| Catechumenate at St Ignatius |
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Catechumenate at Saint Ignatius of Antioch Mission What is a Catechumen? A catechumen (Greek: κατηχούμενος) is an individual engaged in the process of becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ and entering into His Holy Church. The normative method of reception into the Church is by the sacrament of Holy Baptism, but for some non-Orthodox Christians in some periods of the Church there are other methods of reception that may be deemed appropriate by economy in the judgment of a particular bishop or church synod. In the ancient Church, the catechumenate, or time during which one is a catechumen, often lasted for as much as three years and included not only participation in some of the divine services but also catechesis, formal instruction from a teacher, often the bishop or appointed catechist, and special prayers. When someone has engaged in a period of serious inquiry, what we call being a "inquirer," he may come to a place in which he wishes to be enrolled amongst the catechumens of a particular parish in order to be prepared for reception into the Church. At this time the inquirer should seek the blessing of Fr. James, and request to be made a catechumen. Should the pastor judge that the inquirer is well prepared to do so he will read a prayer of enrollment. At this point the inquirer has moved past the seeker stage, which is roughly equivalent to courtship, and has made a definitive decision to become an Orthodox Christian. The enrollment of the catechumen may be equated as moving from courtship to engagement. It is expected at this juncture that the new catechumen inform in writing any religious body in which he was previously a member his desire to be removed from the membership of said body. The catechumen is numbered amongst a class of catechumens that belongs to that particular parish, and will begin the formal process of catechesis. Should the catechumen die before reception into the church, he will be buried as an Orthodox Christian. The length of catechesis varies depending on the background of the catechumen, and the judgment of the bishop and catechist. In the early church when many converts were coming from pagan backgrounds an extensive three-year catechesis was necessary. Contemporary catechesis in America is often focused on the instruction of Christians from heterodox backgrounds, and may take less time. Our Archbishop has established the length of catechesis in our parishes as one year. This one-year presupposes that the catechumen will be actively engaged in the process of learning and assimilation to Orthodox modes of belief and Christian living, and may be extended as the pastor sees fit. As the Church eventually became the majority religion of the lands in which it sojourned, the catechumenate as an institution gradually died out in many places, as most persons were being baptized shortly after birth. As Holy Orthodoxy has moved into the West and Far East and begun gaining converts to the faith, the catechumenate is naturally being revived. Catechumen Requirements List
Lectures Attended:
Texts Read (required).
Suggested Texts:
Activities:
MY PERSONAL PRAYER RULE Prayer "But as regards prayer, it is certainly our bounden duty to use it every day, morning and evening, before and after both dinner and supper, as far as possible, at the beginning and ending of every work" (Q&A #551 The Longer Catechism of the Orthodox Church - by Metropolitan Philaret, 1830). When will you privately pray during each day?
What will you pray?
Where will you pray?
When will you pray as a family?
What will you pray as a family?
What services will you attend at Church?
Scripture When will you read Holy Scripture?
What will you read when you read it?
Fasting Do you know and are you keeping the Church standards for fasting?
Do you need to fast from anything particular other than that expected of every Orthodox Christian?
Almsgiving Besides your tithe are there areas of service you wish to make an offering to God on a regular basis?
Confession When will you make your confession?
How will you prepare?
Renunciations Exercise: Why are you seeking to enter into the Orthodox Church? Please include not only your personal reasons but also include the doctrines of your former confession that are heretical. Part of the formal process of conversion is clearly identifying the heresies of one's previous confession and renouncing them. At the same time it is of the utmost importance for converts to realize that wherever truth is found God Himself authors it. In virtually all-religious traditions there are true beliefs and practices, and in some there are many. In the procession of conversion the catechumen should also be able to identify and appreciate the Orthodox elements of his previous confession and be genuinely thankful for them. It is very important to avoid a critical and negative spirit. Coming to Orthodoxy should be more coming into Orthodoxy than it is leaving the place we used to attend. Catechumen Patron Saint Form All Orthodox Christians are given Christian names by Christ through his priests. The Christian name is the name of the person's patron saint. The catechumen is encouraged to propose to the priest a patron saint as soon as possible. It is recommended that if the catechumen already has a Christian name that that name be retained and devotion to that saint begin, if not already in existence. The issue of naming is the prerogative of the priest so catechumens are required to make a proposal, and the priest will confirm the name. What will be your Christian name with which you are received into Orthodoxy? ________ Who is this Saint? Obtain a life of this saint and study it. (GOARCH.org is excellent.) Summarize it here. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
What is the date of your name day? ___________________________________________
What is the troparion of your patron saint? Write it here. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
What is the prayer to your patron saint? Write it here. ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________
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