Thursday, May 17, 2012 | Learn>Catechumenate

Practicing The Way: The Catechumenate

Practicing The Way: The Catechumenate is for those who have never been part of a church, those who are returning to church after a long absence, or those who have been members of another tradition. It is the heart of our formation process for adults, an exploration of what it means to be a Christian in the Anglican tradition.

"Catechumenate" may be hard to pronounce (kat-uh-KEW-meh-nut) and harder to spell. The name comes from Greek words meaning "teach by telling" and "learn by hearing" and ultimately from the word "echo."

Why do we use this difficult name for a class that's intended for new people? Because it's the name that has been used for this process since the very early days of the Church. Making the effort to learn and use the name connects us to our fellow Christians more than 17 centuries ago.

Practicing The Way: The Catechumenate is the nine-month process by which we welcome newcomers to Saint John's Cathedral, the Episcopal Church and the Christian faith.

It is intended for adults who are new to the church and have never been baptized, for those who have been members of another Christian community, or for those who are already Episcopalians but would like to learn more about Saint John's. Sometimes those who have been members of this particular church for many years take the class as a refresher or as part of a reevaluation of their faith lives.

The evening class includes a simple supper and a brief time of prayer or worship. During dinner and class time, participants sit at round tables with four to six others, including one or two parishioners who act as table leaders or mentors. Dinner conversations are partly unstructured and include some time to focus on a topic as well. As dinner draws to a close, tables will usually sum up some of their conversation in order to report to the group as a whole. After a break in the chapel for prayer time, the class gathers again for a time for a presentation followed by table conversation.

A couple of times throughout the year, the class will be asked to read a portion of the Bible, or to practice prayer discipline at home. Tables will participate in a short service project outside of class during the season of Lent. Suggested reading is optional.

The class meets Wednesday evenings September through May. There is no cost to participate. For more information, contact Canon Rebecca Crummey at rebecca@sjcathedral.org.


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