Mark your calendar for Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 for our third annual CNE Appreciation Banquet. If you have not attended this event, I encourage you to do so. It is always a highlight of the year!
We intentionally plan this event to be in the darkest, coldest time of the year to add a little extra joy and encouragement when we all need it most. I love to see the evangelizing community gather in this way once a year and celebrate all of the extraordinary ways that the Holy Spirit is working in our local Church!
The CNE Appreciation Banquet is also our time to award our Radiate Christ and New Fire awards to Catholic evangelists in our Archdiocese. We know that it is rare that those of you
in the trenches are recognized for your good work.
You will find the nomination form below. Please take a few minutes to nominate someone for the award.
Sean Ater
Director, Center for the New Evangelization sater@catholicaoc.org
CNE Spotlight: Nominees Being Accepted for Awards
It's time to nominate parish evangelists for the annual Radiate Christ and New Fire Awards! Winners will be honored at our annual CNE Appreciation Banquet on February 3, 2024.
These awards are given to evangelists who exemplify the spirit of the New Evangelization, are committed to accompanying
others in their relationship with Jesus Christ, and cooperate with the Holy Spirit to renew parishes and communities.
Nominations will be gathered by an award committee, and the winners will be selected after a period of review and discernment. Please see the tab below for the nomination form. Deadline to nominate is December 1.
Here are my answers to some more questions I’ve recently received regarding the RCIA:
Q: We have a child who is in the 4th grade in our parish school, but isn’t baptized. What should we do?
A: Since the child is not baptized and is above the age of reason, the usual stages and major rites of the RCIA process are required (see RCIA 253). You could run an entire process for children parallel to your process for adults. Or, since the child is enrolled in your parish’s Catholic school, and the RCIA communicates a preference for children learning alongside their baptized peers (see RCIA 254.1), the child could receive the bulk of his or her instruction just by attending school. Either way, you should encourage the child to also attend your parish’s formation activities for children (e.g., Children’s Liturgy of the Word, VBS, youth group, sacramental prep, etc.) so that they can experience community within the parish. You could also meet with the child a few times to answer questions, check on the child’s progress in conversion, and prepare
the child for the major rites and Scrutinies as they arrive.
Q: We discovered recently that, last year, a child above the age of reason was baptized during a regular Sunday Mass and he received Communion then, too, but he wasn’t confirmed. What should we do?
A: Anyone at or above the age of reason who needs to be baptized must also be confirmed and receive Communion in the same eucharistic celebration. This is in the RCIA book (RCIA 215; National Statutes 14) and Canon Law (Can. 852.1, 866). I’m not aware of a rubric that dictates
what to do when Confirmation is postponed without a serious reason. In this case, you have to pray about it and then do what you think is best. In my opinion, by not being confirmed when he/she was baptized, the child has been placed on the Catholic path of waiting until the 8th grade to be confirmed, and so the child should just follow that path.
Do you have a question about the RCIA process? Email me! (nhardesty@catholicaoc.org)
The Peace of Christ to you, Nicholas Hardesty, Assoc. Dir. of Adult Evangelization and RCIA
ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REMINDERS
Evangelization Team Orientation Webinar
The Beacons of Light Evangelization Parameter #1 says: “Every Family of Parishes will have an Evangelization Team, overseen by the pastor and led by competent and qualified staff.”
Now that most Family of Parishes have identified their Director of Evangelization, Phase 2 is the time to form the Evangelization Team for your Family of Parishes. These team members must be competent and qualified staff members who will report to the Director of Evangelization.
This webinar will be an orientation on the Evangelization Team and will address who should be on the Team, what their job descriptions should be, and how they should work together to implement a plan for evangelization and discipleship.
Webinar Details: Date: Tuesday, November 28, 2023 Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Register Here
National Eucharistic Pilgrimage: Apply now to be a Perpetual Pilgrim
The National Eucharistic Congress, Inc. is excited to invite young people ages 19-29 to apply in service as Perpetual Pilgrims along the four distinct routes destined for the 10th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, IN.
Joined by a priest chaplain, a consistent group of volunteers is needed to accompany Jesus in the Eucharist from May 17 to July 21, 2024. Perpetual Pilgrims will travel a combined distance of 6,500 miles, stopping at many holy sites along this unprecedented coast-to-coast pilgrimage modeled after the Gospel account of Jesus’ journey to Emmaus two millennia ago.
Baptized and practicing Catholics interested in serving as Perpetual Pilgrims must be in good physical condition, capable of walking long distances, and must agree to uphold the teachings of the Catholic Church for the duration of the pilgrimage.
Additional commitments, such as willingness to act in ministerial roles and participate in necessary training sessions, are required in the preliminary application. Deadline to submit an application is November 28. Interview and further screenings will follow, with final selection taking place in January 2024.
To find out more about the National Eucharistic Congress go here. Click the button below to apply to be a Perpetual Pilgrim.
