Q: A quick question.
It states in the reception of candidates (RCIA #492, 586) that the priest uses the given formula for each candidate… it is not spoken over the entire group.Is there an option to do so, especially if there are a large # of candidates (or time is an issue)?
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A: Because the approved English translation says that, it’s probably what it intended. But it never foresaw opposing conditions.
FWIW, the Latin original of this ritual is completely in the singular. It envisions that the parish is receiving candidates one by one as each is ready, not in groups at all. The revised English translation will certainly make this clearer.
I understand that these are unusual times, and expediency may be an issue. But I have always found that saying the words to each candidate makes this a tremendously personal moment, the fulfillment of a much-anticipated dream. An even better practice is to receive candidates one by one as each is ready.