3 questions

[Kamalayka]

1. Can a priest use loaf of bread from a store for the Eucharist?
2. If someone is baptized by immersion, is it valid if the person is only immersed once, or does it have to be three times?
3. How do I become Catholic? My conscience is eating at me, and I can’t take it anymore!!!
   Do I just walk into a Catholic church and say I want to become Catholic?
   What about RCIA?

 

[Cluny]

1. No.
2. Under normal circumstances, it should be by triple immersion. But if you’re talking about your own baptism, discuss it with the pastor.
3. Yes. Tell the pastor. Follow his lead.

 

[Cathhsmom]

1. Can a priest use loaf of bread from a store for the Eucharist?
2. If someone is baptized by immersion, is it valid if the person is only immersed once, or does it have to be three times?
3. How do I become Catholic? My conscience is eating at me, and I can’t take it anymore!!!
   Do I just walk into a Catholic church and say I want to become Catholic?
   What about RCIA?

1. In the Roman Rite, no. I don’t know about the other Rites since some of them allow leavened bread, but I would think that they would have an approved process of making the bread, also.
2. As long as it was done in the Trinitarian form (in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), I believe that it would be valid. Check with a priest to be sure. The Catholic church accepts baptisms done in the Trinitarian form with water no matter who does them, ie. a non-Christian nurse baptizing a baby that is thought to be dying.
3. Please, walk in and talk to a priest. He will probably start you in the RCIA program, but there have been exceptions where people have been studying the faith for so long that they just felt that to not join was to disobey God, and have been allowed a shorter process than the typical RCIA program. Only the priest would know for sure how you should go.

FYI, the RCIA program was wonderful, for me. I still have fond memories of our talks and discussions. It was a time to get to know not only the Catholic church, but also the members of that Catholic church and to truely be welcomed by them.

 

[lmoreno]

I am currently in RCIA class and I love it. I was baptized Catholic as a child but did not become confirmed or make my first communion. The moment I decided to enroll in RCIA I felt an inner peace I have never in my adult life felt. And walking into Mass for the first time in many years felt as if I had finally found my home. God Bless you.

 

[damooster]

1. How do I become Catholic? My conscience is eating at me, and I can’t take it anymore!!!
   Do I just walk into a Catholic church and say I want to become Catholic?
   What about RCIA?

Find the closest Catholic parish to you. This one is more than likely your “home” parish (and if it’s not, they can tell you which one is). Your “home” parish is the one that is responsible for your spiritual needs i.e. sacramentals, so it’s good practice to seek out your home parish first. While it’s true that Catholics can worship at any parish they choose, many parishes exercise these boundaries for someone receiving the sacraments like baptism, confirmation, marriage. I did not know this when I went to RCIA and had to contact my home parish and ask for permission to be baptized and confirmed at the parish I attended RCIA at.

Once you find your home parish, simply call the parish office and they should be able to put you in contact with the right person, whether it’s the pastor or RCIA director. You should contact them quickly, however, as most RCIA sessions have started and you are technically only allowed to miss four sessions (meaning you would have to wait for the next session to begin).

 

[Joe_Kelley]

1. In the Roman Rite, no. I don’t know about the other Rites since some of them allow leavened bread, but I would think that they would have an approved process of making the bread, also. . . .

The host must be composed of wheat and water only. The Eastern rites add leaven, but nothing else. Any significant adulteration with other material invalidates the sacrament. I don’t know the definition of “significant” and am not sure there is an official one.