Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children
By David Marcus
What is the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children?
1. It is the English title of ordo initiationis christianae adultorum. It is the official collection of rites of the Roman Catholic Church for initiation of adults (including children of catechetical age) and the reception of baptized and un-baptized into the full communion of the Catholic Church.
2. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children (including children) is what the Church calls and defines as journey. That is a lifetime process of conversion to the life and faith in Jesus Christ and life in the community.
3. James Moudrey1 paints a picture of the principal elements and vision of the adult initiation (including children) journey are listed below:
a. Initiation is a gradual process. In other words, the Church does not rush, but takes her time to see that the person(s) is not only catechized, but on a spiritual and holistic journey.
b. The community itself is the principal companion for those on the journey, and it ministers with. Here James Moudrey makes an important statement by saying: “As a result of the demands of accompanying those to be initiated, the community itself is renewed in its own identity, life, and purpose.”
c. At the heart of the journey is ritual. Strategically located at certain stages according to James Moudrey are major liturgical celebrations that mark and shape the initiation process. Ritual prayer saturates the entire catechetical experience.
d. Consequently, the reform calls for a unique catechetical process in which ritual experience becomes the anchor and foundation for catechesis. It is through the liturgies of the rite that set the agenda for catechetical formation. Therefore the whole process is driven by the liturgy, which many of you have been privileged to experience this year.
e. The initiation journey is connected to the celebration of the liturgical feasts and seasons. Here the word of God proclaimed from the lectionary within the celebration of the church's liturgy guides the people through the liturgical year. The centerpiece of the journey is the paschal season in which word, sacrament and sacred time come together to express and support the meaning of initiation.
f. Finally, the goal of the journey is faith in Jesus Christ and life in the community – The Mystagogy. Through this process, James Moudrey says:“The church's initiation structures exist to support and gently guide the mysterious and powerful work of conversion, which the Spirit of God does in the life of the person. The faith life of the community models for the convert the distinctive shape of her or his conversion, including its consequences for mission and ministry that extends beyond the reception of sacraments to a life of genuine discipleship.”
In conclusion, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children (including children of catechetical age) is not a program but a process of a spiritual and holistic journey conversion for those seeking full communion in the Catholic Church2, but one that the community itself is involved in a life of genuine discipleship.
Over the next several months, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and Children will be explained in greater details.
1 Moudry, J. Catechesis and Mystagogy: Infant Baptism: The Reform of Christian Initiation: An Introduction, pp. 3 and 4, LTP, (1996)
2 Cf. Rite, Vol. I.