What does «catecúmeno» mean in Spanish?
- A person who learns the principles of Christian doctrine in order to be baptized. In the early days of the Church, catechumen was applied to one who had not yet been initiated into the sacred mysteries, but was prepared in a course for that purpose. In the time of the apostles it was simple in character and short in duration. But as the churches became organized, both instruction and probation began to be more elaborate and lengthy. It is founded on the fact that the acceptance of being a Christian implies knowing and believing the doctrine and the divine law, preparing the individual intellectually and morally.
- New in any doctrine.