D. BAPTISM OF CHILDREN OF CATECHETICAL AGE

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1 Initiation of Children Presented by Fr. Pat Beidelman Frequently Asked Questions Concerning the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults -Compiled by the Adult Initiation Committee, Archdiocese of Indianapolis (This document is also available at D. BAPTISM OF CHILDREN OF CATECHETICAL AGE 1. How are children of catechetical age initiated into the Church? Children who have attained the use of reason are of catechetical age, normally around seven years. For purposes of Christian initiation, they are considered to be adults.(canon and RCIA U.S. Statute 18). Their formation should follow the general pattern of the catechumenate as far as possible. The permission of at least one of the parents is required before such children are accepted into the catechumenate and before they are initiated into the Church. Parents are encouraged to participate in the process of formation to whatever extent they are able and to offer the support and example the children will need (RCIA 254). Pastors should be reminded that once a child has reached the age of reason the Rite of Baptism for Children is no longer the proper ritual book to use. Part II, Chapter I of the RCIA ( ) is the appropriate rite. 2. Are children of catechetical age to be confirmed and celebrate the Eucharist at the time of their baptism? Yes. It is not permissible to delay their first communion and confirmation until a later time. In the dioceses of the United States it is clearly expected that when such a child is baptized, the child is to be confirmed and share in the eucharist at the same celebration, normally the Easter Vigil. (RCIA U.S. Statute 14, 18, 19; RCIA 8 and 256) While this may cause concern for consistency in religious education programs in which children baptized in infancy are not confirmed until a later age, this in itself is not a sufficient reason to postpone confirmation. The integrity and unity of the three sacraments of initiation as well as the grace conferred in their administration are maintained by not delaying confirmation or eucharist (RCIA 215; canon 866). 3. Should children enrolled in the catechumenate be included in the Rite of Election held for adult catechumens? The Rite of Election for Children is an optional rite (RCIA ) designed specifically for their state. However, these children may also be included in the Rite of Election for adults, especially when their parents are also catechumens. 1

2 E. RECEPTION OF CHILDREN INTO FULL COMMUNION 1. How are baptized children of catechetical age received into the full communion of the Roman Catholic Church? Because children of catechetical age are considered, for purposes of Christian initiation, to be adults (canon 852.1), the Rite of Reception of Baptized Christians into the Full Communion of the Catholic Church is used. (RCIA ) Depending on the level of prior catechesis, their formation may be similar to unbaptized children preparing for the initiation sacraments (RCIA ) or to uncatechized adults preparing for Confirmation and Eucharist (RCIA ). These children may be received into the church and confirmed either at the Easter Vigil or at another time. Children of parents being received into full communion are ordinarily received into the Church with their parents. 2. How are children below the age of reason received into full communion? Presuming the children are being received into the Church at the same time as one or both parents, nothing is required of them. However, their original baptism should be carefully recorded in the baptismal register with a note of their becoming Catholic through their parents' initiation into the Church. It is presumed that they would be confirmed and celebrate eucharist along with the other children of the parish at the customary time 3. Are children who are completing their initiation through confirmation and eucharist expected to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation? Children who were baptized as Roman Catholics are expected to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation before their first reception of the Eucharist (canon 914 and RCIA U.S. Statutes 27). Children who were baptized, but not as Roman Catholics, and are now preparing for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church should be adequately prepared and encouraged to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation sometime before their formal reception into the Roman Catholic Church (RCIA 482; RCIA U.S. Statute 36). ***************************************************************************** DISCUSSION POINTS: ISSUES: RCIA adapted for Children Lack of Awareness of the natural statues Inconsistency of practice for initiation in general Lack of ongoing commitment to catechesis for child neophytes Clarity about time of catechumen and consistency of practice Need for diversity of approaches for different groups (intercultural, intergenerational) Not a Graduation but a springboard unfolding of Baptized Grace. Practical Pastoral concerns 2

3 UPDATES RE: CIRCLE OF GRACE FROM: Cathy Campbell, SP, Coordinator DATE: December, 2014 Why Circle of Grace is important! All children and youth are sacred creations of a loving God. However, today s children and youth live in a world in which they are often confronted by persons who pose a threat to them. Recognizing this, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in 2011 mandated that Catholic educators in schools, parish religious education, and youth ministry programs be proactive in teaching youth about their value and how to protect themselves from being abused in any way. Responding to this mandate, the Archdiocese of Indianapolis adopted the Circle of Grace Program in 2012 to comply with Article 12 in the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People revised and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) in Article 12 states: Dioceses/eparchies are to maintain safe environment programs which the diocesan/eparchial bishop deems to be in accord with Catholic moral principles. They are to be conducted cooperatively with parents, civil authorities, educators, and community organizations to provide education and training for children, youth, parents, ministers, educators, volunteers, and others about ways to make and maintain a safe environment for children and young people. Responsibilities for implementation: Principals, Parish Administrators of Religious Education, and Youth Ministers throughout the archdiocese are, therefore, responsible for: Assuring that the lessons of the COG curriculum are integrated into their programs annually; Documenting on the official Documentation Form the training that they do. Annually, dioceses/eparchies are responsible for submitting an audit report to the USCCB providing evidence that the schools, religious education, and youth ministry programs in their jurisdictions are fulfilling this mandate. Maintaining LOCAL files (e.g. copies of the Documentation Form and Lesson Assessments provided in COG. NOTE: The files kept at the local level may be inspected by USCCB auditors in years to come on a random basis as part of the annual audit conducted at the archdiocesan level. IMPROVED TOOLS Interactive On-Line Documentation Form is available at: You may submit documentation as soon as you complete COG training in your school or parish programs. Final deadline is May 15, New Link to Circle of Grace at OCE site at Archindy.org Coming Soon: Best Practices for implementing Circle of Grace lessons gathered from those in schools, in parish religious education, and youth ministry programs. Watch e-notes for updates on these items. TRAINING or ASSISTANCE IMPLEMENTING COG Sr. Cathy Campbell, SP at ccampbell@archindy.org or call: GOAL for % documented participation in every deanery. Help us protect the children entrusted to Catholic schools, Faith Formation and Youth Ministry programs and reach this goal.

4 Familiaris Consortio Overview Presented by Liz Escoffery Introduction of myself Married 2 years to Bill, and I have a 7-month old son, Teddy Parishioner of St. Monica Parish Associate Director of Vocations FertilityCare Practitioner Intern -Pastoral document by St. John Paul II following the First General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops. - Synod took place in 1980 to evaluate the pastoral situation, especially in light of Gaudium et spes and Humanae Vitae (15 and 12 years prior respectively) -Gaudium et Spes was a document of Vatican II which focused on the Dignity of Man in various contexts including Marriage & Family Life as well as other areas such as the political spectrum, fostering of peace, the development of culture -Humanae Vitae, in light of the sexual revolution, focused upon giving an explanation as to why the Church asks that all acts of intercourse be open to children, what are acceptable methods to regulate birth naturally, and encouragement for married couples as well as all who work with and minister to families -To connect to current events, in October there was an extraordinary pre-synod gathering which met to deliberate prior to the 2015 Synod on the Family Living as a family in the current culture is challenging! If we try to do it alone, we will surely fail as there are many obstacles to holiness. John Paul II saw an urgent need for those who minister in the Church to extend an olive branch to help all families, not just those who give money to the Church, not just those who are interested in converting, not just those who are materially poor, but ALL FAMILIES and ALL PEOPLE and provide access to God s grace through the sacraments. The Introduction of Familiaris Consortio categorizes people who we may encounter by talking about 3 different groups that are on the journey : -There are those who are already aware of the Good News and are living in the light of it in their family life -There are those who are uncertain, anxious, and searching for the Good News -those who are unjustly impeded from living family life fully because of circumstances I can think of particular people I have encountered who have come to me to learn the Creighton Method of FertilityCare which I teach out of my parish, St. Monica. Some coming to learn are Catholic and some are not, however since the sessions take place at a church, often conversations of faith come up:

5 In this first category, I have who I will call John and Lisa. John and Lisa are young adult Catholics who began learning the Creighton model before they even became engaged. They are very active in their parish and are an American couple living abroad for a work assignment. They learned about the Creighton model from Lisa s sister-in-law and in fact, everyone in their family uses Natural Family Planning in their marriages for planning their families. I will be honest in saying that I was taken aback by their strong faith, and wondered if I d have anything to offer such a spiritually mature couple. John Paul II says that this first group is in need of support. They shouldn t necessarily only be seen by the Church as our volunteer taskforce, our RCIA table leaders and presenters, our liturgical ministers and lead catechists. No, these Catholics need support in living their vocation well. We all know how easy it is to be going along the right path, something big happens, and then to get derailed and lose our focus on God. By helping John and Lisa in their engagement preparation process and in the 9 months of their early marriage as they struggled to conceive, God gave me a privileged position to help facilitate their growth in communication, prayer, and vulnerability with one another. When they conceived several months ago, I was able to join in their joy and celebrate this great gift they ve been given of a new life. They sent me their chart for an upcoming appointment with no text, and let me figure out that all signs indicated that Lisa was expecting. Take a moment to think of a family in your parish or ministry who knows the Good News and needs your support living it. DISCUSS AT TABLE In the second category, I have who I will call Fred and Rebecca. I met Fred and Rebecca after they had a powerful experience at their marriage prep retreat and during their counseling with their pastor. Their pastor challenged them to live apart in the months prior to their wedding as they had been previously cohabitating. They recommitted themselves to abstaining prior to their wedding and Rebecca bravely discontinued hormonal birth control. They began learning the Creighton Model, but they have a hard chart to manage, and so they became discouraged easily, thinking that they d have no days to come together once married. Really, this was just the birth control getting out of her system as her cycles normalized. They are finding it hard to adjust to some of what God requires of married couples, slipping into condom usage from time to time when they get frustrated, but I pray that their faithfulness to the process will pay off and they will come to a closer intimacy both with each other and with God. John Paul II says that this second group is in need of illumination. Think of a family in your parish or ministry that is anxious and searching for the truth and needs your help to discern what that is. DISCUSS AT TABLE In the third category, I have are who I will call Jimmy and Katrina. They have 3 children and following the birth of their 3 rd child, they became pregnant unexpectedly and had an abortion. Jimmy and Katrina are both previously married and Katrina has 2 children from their previous marriage and they have their youngest together. Katrina was married the first time in the Catholic Church, but her first marriage was not annulled and so her second marriage was performed outside the Church. Katrina was on the birth control pill previously which gave her horrible side effects, so she came to me to learn how to permanently avoid pregnancy using the Creighton Method. The abortion has had looming effects on their intimacy. Katrina is scared of her fertility and very anxious about the future, knowing that to avoid pregnancy will require abstinence and diligence for the system to be effective. The circumstances of their life have made it very hard to accept God s love and mercy, but recently in a follow-up in which

6 only Katrina was able to attend, she mentioned that her youngest child had not been baptized. I asked her if she would consider having her baptized, and she told me that she was under the impression that because she was remarried outside the Church that her child s baptism would not be allowed. I was eager to share with her that this was not the case, and she told me that she is resolved to return back to her parish for Sunday Mass and bring her family with her. I have also been sharing resources for her to get healing following the abortion. Her family faces an unjust circumstance because we live in a culture that permits the legal killing of children. John Paul II says that we are to assist this third group in the unjust circumstances they face. Think of a family in your parish or ministry that has unjust circumstances in their family s life. DISCUSS AT TABLE (no large group sharing) Part 1 & 2 -Evangelization is foundational in the Church serving the good of marriages and families (What is evangelization? Sharing the truth of the Gospel) We are called to be evangelizers and evangelized. -A proper understanding of freedom not just to do what I want choosing the good True freedom has led to some of the positive progress that has been made in family life: promoting the dignity of women, the responsibility of parents to make education choices for their children, the development of interfamily relationships A corruption of freedom results in some of the negative realities in our world including a lack of authority between parents and children, more divorces, the widespread acceptance of abortion, and the use of contraception and sterilization to avoid pregnancy. We have also seen less generosity in some ways, as selfishness and greed can trump giving to the Church and to other charities. There is a greater disparity between the poor and the wealthy. I encounter this in my work in Vocations. How do we define success for our children? All too often, I hear a family hoping for a lawyer, doctor, or some other esteemed profession for their child. My ears perk up when I actually catch parents saying that they want what God wants for their child. In other words, I am convinced that parents who use this language are praying for their child s vocation whether that be as a husband and father or wife and mother, as a priest, as a religious sister. We seem to be so committed to praying for vocations to flow out of our parishes, but we also need to change the way we speak about success with our kids if we want to encourage them to make their life decisions in consultation with God through prayer. Do we ask What do you want to be when you grow up? Of course, and it s hilarious to hear what kids say, especially the jobs they think exist, but don t really. I mean have YOU ever actually met an ice cream tester? But how often do we ask, What do you think God wants you to be when you grow up? He introduces the theme of gradualness and conversion. We have heard the word gradualness if you ve followed any of the themes of the recent Extraordinary Pre-Synod discussions. Gradualness and conversion implies that we ourselves are engaging in a dynamic process in which God and the Church helps us to more fully integrate our lives into the mystery of the Christian life. Often, we do not advance

7 from a pattern of sin immediately to a full embrace of God s law, but rather there are smaller steps along the way as we enter into the Christian life. He goes on to discuss how married love and sexual intercourse are intrinsically bound together. Marriage is the only context in which sex makes sense. Gaudium et spes says that Man can only truly find himself by making a sincere gift of self. In marriage, this is done fully through sexual which echoes the wedding vows that man and woman come together without reservation, without barriers, and cooperate with God in a sincere self-giving that is transformative and good. Man and woman coming together in this way images God and children can come from this union. There are three images that may be helpful in our understanding of this and in sharing this with others: Trinity 1) Father- (From His side came) 2) Son- 3) Holy Spirit Christ & the Church 1) Christ- (from His side came) 2) Church- 3) Baptized Holy Family 1) Man-(from His side came- ribs) 2) Woman- 3) Child (this image is being developed and will likely come out of the Synod in 2015 so you are getting a sneak preview of what is to come) While I think it is very obvious that this love that we speak of is such a force of good, it makes total sense that it would be targeted by the Devil in order to get God s children to turn away from him. 2 examples: 1) In October, it was reported that Apple plans to include egg freezing as a health insurance benefit by January. Facebook already offers this benefit to female employees. 2) Pill inventor says sex will be purely recreational by 2050, that women will opt to freeze their eggs and become sterilized and the only babies coming into the world will be through the aid of IVF. There is something very disturbing about these two extreme examples. Our society wants to convince us that babies and sex are two completely separate things when in fact, there is nothing further from the truth. Children are a good of marriage, are to be desired and cherished. They may have the ability to bring out the worst in their parents (I know this now from personal experience!) but children also have the ability to make parents holier and more reliant on God. There is nothing like the prayer of a desperate parent! It is hard for young couples to live the Church s teaching on marital chastity in this day

8 and age, especially when they know very few others seem to be doing so. Many couples I work with are the first from our families to utilize Natural Family Planning rather than contraception to postpone and achieve pregnancy, and the parish must be a safe place to get support in this regard. The first time I ever heard about Natural Family Planning was at my parish while in high school youth group. I never thought about the impact it might have on my life at the time but it s a message that the Church is hungry to hear. While this fruitfulness that married couples are called to is most often through childbearing, there are other ways that we are called to be fruitful. Married couples facing infertility are called to be fruitful through adoption, or ministry, or spiritual motherhood and fatherhood. Approximately 1/5 couples will face infertility (and more if you include those facing subfertility or secondary infertility), so it is important that our ministries are prepared to respond adequately to those who are facing this cross and minister to them effectively in ways that acknowledge the grief that often accompanies infertility and to recognize the gifts and contributions that are made by these couples. Also common, but seldom talked about issue, is that of miscarriage and infant loss. 1 in 4 pregnancies result in miscarriage and 1/100 childbirths result in stillbirth. Yet, we rarely talk about these things. My husband and I lost our first baby, Perfecta Marie, in the 3rd week of pregnancy, and I don t know what we would have done without the support of our parish family through rituals, prayers, and being able to share our news and our heartbreak and be comforted during that time. The document also talks about how religious and priests are called to live their sexuality through virginity or celibacy. It is because marriage and sex is very good that it is also something worth sacrificing. It is important in our teaching and speaking about religious life and priesthood that we showcase the complementary nature that the vocations have with one another. No holy families= no priests/religious. No priests= no Eucharist, Reconciliation for families. No religious= no witness and prayer powerhouse for the Church and the world and the needs of families. Part 3 The Christian Family is charged with a responsibility, to become what you are 1) Form a community of persons a. Communion of the married couple, indissoluble in nature (highlights this), man and woman each have a distinct and complementary role to play b. Man cannot live without love. He remains a being that is incomprehensible for himself, his life is senseless, if love is not revealed to him, if he does not encounter love, if he does not experience it and make it his own, if he does not participate intimately in it Redemptor Hominis c. Children, parents and other relatives, motivated by love, growing together d. There is no family that does not know how selfishness, discord, tension, and conflict violently attack and at times mortally wound its own communion - called to reconciliation, resist the temptation to navel gaze.

9 2) Serve life a. Love between husband and wife is to be be open to life, reiterates what was written in Humanae Vitae b. Couples are encouraged to exercise prudence with generosity. So to be generous with God in their family size but to also be wise in considering the needs of their family. There exists no list of serious reasons for avoiding a pregnancy, but the couple should do this through prayer and discernment, acknowledging that natural family planning and contraception are different anthropologically and morally. c. Science of NFP is improving The choice of (natural family planning) involves accepting the cycle of the person, that is the woman, and thereby accepting dialogue, reciprocal respect, shared responsibility and self-control (52) He also writes that all married people and all unmarried young adults should have access to this information. The Creighton Model which I teach is 96.8% effective at avoiding pregnancy and for those couples who use the method to achieve pregnancy, 76% become pregnant the very first cycle they use days of fertility, so it s a true method of family planning, not contraception. d. Education in self-control & chastity Through living marital chastity, married persons will model upholding the dignity of all human persons, a great example for their children. It can be HARD, but worthwhile. 3) Participate in the development of society a. Families should take their responsibilities seriously: social service, offering hospitality, political intervention when needed, Charter of family rights (examples shared of some of these rights from text) 4) Share in the life and mission of the Church a. Each family is a domestic Church, called to share the Gospel b. It s a school of love: parents teach children, children also teach parents c. The family must educate the children for life in such a way that one may fully perform his or her role according to the vocation received from God d. This is missionary work! As Mother Theresa says to Find your own Calcutta! married couples are called to mission within their own family and to be an example of the effects of God s love and grace to the world e. Individual and communal prayer should be practiced The future of humanity passes by the way of the family (129)- what families do matters!

10 Questions for discussion: 1. Every parish has: 1) those who have heard and practice the Good News, 2) those who are anxiously searching for the Good News, and 3) those whose circumstances and hardships prevent them from fully entering into family life. What have been your most memorable experiences working with those you encounter from these three groups? 2. Imagine you have heard that a young man or woman who you saw through parish catechetical and religious education has become engaged and will be getting married later this year. What do you hope this young person will bring into his/her marriage and future family? 3. What will be necessary from the parish to ensure that this young person has these values? 4. What are specific catechesis and programs that are happening in your parish, or that you would like to implement which would make some of these goals possible? 5. What kind of support/resources will the young person need, once married, to remain Catholic and practicing his/her faith? Answers of those present during large groups discussion: 3) Commitment, forgiveness, humility, services/seeking holiness of the spouse/children, communication/honest, perseverance, respect for self and other, discipleship, understanding of vocation, leadership in faith 4) Role models, inculturation, support and respect for the domestic Church, opportunities for service, stability, joy and confidence, recognizing milestones and rituals, prayer support, catechesis regarding aspects of vocation and marriage