Following the celebration of the Easter Vigil and their entrance into the Catholic Church, the newly baptized enter into the catechetical period known as Mystagogy. The word comes from the Greek mystagogos, which has at its root the word mystes (one who is initiated into the mysteries). Mystagogy then is a time when those newborn in Christ are initiated into the various mysteries of the Catholic Church. This period of time typically lasts an entire year, called the Neophyte Year, and traditionally was focused on helping these new converts understand the seven sacraments. Originally the sacraments were referred to as “mysteries,” a term the Orthodox Church retains to this day by speaking of the sacraments as the seven Sacred Mysteries.
During this period the meaning of the Sacraments is explained to those who have newly received them. When Baptisms take place at the Easter Vigil, the mystagogy are held at the Sunday Masses of the Easter season. No specific ceremonies are prescribed for this period, save that the neophytes maintain a special place among the faithful and are mentioned in the homily and the General Intercessions. The purpose of the mystagogy is to enable the newly baptized to draw from their sacramental experience a new sense of the faith, the Church, and the world. The families of the neophytes, their godparents, and the entire congregation share in this experience with them, but a heavy responsibility must fall upon the “mystagogue,” the team of persons together with the Priest who open to them the mysteries of faith.
Mystagogy is a beautiful time in the life of the newly baptized and received, where the true treasure of the Church is more fully revealed. It remains a vital part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and is essential to the flourishing of the faith of those reborn in Christ. In the parish of Katukurunda, this period lasts for 50 days after the Baptism and ends with the neophytes receiving for the first time the sacrament of Reconciliation. On that day they will be presented with the certificates of their Baptism.
