| The teachers served to initiate the catechumens through different stages, until the hearer was adept enough to be entrusted with the mysteries of the faith. |
| In some cases, the leaders themselves were catechumens, that is, people preparing for baptism. |
| It is guarded thus because the custom is that the people, both faithful and catechumens, come one by one and, bowing down at the table, kiss the sacred wood and pass through. |
| The group of catechumens was baptized after a few days in prison, and-though it may seem hard to believe-looked forward to their martyrdom. |
| There can be little doubt that the didache was used as a manual for catechumens for several centuries. |
| And the reality of original sin and the necessity of baptism is the very first fact catechumens need to encounter. |
