Lexicon index Lexicon
Catechumen
One under instruction — a person preparing for Holy Baptism, present for the Liturgy of the Word but dismissed before the Eucharist.
A catechumen (from 'to instruct by voice') is one formally preparing for baptism but who has not yet received it. In the early Church, catechumens attended the Liturgy of the Word but were dismissed before the Liturgy of the Faithful and the Eucharist. The Liturgy still contains the ancient 'Prayer for Catechumens' and their dismissal. The catechumenate was typically three years in the early Church.