A good RCIA class

[fhkjds]

I am in an RCIA program.

I have heard people say that some programs are really good, others are pretty bad. How do I know mine is good? What are the bare essentials of what I should be learning? Should I read the whole catechism cover to cover?

 

[Jennifer_G]

The RCIA program at my parish first covers the Nicene creed (a lesson for each line or word), and reading the catechism is required. This starts in September, and finishes by December. Then it’s on to major topics, like Mary, relics, and other topics. They also have a “Saint of the Week” if you will (or, you learn about 1 saint in particular for that week), then the last 30 minutes is open for questions. If there aren’t many questions, the instructors will come up with some questions themselves that are commonly asked about the given topic and explain them. This goes until the Easter Vigil.

 

[PerfectTiming]

The judgement of how good any RCIA program is can be found in how well prepared those taking part feel at the end. I took RCIA and it was lead by our parish priest who was an incredible speaker and a very good teacher.

I would recommend doing some reading - I was in my last year of high school when I took RCIA so reading the whole catechism was impractical but I went to our church bookshop and found a little ‘Question and Answer’ version that is still my go-to book if I want to check something. The Compendium of the Catechism is in a similar format and very accessible - it’s available online at vatican.va/archive/compendium_ccc/documents/archive_2005_compendium-ccc_en.html

I hope your RCIA goes well, I will keep you in my prayers and welcome to the Catholic church

 

[beth40n2]

First I would say that good RCIA class would be one with teachers who truely know their faith and are willing to answer all of your questions. There is no dumb question. Some churches the priests do their own RCIA, other churches have lay teachers. Lay teachers should be well informed on the faith and be ready to ask a priest if they do not know an answer to a question.

It is important to study all of the 7 sacraments as well as the creeds.

After being Pentecostal and marrying a United Methodist there were many inconsistancies. I did read the whole Catechism so I truely know if I believed all that the church teaches.

We do need to be ready to submit to the authority of the church in all situations. Studying the history of why the church has authority is important. Here is a great website to start learning about your faith. www.scripturecatholic.com/