Would you know a catechumen from a candidate?

Each year as parishes begin to prepare those who wish to enter the church, a common question comes up: Why are some people called "candidates" and others called "catechumens"?

Though different, both catechumens and candidates enter the Catholic Church through a process known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). Rite tells us that the RCIA is first of all liturgical, following prescribed steps and rituals. There is a time of asking questions, then of being formally enrolled and accepted for initiation.

After an intense period of preparation during Lent, the RCIA culminates in the celebration of the sacraments of initiation--Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist--at the Easter Vigil, followed by mystagogia, an extended reflection on the whole experience.

Within this process, a candidate is someone who has already been baptized but desires full communion with the Catholic Church, which they receive through Confirmation and Eucharist. Since we believe that there is only one Baptism, those who have been baptized in another Christian tradition are already members of the church, though they lack a full relationship with Catholicism.

A catechumen, on the other hand, is someone who has never been baptized and so must pass through the entire RCIA to enter the church. The word catechumen is quite ancient and is related to similar words we hear at church, including catechesis, catechist, and catechism. They all describe the way we share the mysteries of our faith, distinguishing Christian formation from simple learning, being trained, or absorbing facts.

Catechesis is the process of handing on our faith to others. It literally means "to echo" God's Word. The Word of God resounds from one person to another as we give witness to our faith in our lives. We hear it and experience it over and over in an eternal cycle of new insights and renewal.

One of the key ways in which the community echoes the faith for catechumens is through the breaking open of scripture. The Sunday readings are not just studied and discussed, they are pored over, digested, so the Holy Spirit can reveal all kinds of new insights. The layers of meaning are explored through the words of the "traveling companions"--catechists and sponsors, the wisdom of church tradition, and the biblical text itself.

This process leads the catechumen toward greater desire for Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist, and to a commitment to carry out the mission of the church, which these sacraments call us to. For the rest of the community, the process that initiates new members offers a graced moment to greet newcomers with open arms and to journey as disciples along with them.

By KAREN DIX, a religious educator in River Forest, Illinois.