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Catechumenate 2007 Church of the Redeemer Guide Book - 2 - Catechumenate 2007 C

Catechumenate 2007 Church of the Redeemer Guide Book - 2 - Catechumenate 2007 Church of the Redeemer Welcome to the Catechumenate process. I am glad that you have decided to take this journey. I hope that this document will be a helpful guide to our time together. Vital Statistics Catechumenate Class is held at 9:40 am, each Sunday from Jan. 7 – April 1 You will need to bring this notebook, a pen, and a Bible to each meeting of the class. The Catechumenate mini-retreat is scheduled for Saturday morning, March 4th Father Thomas’ can be reached through: Phone: (615) 403-4009 E-mail: Thomas@Redeemer-Church.net The Catechumenate website is If you wish to participate as a “member,” please respond to the invitation that will be sent to you through ThomasMcKenzie1@gmail.com” and “Blogger.” You will need to obtain a copy of two books: The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning. Table of Contents Guide to the Process………………………………………….…….…3-5 The Catechism….……………………………………………....….….5-9 The Great Creeds………………….………………………….………10-12 The Chalcedonian Statement and the Quadrilateral.……….………...13 The 39 Articles of Religion………………………………………..….14-22 The Rite of Baptism ……………………………………………….…23-26 The Rites of Confirmation, Reception, and Reaffirmation……….…..27-28 - 3 - Catechumenate 2007 Church of the Redeemer An Important Note When I was in college and seminary, I would suffer occasionally from “syllabus shock.” For those who do not know what this is, it means the overwhelming fear and dread that comes when you first look through the syllabi of the upcoming semester’s classes. You say to yourself “I am dead; I can never get through all of this.” You are holding in your hand what amounts to a “syllabus” for the Catechumenate process. It might well look overwhelming. I must say this to you. This process is for you, and for your relationship with Jesus. You will not be graded, you can not fail. Role will not be taken; your knowledge will not be tested. I believe that you will be given the grace to fully engage this process in the context of your own life. Have fun with it, and do not be afraid. Preparation The Catechumenate is a process of preparation. Once the process is over, you will probably decide to participate in an act of worship through which you dedicate yourself to God. One basic goal of the Catechumenate is to bring meaning and clarity to that act of dedication. The act that you are preparing for will vary depending on your previous experience. Here are the possibilities: 1) Baptism. This is the most ancient act of Christian dedication. Jesus himself commanded us to be baptized, and to baptize others. It is the official entry point into Christianity, and into the world-wide Christian Church as a whole. It is accomplished through water, and is normally done on the early on Easter morning (April 8th this year). 2) Confirmation. Not as ancient a sacrament as Baptism, Confirmation was still practiced from the very early centuries of the Church. It is the rite by which people who have been previously baptized are released into their ministry in the Church through the laying on of hands by the Bishop. Since the Bishop must participate, the actual date of Confirmations in 2007 has not yet been set. The date will certainly be after Easter of 2007. If you were confirmed in the Episcopal Church after the summer of 2003, we recommend you be confirmed in the Anglican Church. 3) Reception into the Communion. This action is taken by people who have already been both baptized and confirmed, but did so outside of the Anglican Church. If you were confirmed in the Episcopal Church before summer of 2003, we recommend this rite for you. Reception is performed by the Bishop, and will take place at his next visit. - 4 - 4) Reaffirmation of Baptismal Vows. This rite is designed for those who were at one time baptized and confirmed, but afterwards left the Church. It is also useful for those who would like to publicly renew their dedication to Christ, though they have not actually left the Church. This reaffirmation may be performed as part of the Easter baptisms (the morning of April 8th this year), or you may wait for the Bishop’s visitation. Requirements Here are the requirements for participation in the Catechumenate process. 1. Regular participation in Sunday worship. 2. Participation in the Catechumenate Class. 3. Commitment to a personal devotional life. 4. Assigned reading and journaling. 5. Participation in the “Other Events.” Here is what we mean by that. 1. Participation in Sunday worship It is important that you come to corporate worship every Sunday during the Catechumenate process (January 7th-April 8th). This allows you to be fully engaged in our common life. Of course, this may not always happen. If you are sick, or there is some other emergency, then you will not be able to come. Also, if you are traveling, please make every effort to attend worship in a local church. 2. Participation in the Catechumenate Classes The Confirmation classes will take place on Sundays during the Sunday school hour. Each week, the class begins at 9:40 am and ends by 10:30 am. These classes will be recorded for your review, if you wish to hear them again. 3. Committing to a Personal Devotional Life During this time, each of us should make every effort to either begin or maintain a regular practice of daily prayer and Bible-reading. If you already have a devotional life, then simply continue with what you are already doing. If you do not, or would like some assistance in this area, I will happily speak with you about how we go about that. 4. Assigned Reading and Journaling This process is based in the Catechism of the Anglican Church. We will also be reading two books, as well as several short writings. We can not thoroughly cover all these readings in our limited class time. However, it is my hope that they will work their way into our formal and informal conversations—in class, on the blog, in our journals, etc. - 5 - Required books are: • The Holy Bible. There will be brief reading assignments. You may read whatever translation you prefer. Our pew Bibles are the “Today’s New International Version,” aka the TNIV. • The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. • Ruthless Trust by Brennan Manning Other readings are included in this notebook, and are also found on our blog. Each one of us will do well to keep a journal of what we are learning and how we are growing. This journal is like a diary of what God is saying to you. It can have reflections from our class time, from worship, for the readings, from conversations, from prayer, or simply from times of being with friends or in nature. The next step is to share part or all of your journaling with others in our group. In order to facilitate that, I have set up a blog for us. “Blog” is short for Web-Log. It is an internet-based journal. In this case, a journal that we will each have the chance to write in. You can read other people’s work, or post your own. You can also comment on other what other people say. Further, this blog will be our official web-site. It will have recordings of the classes, as well as important documents. So, even if you don’t journal on the site you will want to check it periodically. The website is: http://catechumenate.blogspot.com 5. Participation in Other Events To get everything out of this process, please plan to attend the following: • Ash Wednesday Service, February 21st • Reflections: A Catechumenate mini-retreat: March 4th, 9 am—noon • Holy Week Services (April 1st-April 8th) - 6 - The Catechism of the Anglican Church Taken from the Book of Common Prayer, 1662 Beginning Question. What is your Name? Answer. My Name is N.N. Question. Who gave you this Name? Answer. My Godfathers and Godmothers in my Baptism, wherein by God’s grace I received the Sacrament of new birth, entered the family of Christ’s Church, and became an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven. Question. What did your Godfathers and Godmothers do for you at your Baptism? Answer. They promised and made vows concerning three things in my name. First, that I should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomp and vanity of this wicked world, and all sinful lusts. Secondly, that I should believe all the articles of the Christian Creed. And, thirdly, that I should keep God’s holy will and commandments, walking in them all the days of my life. Question. Do you now think that you are committed to believe and to do, as they have promised for you? Answer. Yes, I truly do and by God’s help I will. And from the bottom of my heart I thank our heavenly Father, that he has called me to this state of salvation, through Jesus Christ our Savior. And I pray to God to uploads/Geographie/ catechumenate-guide.pdf