—just enough to fill a quarter page of a bulletin. 2) 12 full page Q & As that offer more depth and could be used as a handout or bulletin insert 3) Links to 12 short videos offering glimpses into the experience of the seekers and those who accompany them—testimony that the support and prayers of the assembly make a difference. These can be placed on the parish Website or social media page. A booklet offers strategies and instructions for using the resources.
Four experienced pastoral ministers provide the information and inspiration in this resource: Sr. Gael Gensler, OSF, is currently the pastoral associate at St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Orland Park, Illinois. She has been involved in initiation ministry since the late 1970s at the national, diocesan, and parish level. Timothy A. Johnston is the director of the Office of Worship in the Diocese of St. Cloud, Minnesota. He has also served as the director of the Office of Liturgy for the Diocese of Salt Lake City. Kyle Lechtenberg is director of music and liturgy at Our Lady's Immaculate Heart Catholic Church in Ankeny, Iowa. He has also served as the director of worship for the Diocese of Des Moines. Corinna Laughlin is the pastoral assistant for liturgy at St. James Cathedral in Seattle and serves on the Liturgical Commission for the Archdiocese of Seattle. She has written extensively on the liturgy.
Paperback with disk, 8 1/2 x 11
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