Baptist Christian Becoming Catholic

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I talked with a priest about joining the Catholic Church. I am already a Christian (and member of a predominantly Black Baptist Church).

The priest says to ignore National Statutes for the Catechumenate (NSC 30-33). That he has been to three different parishes and that the class is always the same. Everybody all together and having first communion on Easter. Although those already Christian don’t get baptised.

My parish has a lot of parishioners and the priests are very very busy. So CCC 24 seems difficult to accomplish for the clergy.

I’m not trying to speak bad about anyone. Maybe the parish priests just want to make sure everyone is well grounded in the faith.

Is there another way to more quickly become a Catholic (like NSC 30-33 says)? In my case I long for the sacrament of confession, Penance & Reconciliation. I can’t just go to confession, right? And I don’t know much at all about how to go to confession.

There isn’t any discrimination against Blacks or mixed marriages, right? I’m white and my wife is black.

Should we still be going to the Baptist Church until the RCIA class starts? Should I stop taking communion in the Baptist Church (the new minister always says “symbolic” and that was part of what caused me to re-examine).
Thanks.
 
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jmm08:
I talked with a priest about joining the Catholic Church. I am already a Christian (and member of a predominantly Black Baptist Church).

The priest says to ignore National Statutes for the Catechumenate (NSC 30-33). That he has been to three different parishes and that the class is always the same. Everybody all together and having first communion on Easter. Although those already Christian don’t get baptised.

My parish has a lot of parishioners and the priests are very very busy. So CCC 24 seems difficult to accomplish for the clergy.

I’m not trying to speak bad about anyone. Maybe the parish priests just want to make sure everyone is well grounded in the faith.

Is there another way to more quickly become a Catholic (like NSC 30-33 says)? In my case I long for the sacrament of confession, Penance & Reconciliation. I can’t just go to confession, right? And I don’t know much at all about how to go to confession.

There isn’t any discrimination against Blacks or mixed marriages, right? I’m white and my wife is black.

Should we still be going to the Baptist Church until the RCIA class starts? Should I stop taking communion in the Baptist Church (the new minister always says “symbolic” and that was part of what caused me to re-examine).
Thanks.
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Some of our close friends just became Catholic. They did their RCIA thru correspondence courses along with interviews with the priest…I think it was about 3 months long and then they were received into the Church.

Perhaps you could ask your priest about this?

I have never been in a Catholic Church that cared a thing about race or mixed marriages. It’s always been my impression that the Catholic Church is the most tolerant of people who are of all races.

I would encourage you to stop attending the Baptist Church and start going to Mass even if you can’t receive right now.

SV
 
I agree with the last guy that you should be attending mass even though you cannot receive the Eucharist. I applaud you for honestly seeking the truth and now God is going to reward you for your faith. Even if you have to wait until Easter, just humbly submit yourself to Mother Church, that will actually be good practice!

My brother (white guy) is married to a black woman, it does not make one bit of difference, the Church does not discriminate. The Catholic Church that I go to is mostly black, so don’t think that there are no black Catholics, and I even live in the south!

I am happy for you, I know this must be an exciting time for you; probably even a bit scary. I would recommend a book for you to read if you have not already done so. “Rome Sweet Home” by Scott Hahn, he is also a convert and he tells of the struggle to become Catholic.

:blessyou:
 
How exciting for you! I would also recommend Marcus Grodi and his “Journey Home” TV shows on EWTN. He covers a lot of the fears that you may have. May God bless you and your wife.
 
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jmm08:
I talked with a priest about joining the Catholic Church. I am already a Christian (and member of a predominantly Black Baptist Church).

The priest says to ignore National Statutes for the Catechumenate (NSC 30-33). That he has been to three different parishes and that the class is always the same. Everybody all together and having first communion on Easter. Although those already Christian don’t get baptised.
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So do they want you to go through RCIA or not? If they don’t have a program, a neighboring parish will. Our parish hosts about three parishes, to make it a more meaningful experience. I highly recommend it.
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jmm08:
My parish has a lot of parishioners and the priests are very very busy. So CCC 24 seems difficult to accomplish for the clergy.

I’m not trying to speak bad about anyone. Maybe the parish priests just want to make sure everyone is well grounded in the faith.
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Yes, they are. And none of us go in thinking we actually need it 😃 . We’re READY. We want it 😃 . We’ve made up our minds and we’re gonna do it! But God has plans for us and it’s important that we know that. I would never have known all that Catholicism is if God hadn’t taken me on that journey. It’s more than just saying yes, though that is such a huge part of it.
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jmm08:
Is there another way to more quickly become a Catholic (like NSC 30-33 says)? In my case I long for the sacrament of confession, Penance & Reconciliation. I can’t just go to confession, right? And I don’t know much at all about how to go to confession.
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Confession is WONDERFUL. But they do prefer that you wait until a certain point in the process to do it, however, quite frankly if you’re ready, it might not be a bad idea to go and tell the priest that this is the journey you are on, this is what you’d like to do and this is your first time. Given that sometimes the beginning of RCIA is a little… I’ll use the word spontaneous out of charity. It seems to be done according to God’s time, not ours, and it can try our faith at times. So if you can really cement your decision by going to Mass and having a talk with the priest you’d be doing yourself a favor.
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jmm08:
There isn’t any discrimination against Blacks or mixed marriages, right? I’m white and my wife is black.
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Nope, NONE. Can’t emphasize this enough.
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jmm08:
Should we still be going to the Baptist Church until the RCIA class starts? Should I stop taking communion in the Baptist Church (the new minister always says “symbolic” and that was part of what caused me to re-examine).
Thanks.
Click to expand...
It would be really good to start going to Mass, just don’t take communion until you are fully initiated. And if you go to Baptist Church definitely refrain from communion there as well, since now you are on your journey towards Catholicism and no longer believe that it is symbolic.

Anyway, RCIA is really a wonderful experience, it’s really God’s way of bringing you on a spiritual journey of growth and closeness to Him and recognition of His presence in and leadership of the Church. But it starts with attendance at Mass and usually inquiry sessions, so don’t feel as though you are excluded from being part of the Catholic community until you are fully initiated. You come from day one and it makes it so much more joyful when you can fully partake of the banquet.
 
I’ve been watching EWTN. Seeing Bishop Sheen again (now I am an adult). Also watching Father Groeschel and others.

At a Catholic bookstore, I bought “Life is Worth Living” (Bishop Sheen). I wanted it, but I was only going to get it if it was on sale (it was full price). The copy of the book underneath had “REDUCED PRICE – COVER UPSIDE DOWN” taped to it. Sure enough the cover was upside down. In fact it startled me a little – because I thought he was still in purgatory – but felt as if he personally gave it to me (Bishop Sheen standing upside down on the cover to get my attention). Since I grew up in New York State while he was Bishop, I supposed that Bishop Sheen wanted me to really read and study his book (not just keep it on my shelf). Bishop Sheen’s “Three Degrees of Intimacy” helped me to understand one of my most painful life experiences (the suicide of my best friend about eight years ago). That was a big breakthrough for me. And my life is changing.

Bishop Sheen’s Prayer is this: “Give me strength, tonight, to speak Thy Truth, that Thou mayest be known, not me; the power to make others love Thee, but not that I may be loved. Instill in those who listen to me a love of Thee, so that there may not be only truth communicated but also a love of that truth.” – from “How to Talk” telecast. He prayed that prayer kneeling down before Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament before each telecast.

If Bishop Sheen is now out of purgatory, in my mind he is still praying that priestly prayer every time a telecast is repeated and every time someone reads his writing and needs to be closer to God.
 
It’s my understanding that RCIA is only mandatory for those who are not baptized. It is common, however, for all who are joining the Church, either baptized or unbaptized, to go through RCIA. But since you are already baptized, you could ask the priest if there is a quicker method of entering the church.

JimG
 
jmm08 - While it is not necessary for those already baptized [Candidates for full Communion] to go through the RCIA process, it is necessary that they receive some instruction in the Catholic Faith and be integrated into the parish community. Most of us don’t have sufficient manpower to run a custom program for each Candidate. So we put everyone together in the RCIA.

On the other hand, having Candidates in the RCIA class does help everyone. They frequently have enough knowledge to ask pertinent questions that the Catechumens [unbaptized] would not think of. And they can share their experience as Christians to help the others grow.

Re - Confession You can go to Confession as soon as you have received sufficient instruction to understand the Sacrament. In my program this usually occurs in Lent. you must go to Confession before you receive Confirmation and First Communion.

Hope this helps.
 
I would to welcome you and your wife home to the Catholic Church and offer y’all my prayers over these next few months
 
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jmm08:
I talked with a priest about joining the Catholic Church. I am already a Christian (and member of a predominantly Black Baptist Church).

The priest says to ignore National Statutes for the Catechumenate (NSC 30-33). That he has been to three different parishes and that the class is always the same. Everybody all together and having first communion on Easter. Although those already Christian don’t get baptised.

My parish has a lot of parishioners and the priests are very very busy. So CCC 24 seems difficult to accomplish for the clergy.

I’m not trying to speak bad about anyone. Maybe the parish priests just want to make sure everyone is well grounded in the faith.

Is there another way to more quickly become a Catholic (like NSC 30-33 says)? In my case I long for the sacrament of confession, Penance & Reconciliation. I can’t just go to confession, right? And I don’t know much at all about how to go to confession.

There isn’t any discrimination against Blacks or mixed marriages, right? I’m white and my wife is black.

Should we still be going to the Baptist Church until the RCIA class starts? Should I stop taking communion in the Baptist Church (the new minister always says “symbolic” and that was part of what caused me to re-examine).
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Jimm08,
I assume both you and your wife are planning on crossin’ the Tiber together. Get copies of your baptismal certificiates so it can be determined that you both were baptized in the manner recognized by the Church. ( eg. water and Trinitarian)

And yes, it is possible to get into the Church faster than waiting until next Easter. However it requires heavy duty study by both you and your wife and an agreement that it will be OK by the diocese. I would check with the Vicar General as to what would be required, minimally.

The reason I say this is because a freind of mine came into the Church without going thru RCIA or any other formal training but I must tell you he was an ordained Baptist preacher who had done individual private study for years before actually making the determination to actually convert.

The thing is that the Church requires that you know and understand and believe basic Catholic doctrine before you convert. In that, among other ways, we are a lot different from other faiths. We require a belief in the Church’s doctrines because by the taking of God’s Sacraments you are agreeing with all Truth that He has shown us. We don’t want you taking the Sacraments and later saying “Hey, I don’t agree with that. You’re going to have to change it.” Nope, that doesn’t cut it and I don’t think that you would want it to since you are in effect leaving a Church/faith that is self-determinent. We want you to know as much as possible so you are not blindsided later.

As to wanting to go to confession now. I don’t think that is possible but check with the diocese. Remember it is a Sacrament and as I said in another thread the Catholic Church does not just go about handing out it’s Sacraments willy nilly to anyone who wants them.

As to wanting to know more about how to do it…just another thread on confession- JohnCaroll’s First Confession - HELP!!

But God bless you and your wife. And don’t worry about the Church and racism. The Church itself is NOT in any way. The Church’s largest number of priestly ordinations is coming from Africa. However, you can find racism anywhere but that’s not the Church and it is abnormal in the parishes, to say the least.

God bless,
Whit
 
Congratulations. My wife was a Baptist and converted ayear after we were married, I love her for it. I was her sponsor in the RCIA, she was Baptized Baptist (Independent) and went through the classes was Confirmed, Eucharist, Confession, it was AWESOME. Her family however was not pleased, still are not. She still has questions which I try to help her with but all in all I’m grateful for her doing it, I know how hard it was for her to leave the only religion she ever knew. Good luck and God bless you, we are all here for you, so if you need help ask us here or elsewhere, don’t worry about the color thing. Also some of the best Catholics are converts!
 
I was a Southern Baptist until I recently returned to the Catholic Church (was a cradle Catholic) after 23+ years of absence. In my interview with the priest I was asked a few simple questions about my beliefs and knowledge. Then I confessed and he reinstated me. I had been going to Mass before that (but not receiving communion sinc e I was not yet back in the Church). I also had been studying Catholicism for months before that. I continue to study and will do so the rest of my life. My husband is converting and will go through RCIA. I am going to go with him to the classes to learn even more and cement what I do know. An excellent way also to get to know people who will be my fellow parishonners. Practice Catholicism starting now even though you will not be officially received until Easter, which is what my husband is doing. He has been studying on his own for over a year, which brought him closer and closer to his decision to convert. My husband has been a biblical scholar for many years, studying the Bible in the ancient languages, extremely knowledgable, also held ministerial credentials. We have both given up membership in our local Baptist church. With the blessings of my priest and the pastor at my former church, I continue my ministries there (food closet, VBS, teaching ESL, and singing in the choir. I need the fellowship desperately since I have no other friends here (have desperately tried for the 2+ years we have lived here to make friends). My husband desperately wants to be Catholic and receive the Eucharist but is waiting in obedience and faith.
 
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