Catechumen - Present Christian Practice

Present Christian Practice

In no case is a catechumen absolutely bound to be baptized, preserving the principle that the person concerned must be drawn spiritually to the faith rather than being intellectually persuaded.

The Roman Catholic Church revived the catechumenate with its Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) wherein being a catechumen is one of a number of stages leading to receiving the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist). This was a result of the Second Vatican Council, explicitly stated in point 64 of the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium:

The catechumenate for adults, comprising several distinct steps, is to be restored and to be taken into use at the discretion of the local ordinary. By this means the time of the catechumenate, which is intended as a period of suitable instruction, may be sanctified by sacred rites to be celebrated at successive intervals of time.

The Neocatechumenal Way of the Roman Catholic Church takes as its inspiration the old catechumenate of early Christianity (the "primitive church") as the basis for its goal of adult faith formation for Roman Catholics.

In many Protestant churches, particularly those preferring not to baptise infants, the catechumenate status may be considered the norm amongst the young. This is especially true amongst young Christadelphians, although they never use the specific term catechumenate.

The Protestant churches who baptize infants, for instance Anglican/Episcopalian and Lutheran, tend to follow a catechumenate which can be likened to a course in the fundamentals of the religion, lasting typically six months and ending with baptism at Easter. However, this is at the discretion of the local minister, and times may be varied. The 9th meeting of the Anglican Consultative Council in Cape Town, January 1993, stated among other points in Resolution 44:

"that the Provinces be encouraged to restore the Catechumenate, or discipling process, to help enquiries move to Christian faith, using the witness and support of lay people, and liturgically celebrating the stages of growth;"

Jehovah's Witnesses require a catechumenate of adherents prior to baptism by means of a Bible Study program led by a baptized minister, with the aid of a Bible Textbook. Students of all ages progress initially to becoming an "Unbaptized Publisher" of the faith, preaching while continuing further biblical instruction - akin to a catechumen, although the term is not specifically used. After demonstrating sufficient comprehension and application of The Bible's teachings, the student qualifies to be baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses.