Continuing thanks for your attentive and thoughtful responses to the wide variety of questions! I learn from and enjoy them all! There is always something about YOU that comes through! Great! We have a question about stoles in Catholic Church use: Are red or while stoles appropriate to be worn by youth and adult Confirmation candidates? I was always taught that a stole is a sign of ordination, but these are sold in some Catholic catalogs and as people see one or two parishes giving these to all their candidates, the use is increasing. We need to understand the Catholic …
Universal Prayer
Q: Can you give some comments on the way people usually write the petitions of the Universal Prayer? == A: Here’s how the GIRM describes them: <<< 70. The series of intentions is usually to be: a) for the needs of the Church;b) for public authorities and the salvation of the whole world;c) for those burdened by any kind of difficulty;d) for the local community. Nevertheless, in any particular celebration, such as a Confirmation, a Marriage, or at a Funeral, the series of intentions may be concerned more closely with the particular occasion. >>> Many people who compose petitions include …
Eternal Salvation
Q: I’m writing to you about a question one of my confirmation student asked me, (I am teaching confirmation class this year), her question was, do the babies that get aborted go to heaven? I honestly didn’t know the answer and I didn’t was to give her a wrong answer so I told her I would ask someone who might know more than I do. When you have time Father Paul, to answer the question it is fine. God Bless you Father. == A: The Vatican says that we have “hope” in the eternal salvation of any child who dies …
Sprinkling at the Vigil
Q: When you have only a full profession and no baptisms at.the Vigil do you do the sprinkling of the congregation in between the Reception into Full Communion and the Confirmation or after the Confirmation of the candidate? Thanks always for all your help. == A: Neither the missal nor the RCIA deals with this. It’s probably because the missal and RCIA part II section 5 presume that the Rite of Reception is taking place at a typical Sunday mass during the year apart from the Easter Vigil. I still think that that is the best solution for baptized candidates. …
Oil of catechumens for infants
Q: If we are baptizing an infant at the Easter Vigil, may the priest use the oil of catechumens? == A: You can find the National Statutes for the US in the back of the RCIA. Look at 16. It forbids using the oil of catechumens at the Easter Vigil for adults, but not for children. So if the child is too young for the other sacraments of confirmation and communion, the priest may anoint the child with the oil of catechumens. But even then, it is optional, not obligatory.
Baptized, uncatechized -update
Q: I recently came across your answer to the question of children above the age of reason, baptized as infants but uncatechized. You stated that there would have to be some compelling reason to complete their initiation with Confirmation and then stated that “when they reach the diocesan confirmation age, they may be confirmed. My question is why would they not be fully initiated? The RCIA states in ¶409 that these individuals make a profession of faith, receive confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil (as long as a authorized minister is present.) However, Canon 852:1 states that children who …
Baptized, uncatechized
Q: I continue to appreciate your posts and wisdom, but I have a question about your last sentence in this response: “Even though the RCIA likes the idea of having [baptized, uncatechized] Catholics receive both [confirmation and communion] at the Easter Vigil, a bishop could fittingly give the permission for the confirmation to take place on another occasion.” We have been operating under the presumption that the Rite itself was looking at the Christian Candidates as possibly being received into Full Communion at the Vigil, then celebrating Confirmation and First Eucharist at that same liturgy. The Catholic Candidates have been, …
Catechumens and candidates
Q: A parish has a large number of catechumens and candidates so the candidates will not celebrate Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. If this separate celebration takes place on Easter Sunday or the Second Sunday of Easter, may the pastor delegate the parochial vicar, or does the parochial vicar need delegation from the diocesan bishop? == A: Canons 883 and 885 give permission to a presbyter, not to a pastor. When you say that the candidates will receive confirmation and communion later, I presume you also mean that they will celebrate the Rite of Reception later. A priest …
Rite of Election for a child
Can a four-year old participate in the Rite of Election? == Is the four-year old also receiving confirmation and first communion at the Vigil? If not, then the four-year old is not a catechumen and is not becoming one of the elect. There are some precocious four-year olds who would qualify, so maybe you have one. But if it is just baptism at the Vigil, then the child may come to the Rite of Election as anyone else would, but will not be signing the book or listed among the elect.
Call to continuing conversion
Q: Are the candidates for the call to continuing conversion only those 18 years and older? We have some young people below 18 in our confirmation class who have been Baptized but still have not received fist Communion. Would these also be considered candidates and should they attend the Rite of Election/Call to Continuing conversion such as those RCIA adults who still need 1st Communion and Confirmation? == A: The Call to Continuing Conversion does include anyone of catechetical age who has been validly baptized but not received confirmation or first communion. Just remember that if they were baptized a …