The Catechumenate

When I first received the e-mail from VTS informing me that they were offering a “class” specifically for visitors to sit in on, I got very excited. Then I saw the title. Then I went on Wikipedia, because I did not for the life of me know what the Catechumenate was (or for that matter how to pronounce it)! Maybe that makes me a poor excuse for a Christian, I like to think it makes me no more educated about the technical terms that most. According to the syllabus we received “understood well, the catechumenate prepares people for baptism and baptismal living while providing an opportunity for the renewal of congregational mission.” To me this means that every Episcopalian should at some point in their Christian Formation Education learn about the catechumenate. Seeing as I know nothing, the “class” I had was a real eye-opener.

First we took a quiz designed to show us the roles that clubs and communities play in our lives. It consisted of basic yes and no questions revolving around life experiences. “Do you remember your baptism?” “Were you ever initiated into a sorority or fraternity?” “Did you have a secret handshake or club with friends as a child?” “Have you ever had to make a decision about circumcision?” “Were you raised in the Episcopal Church?” There were 15 questions asked and then we proceeded to discuss some of them based on how others answered. The catechumenate is a sort of community/club/secret handshake that only Christians know about. There are rights of initiation and it is a lifelong process.

As we discussed these various experiences we reflected on many of the timeless debates that occur within the Episcopal Church. I found these to be even more fascinating, because these debates have existed for centuries and we still have not come to find the “right answer.” Should we look at baptism and communion as going “through the table to the font?” or as coming “to the table through the font?” Is communion therefore exclusive or expulsive? The example given was that by only allowing baptized Christians to receive communion that makes it exclusive, versus when Jesus was baptized he was immediately expelled into the wilderness for 40 days of solitude.

I thought it was important to note that Catholic rights have transformed Episcopal thinking. Much of what we have decided to do was done because we disagreed with or were opposed to what the Catholics were doing at the time. The importance of baptism, the issue of re-baptism and confirmation, the Hierarchy of the Church, and Original Sin; just to name a few examples. We also discussed the Four Part Process of Catechesis, which really to me is only 3 parts but that’s neither here nor there. The first three parts consist of two basic principles: Entrance into the Catechumenal Process, and Teachings & Rights of Initiation. The fourth step is the Mystagogical Catechesis; which is basically referring to the fact that since the catechesis is a lifelong process the Mystagogical portion of that process is everything following initiation-what it means to be a member of the baptismal community.

Virginia Theological Seminary: A Weekend

 

  Friday morning I got up and my parents drove me to Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS) in Alexandria, Virginia. There I spent the weekend living on the campus and learning what it meant to be a student at VTS.

  I arrived around 2 in the afternoon, and I couldn't put my luggage in my room because room check-in isn't until 3, so I sort of hung out in the Welcome Center until it was time for the class at 3:15. It was a demo class of sorts that was taught by two professors on campus and was intended to introduce us to classroom life at VTS. It was immensely fascinating and I truly enjoyed the professors'.
  
  After class, we were divided into two groups and taken on a tour of the campus. We toured the dormitories, saw two rooms, got a sneak peek at the refectory, learned about the history of some of the buildings, saw the Center for the Ministry of Teaching, saw civil war graffiti, skirted the construction, mourned the loss of the Chapel, and then headed over to Episcopal High School (EHS) for a worship service. EHS is kind enough to share their worship space with VTS from time to time due to the fire in the Chapel at VTS on October 22, 2010. It is a beautiful campus and they grant VTS students access to the gym facilities-many years ago VTS donated land to EHS and the two schools still maintain a good relationship.

  After church I managed to meet up with my sponsor for the weekend and we went to retrieve my bags from the Welcome Center and take them over to my room in Wilmer Hall. I then discovered that I had a roommate for the weekend (which is no big deal, it was mostly surprising, however all on campus housing is single rooms). After dropping my stuff off my roommate and I headed over to the refectory for mingling before dinner. Dinner was delicious, and I sat with people I didn't know and learned about some of the different processes others are experiencing.

  After dinner there was a sing-a-long, followed by wandering outside to find the party on the patio. They had a fire going and were tossing some bean-bags around. I chatted with some people, including a friend of mine from E.Y.E. who was visiting for the weekend as well. Turned out he was staying with another friend of ours from E.Y.E. so I got to catch up with her a little and meet her husband who is a student at VTS. (It was their apartment I went to for dinner Saturday)

  I eventually headed back to my room and called it a night. I awoke around 7 that morning got dressed and headed to breakfast. I listened to more stories about people's experiences over chipped beef and biscuits, followed by a morning prayer service. I proceeded to spend the rest of the morning trying to escape the rising sun. (The room we were in had a wall of windows and as the sun rose we kept moving backwards to avoid sitting in the heat of it.)

  We heard from the Dean of VTS (really neat guy from England-nationalized last year) and introduced ourselves. There was a brief history of the school, a discussion of how academics work, and a few other things that I don't remember because I spent most of Saturday morning "being talked at." After a short break we heard a presentation on the Financial Aid that VTS offers its students-substantial to say the least-and then we were introduced to 18 of the 22 full time faculty members.

  Following lunch I took a tour of the Bishop Payne Library including a peek into their Rare Books Room. We saw a first edition King James Bible from 1611, an ancient book of psalms, a Confederate States of America Book of Common Prayer, a very small version of the King James Bible from the 17th or 18th century, a Pre-Revolutionary War BCP, and two Assyrian Reliefs dating back to 860 BC. After the tour most of the participants had admissions interviews or sat in on panels. I chose to have some quiet reflective time. I took a shower and then found the "prayer room" in the Addison Building, for a chance to process the events thus far.

  At 5:30 I met up with my sponsor and another VTS student who took us over to the "off-campus" apartments for dinner. There was good food, wine, and really great conversations. After dinner we headed back to campus and the students hosted a Variety Show for us. It was very entertaining and really illustrated the diversity of the students currently at VTS. I packed up most of my belongings and then crashed for the night. Then this morning I met up with some people and we headed into DC and attended morning service at the Washington National Cathedral.

  Overall, my experience at VTS was far superior to what I could have ever hoped for. The students, faculty, and staff went out of their way to ensure that we had a memorable and beneficial experience. So much of what I heard this weekend mirrored my own feelings and experiences that I was in awe. The people I met and had conversations with were people that I would hope to have in my life shaping my seminary education. The faculty was inspirational & motivational, and the sense of community was deeply ingrained. I think I might be done looking for a place to go.

The photos included are (from top to bottom): The chapel that burned in October; The Center for the Ministry of Teaching-which reminded me of the bookstore in Beauty & the Beast; A Pre-Revolutionary War Book of Common Prayer-the handwritten portion is pasted over a prayer for the King of England.