Already Catholic RCIA abstain from Eucharist?

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Not going to get into semantics with you. RCIA may be attended by anyone who is either seeking conversion to the Catholic faith or those already in full Communion with the Catholic Church. They do indeed participate (literally) in the process. That’s it. I’m out of here.
 
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tawny said:
Not going to get into semantics with you. RCIA may be attended by anyone who is either seeking conversion to the Catholic faith or those already in full Communion with the Catholic Church. They do indeed participate (literally) in the process. That’s it. I’m out of here.
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I am not talking semantics.

What you keep insisting is simply wrong.
 
Tawny, your parish may be using RCIA that way, but it’s not what the Church intends. Read the Rite. There are provisions for the unbaptized, those baptized in other Christian communities, and for baptized but otherwise uncatechized Catholics. Nowhere in the Rite does it talk about preparing Catholics for confirmation. Ideally parishes or dioceses would have separate preparation for Catholic adults who haven’t been confirmed. And parishes would provide opportunities for continuing formation for all their parishioners.
 
tawny said:
RCIA is mostly definitely for those who have received the Sacraments of Baptism & Eucharist, but have never received Comfirmation.
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Have you read the Rite book itself? The Rite tells you who the Rite is for. The Rite does allow for baptized unchatechized Catholics.

Those who were catechized but did not get confirmed have an adult confirmation process that is not RCIA.
tawny said:
It is also a tool for those Catholics who have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist & Confirmation for a seeking a better understanding of there Catholic faith.
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Again the Rite book tells you who the Rites are for. They are not for fully initiated Catholics.

The catechesis portion of RCIA is not RCIA, only one part of it. Group catechesis for those receiving the Rites is common.

While it may also be a practice where you live to allow anyone to come to the catechesis nights, RCIA is not “for” adults who have already received the sacraments of initiation.

There are many reasons that the practice of commingling RCIA catechesis and Catholic adult education together is harmful to the catechumens and candidates for full communion.

In most places this is discouraged or not allowed.

I was on the RCIA team for 10 years before I moved and I am the RCIA Director where I am now. You have also spoken disrespectfully to a priest on this site— a priest who does in fact know what he is taking about.

Tawny, there is no shame in being wrong. But you are in fact wrong on this.
 
1ke said:
Have you read the Rite book itself? The Rite tells you who the Rite is for. The Rite does allow for baptized unchatechized Catholics.

Those who were catechized but did not get confirmed have an adult confirmation process that is not RCIA.
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I think there’s a typo in there somewhere.

For Catholics who are now adults but were never actually confirmed (whatever the reason) there is a form of RCIA for them. It’s part II #4. It’s still RCIA.

This statement here (different from what you describe above)
tawny said:
It is also a tool for those Catholics who have received the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist & Confirmation for a seeking a better understanding of there Catholic faith.
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Is the one that incorrectly says that RCIA is for already initiated Catholics (ie full members of the Church) who simply want a better understanding. In other words, simple adult catechism.

As I tried to explain to that poster, such people might be invited to participate in the classes as visitors (indeed, many parishes encourage this), but they are not actual RCIA participants–which is what the poster falsely asserts.
 
Is your sponsor a priest? Because unless he is I see no reason for your struggle. Priests are spiritually responsible in front of Christ as first bishop of the Church for what they teach. Sponsors are more like a wordly thing, a spiritual friend who encourages you to stay grounded in your faith. The sponsor may or may not be responsible for you in front of God. But your pastor is. Whatever your pastor said is valid in matters of faith. You are protected so to speak if this worries you.
If I am wrong here please let me know everyone else answering this.
 
A sponsor represents the Church. They are sometimes called godparents when a child is baptised and for adults usually sponsor. It is the sponsor who answers the bishop during the Rite of Election that the person they are sponsoring “has started to walk in faith etc and is ready to be received into the Catholic Church in baptism or Sacrament of Confirmation”. A sponsor is a lay person. Sisters/nuns are not ordained (in a sacrament) so they are still lay members of the church and could be sponsors.

A priest, deacon or bishop acts in persona Christi (Sacrament of Ordination) and are therefor not sponsors as they have a different role conferring (or what it is called in English) the sacraments.

Priests and deacons have the responsibility for your spiritual wellbeing in a different way than your sponsor has.
 
Your sponsor was wrong, but give the sponsor the benefit of the doubt…and simply may not know that dismissal is a tradition involving catechumen. Feel free to receive the Eucharist at Mass, assuming you are in a sufficient state of grace.
 
Like a godparent? So I see. My godmother, may God forgive her because she passed away, never explained much about faith to me and I am pretty sure that this does not exempt me from looking for it myself.
In terms of rituals and what happens in the Church aren’t the clerics the final authority? I mean in this case - the sponsor says do this and that regarding a ritual and the priest says another, is there a case when one should equal the sponsor’s point of view to the one of the priest?
 
Listen to your priest and if the RCIA teacher says anything else then explain what your priest told you and tell your sponsor to have the priest explain if he or she doesn’t understand. The priests answering on this topic have already given you that answer.
 
Thank you! I love and trust our Priest, so I was fairly sure of this. I guess my main confusion was if this was some ritual element of RCIA that I didn’t know about. But you and the others have really helped my understanding.
 
katiesonlyson said:
Thank you! I love and trust our Priest, so I was fairly sure of this. I guess my main confusion was if this was some ritual element of RCIA that I didn’t know about. But you and the others have really helped my understanding.
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Please tell him what you were told. There might be someone in a similar situation (maybe even next year). This kind of misinformation needs to be corrected—it’s very serious to deny someone who is eligible to receive Communion. He needs to know that someone told you this.
 
I think the sponsor is mistaken. If the priest allows you to go to communion after your confession then there is no reason you should not be able to receive communion.
 
From what I’m reading there has been some miscommunication here between the priest and the RCIA director (who in an ideal situation actually should be the priest).

I assume because you were away so long the priest suggested you attend RCIA to learn what you’ve forgotten or missed. However, RCIA stands for “Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults” though you’ve already been initiated as a Christian. You are there to learn but except for Confirmation have already gone through the sacraments those there with you will be going through at the conclusion of RCIA. You will not be Baptized nor receive First Communion again though will be Confirmed with them, and temporaneously as long as you are in a state of Sanctifying Grace you may receive communion at Mass.
 
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