Catechumen

St. Augustine decides to become a Christian catechumen in the Catholic Church, something is parents had urged him to do, until something else would help guide him in his course (book 5, ch14). A catechumen, during the early church, was "the name applied to one who had not yet been initiated into the sacred mysteries, but was undergoing a course of preparation for that purpose (Catholic)." The catechumen was divided into two stages the audientes, akromeni. In each of these stages there was a three-fold preparation from catechetical, to ascetical, and then to liturgical.

An individual was not even called a catechumen until after going through elementary instruction in the fundamental doctrines and practices of the church. Once the instructor believed that the inquirer would prevail, the inquirer was promoted to the rank of catechumen. The catechumen now stayed in Mass after the sermon for special prayer. Though most notable he was now considered a Christian. However, he was still not considered on of the "faithful". Once the catechumen had completed the stage of preparation and trial his name was "inscribed among the competentes; i.e. those seeking to be baptized (Catholic)".

Works Cited

Catholic Encyclopedia. ed. T.B. SCANNELL. 2003

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03430b.htm