But as baptism is wanting to a good catechumen to his receiving the kingdom of heaven, so true conversion is wanting to a bad man though baptized.
They were used principally in baptism, and were long kept secret from the catechumen until just before that rite was administered.
Only in cases of dangerous illness could baptism be given before the Catechumen had completed his full course (Baptismus Clinicorum).
Manichæan sect, strongly represented in Africa, and for ten years he continued a catechumen of that order.
In confirmation the catechumen makes no new promises, but repeats with his own lips the confession of faith and the promise of faithfulness to Christ which were made for him by his sponsor at his baptism.
The explanations of a text-book, on the other hand, are not to be memorized, but are meant to aid the catechumen in grasping the thoughts of the catechism.
See the epitaph of an unbaptized catechumenalready given.
Before Baptism man should be prepared by catechism, in order that the catechumen may receive the rudiments of faith.
Monica was resolved to bring up her son in the true faith: she entered him as a catechumen of the Church when a little child, and carefully taught him as much of religious things as a child could learn.
Examples: A catechumen who accepted Christianity and asked for Baptism, becomes an apostate before God if he abandons his belief and purpose and goes back to paganism.
Baptism may be delayed even for years; but the catechumen should then make at once an act of contrition or charity so as to obtain the benefit of Baptism of desire.
His parents were gentiles, but Martin, in his youth, fled to the Church to become a catechumen and prepare himself for a life of holiness in the desert.
The catechumen has been examined by the pastor as to his fitness for this important step.
And this much, we believe, should be demanded of each catechumen before he is admitted to the rite of confirmation.
Very surely St. Ambrose had no notion of what the catechumen was thinking.
The catechumen was not satisfied, but he put up with it for lack of anything better.
Another problem: A catechumen divorced under the pagan law and since remarried, presents himself for baptism.
From that day forth he became a catechumen and the protector and friend of the Christians.
A catechumen himself, and knowing but little of the great truths of Christianity, he was easily deceived by Eusebius' story and hastened to take his advice.
In his old age, after earnest study, he became a Christian, but remained a long time a catechumen through fears of what his friends would say.
Catechumen though he was, the old temper would often flash out still.
He had been a catechumenbefore he had joined the Manicheans.
It was a custom of the time--never approved of by the Church--to put off Baptism until the catechumen had shown himself able to withstand the temptations of the half-pagan society in the midst of which he had to live.
In the ceremony of baptism, the catechumen was placed with his face to the West, the symbolical representation of the prince of darkness, in opposition to the East, and made to spit towards it at the evil one, and renounce his works.
The catechumen could not receive baptism until after he understood something of the nature of the faith he was embracing, and was prepared to assume its obligations.
Usually the water in the font was exorcized, blessed and chrism poured into it, just before the catechumen entered it.
The ceremony of exorcism was often performed in order to free the catechumen from evil spirits.
The prostrations of the credens before the Perfect were in their manner and import identical with the prostrations of the catechumen before the exorcist.
While the parochial schools were limited in their instruction, somewhat after the manner of the early catechumen schools, the changed conditions of Christianity permitted a much broader training than formerly.
The catechetical school was much higher than the catechumen school in its course of study, and in the intelligence and learning of its students and professors.
In the beginning the catechumen schools were for adults only, but afterward children were admitted, and reading and writing were taught.
The first Christian schools were catechumen schools.
Augustine was insensibly moved: he determined on leaving the Manichees, and returning to the state of a catechumen in the Catholic Church, into which he had been admitted by his parents.
