Father Jim Kelly

The first stage of the Saint Bernard parish catechumenate in Gate City, Virginia, began with thirteen adults and seven children in September 1981. Impressed by such a strong start for a mission parish which counts fewer than seventy-five Catholics, I asked the pastor, Father Jim Kelly, how many of the twenty would be baptized at Easter. "I can't say for sure," he said; "all but one expressed their clear intention in that direction when they came together in September for the formal ceremony which began the catechumenate."

Together is the key word. "After meeting on Sunday evenings for several months," Father Jim said, "these very different persons already care about each other. A kind of support group has formed." He is enthusiastic about this since Saint Bernard's catechumenate is made up of people from different parts of the county with varying educational, financial, and religious backgrounds.

The group includes an ordained minister, his wife and children, a young contractor, his wife and child, the wife of a Catholic, the husband of a Catholic, two single working women, three single working men, and a married woman whose husband is not part of the group, together with her child. Besides these catechumens, the Catholic sponsors frequently attend. This group of thirty-five or forty people spans a significant economic spectrum.

The Sunday meeting lasts for two hours. It opens with a leisurely shared prayer. There is an extended doctrinal instruction, a break for coffee and doughnuts, a question period, group discussion, and a closing prayer which may last for twenty or thirty minutes. "They are witnesses to one another in this faith journey," Father Kelly commented. "A close bond is developing between them. They feel real responsibility toward one another."

The second stage of the catechumenate is during this Lenten season; the doctrinal instruction focuses on the sacraments. Those who are not ready will be admitted later, after further preparation.

After Easter, the catechumenate continues with a program for the new Catholics. This follow-up concentrates on themes of service within the Church and outwardly to the community at large. The catechumenate will end on Pentecost.

At the Sunday evening sessions, Father Kelly is assisted by two Sisters of Mercy from Pittsburgh, Sister John Bosco and Sister Corrine. With Father Kelly they form the catechumenate staff.

"The people are out there," Father Jim said. "As soon as they show interest, we'll start them, as we did this year, on a program of spiritual direction which includes weekly Bible study and prayer. They will be gathered together formally in a group with a ceremony in September, the first stage of the catechumenate."

Roughly forty percent of the people who live in the United States claim no church affiliation. The overall picture in our missions is not much different. The number of unbaptized is alarming. The catechumenate is a fresh expression of an old answer to the chronic problem of unbelief in rural America.