The Catechumenate was a very important institution of the early Church. Its purpose was the
faith and moral formation of those desiring baptism.
However, with the dawn of the 4th century and the conversion experience of the Roman
Emperor Constatine, Christianity became the favoured religion. Whith whole households, families, clans, etc. converting, and
others marrying Christians, it gradually led to a decline in Adult Initiation. The lenghty structured catechumenate gave way
to a much shorter preparation and eventually Infant Baptism.
Our situation today is quite different from that of the early Church. Most of us have been baptised
when we were little babies. On account of this, it was impossible for us to enter the Catechumenate and so through no fault
of our own, we have lost out on the valuable faith formation it offers. As young children on our first communion day, most
of us became full-fledged members of the Church without sufficient faith formation. As a result of this process, a number
of us have taken for granted our faith and conversion to Christianity.
With the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults reinstated by the II Vatican Council, we have
today a more sensitive understanding of Christian Initiation of both Adults and Infants.
St. Gregory of Nazianzuz speaks of "Baptism as God's most beautiful and magnificent gift . .
. It is called gift because it is conferred on those who bring nothing of their own". An important implication of this gift
is faith. When parents present their child for Baptism it is the most precious gift they can give - they pledge themselves
to continue this process of Christian formation until the child is capable of assuming responsibility for his/her own faith
life. Therefore, a believing faith on the part of the parents is very important.
Since infants do not have personal faith, they are baptized into the faith of the Church, which
includes parents, godparents and members of the local community. The baptism of a child should not be an event restricted
to an individual family celebration. A child's baptism is therefore a celebration of the community - which is the Church and
the People of God.
Pre-Baptismal Catechesis is a natural extension of the RCIA in the realm of Baptismal Catechesis.
The scope of Pre-Baptismal Catechesis immediately draws us to explore principal elements of Christian Initiation, namely becoming
a member of Christ's body (Christological) the Church (Ecclesiological). The emphasis on conversion that marks the adult rite
underlines the necessity of a living faith as the context for the celebration of infant baptism. This understanding brings
out the need for the Small Christian Communities to walk together with the parents, godparents on a journey that is supportive
to a living faith.
