FAQ

What is Young Apprentices?
Young Apprentices is a unique online resource for those who facilitate the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) with children and youth. Young Apprentices is based on the Church’s time-honored model of apprenticeship. It provides RCIA teams and participants with sound liturgical, scriptural, and doctrinal resources to use throughout the RCIA process with children and youth.

Who are the expert authors?
Gael Gensler, OSF, Rev. Steven Lanza, and Rita Burns Senseman are the authors of Young Apprentices.  Both Sister Gael and Father Steve were members of the writing team for RCL Benziger’s widely-used Foundations in Faith resources, and noted team members of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate.  They are well-respected for their insights and knowledge of the RCIA and its implementation. Rita Burns Senseman is also widely known for her writings and presentation work focusing on the RCIA with children and youth.  Rita, too, was a noted team member of the North American Forum on the Catechumenate.

How is Young Apprentices organized?
Young Apprentices is organized according to the periods and steps of the RCIA. You can access and download as much as you need whenever you need it, including background information, session materials, and additional resources. Each session download includes both catechist and participant materials. Resources include:

  • Introductory articles
  • Inquiry (Evangelization and Precatechumenate) Sessions
  • Catechumenate Sessions
  • Doctrinal Sessions
  • Purification and Enlightenment Sessions
  • Mystagogy Sessions
  • Interviewing, Discernment, Prayer and Liturgy, and Key Teachings of the Catholic Church Resources

How are the sessions formatted?
All sessions follow a four-step method: Welcome, Invite, Teach and Challenge, Pray. This highly successful methodology is easy to follow and assists leaders and participants as they grow, learn, and put their faith into practice as true apprentices in faith.

Will RCIA team members and participants have easy access to additional background information?
Yes. The Catechumenate sessions, along with Sunday Scripture references, have correlations to additional background in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults, and – as is appropriate – to Our Catholic Heritage Levels I and II (published by RCL Benziger).

My parish has an ongoing RCIA process. Can we begin our subscription at any time of the year?
Yes. You can subscribe at any time of the year. You will always have the option of starting your subscription immediately or waiting for the next quarterly upload to begin, depending on your parish RCIA schedule. During the initial three years of the project, resources will be posted quarterly until three yearly cycles of Young Apprentices sessions have been posted. Thereafter, teams and participants will be able to access content in June of each year for the following twelve months. All previously loaded material will be archived on the Web site and remain available to you.

Realizing that most parishes end formal RCIA with children and youth sessions at the conclusion of the Easter season, Young Apprentices offers catechumenate sessions from fall Ordinary Time through the Easter Season.  In addition, three Purification and Enlightenment and two Mystagogy sessions will be offered.  The body of Evangelization and Precatechumenate (Inquiry) sessions, focusing on key teachings and beliefs of the Catholic faith, may be used and easily adapted to suit the needs of those who do offer a year-round RCIA process with children and youth.

What additional online features and resources are planned for Young Apprentices?
Because it is an online resource, the site will be reviewed regularly and updated to reflect the latest revisions of liturgical and catechetical texts and documents.

How do I buy Young Apprentices?
All Young Apprentices materials are offered in an online subscription format for download. The cost of the subscription is based on a one-year usage agreement and can be renewed yearly. Upon submission of your order through our Online Store or Customer Service, you will receive a password that will give you twelve-month access to the entire Web site.

How can I get more information about Young Apprentices?
Contact your local RCL Benziger sales representative or call RCL Benziger customer service at 1-877-275-4725, You can also visit our preview site at rclbYoungApprentices.com.