It is with great joy that we welcome the 2,262 new Catholics that were received into the Church in the Diocese of Dallas during the Easter Vigil services in our parishes. The 1,033 catechumens who were baptized Saturday night and the 1,229 candidates who made professions of faith will now begin the final step of their journey into the Church, called mystagogia.
Mystagogy is a Greek word that means “to lead through the mysteries.” It refers to that post-baptismal catechesis that explains in greater depth the doctrines of the Christian faith and Catholic Church that, as catechumens, they had accepted at their baptism and confirmation or as candidates they had accepted at their profession of faith.
Mystagogia is an ancient custom of the Church which originally meant spending the first week of Easter with the newly baptized, helping them experience the depths of the truths they had accepted. The custom was revived after the Second Vatican Council as the fourth and final phase of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) which extends to Pentecost.
St. Augustine wrote of faith seeking understanding. Our new Catholics, as all of us, will spend the rest of our lives deepening our understanding of our faith. We do this by prayer, studying Sacred Scripture, frequenting the Sacraments, participating in continuing education programs and by finding Jesus in others, particularly the poor and the marginalized.
Let us now pray for our new brothers and sisters and reach out to them to make them welcome as members of their new faith family.
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