THE DECLINE AND RESTORATION OF THE CATECHUMENATE (31)

Introduction

So far, I have traced briefly the historical development of the ancient catechumenate from the second to the fifth centuries. It clearly shows that there is no doubt that the catechumenate played an essential role in the growth, survival and mission of the early Church. According to Thomas Finn, an expert on the history of the catechumenate, “Perhaps more than any other possession of the Church, they account for the early Christian Church’s survival and spread.” However, from the fifth century onwards, the seriousness and fervour with which adult initiation was carried out began to decline.

Some reasons for the decline

According to Michael Dujarier, another expert in the catechumenate, there are two reasons for this. Firstly, there were people who had “defective motives”. They wanted to become Christians to obtain social prestige or political advantages. Secondly, there were those who sought the title “Christian” but did not have a true desire for baptism. When they found the demands of the catechumenate taxing, they absented themselves from religious instruction altogether. Others participated in the catechumenate but postponed baptism indefinitely.

Another reason for the catechumenate’s decline was that with the increasing development of the doctrine of grace and original sin made popular by Augustine of Hippo, the practice of infant baptism had become a norm by the end of the fifth century. As such, the catechumenate fell into disuse since there were no requirements for an intense adult catechumenal preparation.

To remedy this situation, the bishops of the Church organised what was known as the “Lenten” catechumenate. It was an intensive formation that lasted over a few weeks during Lent. However, this did not improve the situation. Dujarier states that the custom of postponing baptisms, as well as the solution proposed by the bishops, revealed “the depths to which the catechumenate had fallen. The title of catechumen had lost its significance, since it no longer corresponded to a true conversion, so the catechumenate itself declined.” By the sixth century the catechumenate had faded from the face of the Church.

Restoration of the Catechumenate

Although efforts to continue some forms of the catechumenate occurred during certain periods in history, Church history records that it was from the sixteenth century onwards that serious efforts were made to revitalise the catechumenate. It happened through the efforts of a number of individuals both in the mission lands and in Europe.

South America (The New World)

The Spanish missionaries who came to the New World attempted to prepare and baptise adults (and children) without much instruction. With large numbers of people seeking baptism, the missionaries were forced (and even instructed by their superiors in Spain) to baptise people as quickly as possible. It was the Franciscans who first provided an extended form of catechumenate by preparing adults for baptism by stages. Attempts were also made by the Augustinians and Dominicans.

However, since there was no uniformity in the way they carried out the catechumenate, it often gave rise to misunderstandings among the missionaries themselves. To resolve this problem, in 1538, a Latin American bishops’ synod required that adult converts undergo, prior to baptism, a forty-day catechumenate that included fasting, instruction, the scrutiny and exorcism of candidates. Although this was accepted in theory, in practice, this directive was not carried out seriously.

Asia

In Asia, efforts at restoring a form of the ancient catechumenate were underway in China around the seventeenth century. Among those who contributed to this was Bishop Louis-Simon Faurie, the apostolic vicar of the province of Kuei-chou. He instructed his priests to prepare those wishing to be baptised through a form of catechumenate. There were also efforts by the priests of the Paris Foreign Missions (MEP) to prepare adults for baptism after five to six months of catechetical preparation. In Japan, Portuguese missionaries also carried out a form of catechumenate during this time.

In India, it was a common practice for Portuguese missionaries to baptise large numbers of people after quick instructions. This prompted Ignatius of Loyola, founder and head of the Jesuits, to urge the Council of Goa to establish houses where candidates for baptism could gather for three months of preparation prior to baptism. Such houses were set up in Goa, Cochin and in other towns. On the whole, however, there was no uniformity in the manner the catechumenal process was carried out by the missionaries in Asia.

Africa

The restoration of the catechumenate was most successfully done in Africa. Among those responsible for this is Cardinal Charles Lavigerie (1825-1892), the apostolic delegate of West Sahara and Sudan. In 1868, he founded the Society of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as the “White Fathers”. When he sent his missionaries to Africa, he drew up a structured catechumenate for them to follow. The structure was largely based on the catechumenate of the early Church.

In practice, the catechumenate carried out by the White Fathers had three groups: postulants, catechumens and the faithful. Postulants were those who expressed a desire for the Christian life. Catechumens were those making intense preparations for baptism, and the faithful were taught the meaning of the sacraments. Each of the first two groups underwent two years of preparation. When the missionaries judged them ready, their names were published, and they made a retreat three days before their baptism. They were baptised in the morning of a feast day before a large number of the faithful, and later, they attended Mass and received communion.

This proved so successful that within fifty years, missionaries in almost every part of Africa were preparing adults and children for baptism by means of this structure of the catechumenate, although the time of preparation, the content and the duration between stages varied. As such, through the efforts of White Fathers, the idea of the catechumenate developed in Africa and eventually in other parts of the world.

Europe

In Europe, a laywoman, P. Gouzi, experimented with a form of the catechumenate in Paris in the years following the Second World War. She prepared groups of young people for baptism through instructions and spiritual and moral development, accompanied by ceremonies that suited the needs of the unbaptised. From the 1950s, the French bishops appealed to their priests for a pre-baptismal preparation of at least three years.

Inspite the growing momentum in restoring the catechumenate, it was observed that an important element was still missing. The catechumenate lacked a proper liturgical dimension. According to Dujarier, “the giving of medals, rosaries or crucifixes was an attempt to signify the progress of the catechumens. Therefore, there were no liturgical stages signifying the progressive gift of divine grace.”

The liturgical dimension

A solution to this “problem” was provided by Bishop Joseph Blomjous, who was serving as the bishop of Mwanga in Tanganyika. Impressed by the effectiveness of the catechumenate used in Africa, he sensed that these could be enhanced with liturgical rites. He came up with the idea for the Order of Baptism in the Roman Ritual to be partitioned for separate occasions. He also envisioned seven steps: inscription, three scrutinies, the combined ceremonies of presenting the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, exorcisms on Holy Saturday morning and baptism at the Easter Vigil. After a long period of preparation and writing, in 1959, he submitted his plan to the Apostolic See.

The decree of 1962

Partly due to his efforts and the response to the numerous requests made by bishops from the mission countries, the Sacred Congregation published a decree for the initiation of adults in April 1962. Through this decree, the Church restored the ritual stages of preparation for adult initiation. Unfortunately, the new order of adult baptism was hardly given attention by the majority of bishops since it appeared only a few months before the Second Vatican Council began. Most bishops felt it was better to wait until the end of the Council in case further changes had to be made before implementing it.

Conclusion

In the next article, I will examine the role the Second Vatican Council played in the restoration of the catechumenate in the Church, as well as look at the events that led to the preparation and promulgation of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) as we have it today.