RCIA Ritual Emphasizes Our Need To Welcome New Members
Have you ever attended a new meeting or joined an organization by yourself without being accompanied by a friend or relative? If you are a gregarious, extroverted person, it’s easy for you to reach out, start conversations, and make new acquaintances and possibly friendships. But there are some people who tend to be introverted and shy, and find it a very lonely experience to be in a totally new environment with strangers. They tend to stand back. Usually they are overlooked. Sometimes people judge them as being aloof and are unfriendly instead of going out of their way to make them feel welcomed.
The same thing happens so often in our parishes. Have you ever noticed at parish potluck dinners, coffee and donuts after Mass, and other parish events that new people often stay by themselves? Parishioners who know one another usually gather together because they know one another and have something to talk about. Occasionally, a parishioner may go out of his/her way and introduce themselves to new members or guests to make them feel welcomed. If not, what usually happens, the new parishioners simply fade away because they don’t feel like they belong. We all want to feel like we “belong” in our faith communities.
Statistics state that when new people join our parishes, if they are not welcomed or visited within six months after arriving, they will never become involved in the lives of our parishes. From what I know about non-denominational churches, they place a high priority on making their current and new members feel welcome. That’s why people flock to them today. The RCIA tells us that, as Catholics, we are to do the same thing. This is nothing new in the Church. Ever since Jesus arrived on the scene, he told his disciples “whoever welcomes one of you, welcomes Me; and whoever welcomes Me, welcomes the One who sent Me.” St. Paul instructed the first Christians “to make hospitality a special concern.” Our parishes need to become more hospitable places if we want them to remain viable and grow. It’s the least expensive thing we can add to our annual budgets!
The RCIA ritual emphasizes the importance of making our newly baptized members feel welcome. This is one of the goals of the Easter Season: “…the new members, with the help of their godparents, should experience a full and joyful welcome into the community and enter into closer ties with the other faithful” (par 246). They do this first of all by gathering with the community and sharing in the Sunday Eucharist (par 247). “Special places in the congregation are to be reserved for the new members and their godparents” (par 248) so that our parishioners get to know who they are. They should be introduced at every Mass they attend. They should rotate Masses, so that everyone in the parish gets to know the new members. Refreshments should be planned after each Mass during the Easter Season to introduce our new members (who wear special name tags). Don’t wait for a new member to come up to you!
During the Easter Season, a special dinner could be arranged to welcome them into the community as the RCIA ritual suggests “…some sort of celebration should be held at the end of the Easter season near Pentecost Sunday….” (par 249). Everyone loves a “potluck.” Wouldn’t our new members feel wonderfully welcome if a special celebration was held in their honor near Pentecost? Perhaps their godparents could give some testimony on how they have seen their growth in faith in Christ and their dedication to the Church during their period of formation in the Gospel. All the love and hospitality we lavish upon our new members during this season will not go unrewarded. Without a doubt, they will become involved in the life of the parish because they see God’s love through the love and kindness of God’s people.
It’s worth the effort, don’t you think?
