Becoming a Catholic - Questions

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tcd23

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Hey all,

Anyways in recent weeks I’ve given serious though to becoming a Catholic. For the majority of my life I have been non-religious but in recent times and interactions with the the bible (mainly inspired my two years in a Catholic School higher education) as well as Catholic teachings and this coupled with the fact that both of my Grandmothers were Catholic as well have cause me to wish to join the church. I have been somewhat changed so to speak and thus wish to become a Catholic. I have several issues on the subject however which are:
  1. As I was baptized Anglican (though not confirmed) would I need to undergo another Baptism in order to become Catholic? If anybody could explain to me the process of converting then that would be very helpful.
  2. As a non-Catholic wishing to convert how do I approach a Catholic Priest to discuss doing so? Do I just go to mass (without partaking in the Eucharist first of course) and try to speak to them afterwards or do I ring/e-mail them first to tell them of my intentions?
  3. Roughly how long does it take? The reason I ask is because I am going to University and thus moving city in a matter of weeks meaning that if I wish to become a Catholic should I wait until moving into my new city of would there be enough time to convert at this current time?
That’s about it. Also thank you for taking the time to answer and if this topic isn’t in the right forum could you please point me in the direction to do so,
 
Hi, welcome.
  1. No, you would not have to be re-baptized.
  2. You can speak to a priest by calling a local Catholic church and asking to set up an appointment to speak with one. This is normal and they meet with people all the time about all sorts of issues.
  3. All new converts officially enter the Church at Easter of each year after months of RCIA classes. You will have to go through the classes first which should be starting up soon I believe, maybe even this month. Good timing, you better not wait too long!
 
tcd23 said:
Hey all,

Anyways in recent weeks I’ve given serious though to becoming a Catholic. For the majority of my life I have been non-religious but in recent times and interactions with the the bible (mainly inspired my two years in a Catholic School higher education) as well as Catholic teachings and this coupled with the fact that both of my Grandmothers were Catholic as well have cause me to wish to join the church. I have been somewhat changed so to speak and thus wish to become a Catholic. I have several issues on the subject however which are:
  1. As I was baptized Anglican (though not confirmed) would I need to undergo another Baptism in order to become Catholic? If anybody could explain to me the process of converting then that would be very helpful.
  2. As a non-Catholic wishing to convert how do I approach a Catholic Priest to discuss doing so? Do I just go to mass (without partaking in the Eucharist first of course) and try to speak to them afterwards or do I ring/e-mail them first to tell them of my intentions?
  3. Roughly how long does it take? The reason I ask is because I am going to University and thus moving city in a matter of weeks meaning that if I wish to become a Catholic should I wait until moving into my new city of would there be enough time to convert at this current time?
That’s about it. Also thank you for taking the time to answer and if this topic isn’t in the right forum could you please point me in the direction to do so,
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Hey:

Welcome to the forums. Probably this should be posted under a different area as this is where we discuss non-Catholic religions and you are interested in Catholicism.

Anyhow, short answers are:
  1. Not likely you will need baptism. Very very likely your baptism is valid if done in proper trinitarian form (unusual for it not to be). A priest can tell you very quickly.
  2. Don’t bug Father after mass, just give the parish office a call during the week and see if you can set up an appointment. Tell them when you call that you are interested in “RCIA” - that’s code for Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. There are regularly scheduled meetings that take place and the office will know who runs those and when and so forth.
  3. It takes about a year for inquiry and a year for RCIA. Talking with a priest will help discern whether you are ready for inquiry or RCIA.
I am a convert and my baptism was valid and I spent as year as an “inquirer” and a year in the RCIA program before being confirmed and receiving first holy communion. Continuing going to mass - that is the best thing for us all.

Ha ha, Link posted faster than I did, so my post is redundant… well, welcome anyway!

Regards,

JHow
 
Do they have RCIA in the UK? I think that is where the OP is.
 
tcd23 said:
Just to confirm, I am from the UK so if that effects the issue let me know.
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Oooopsss…The baptism issue would be handled similarly, as far as I know.

My best advise is to check with the parish.
 
tcd23 said:
Just to confirm, I am from the UK so if that effects the issue let me know.
Click to expand...
Yes, there’s RCIA in the UK, but the classes aren’t always called “RCIA classes” in my experience. Regardless, ask and it will be explained unto you!

I’d make an appointment to talk to someone at the parish (priest or whoever is responsible for Sacramental preparation), and (as others said) explain about going away to uni in a few weeks. Many (most?) large universities have a Catholic chaplaincy, which will be geared up for helping young and seeking Catholics. I’d definitely talk to your current local parish, and visit Mass, but you will probably spend more time this year with the priest at your Chaplaincy. The trick is usually to actually find the Catholic chaplaincy, and when stuff is: some of the people you might ask for directions will direct you to the wrong place! 😛 The general “Chaplaincy” is typically Anglican.

If you’re going to Manchester, I can tell you that the Catholic chaplaincy is right next to the enormous Church of the Holy Name, opposite the University of Manchester Student Union 😉

Oh, I nearly forgot. This is my top link to give to people in your shoes: beginningcatholic.com
 
If you were baptized within the last fifty years or so you may want to confirm, if you can, whether a valid Trinitarian formula was in fact used in your Anglican baptism. In the United States at least many baptisms have been done, especially though not exclusively in what are called the “liberal Protestant denominations,” using novel formulas which may warrant a conditional baptism in case the original baptism was invalid. I suspect this unfortunate phenomenon likely also took place in the UK to some degree.
 
Welcome!! I am praying for you…hope everything works out for you.
 
I’m almost positive you won’t have to be re-baptized, but they will surely let you know on that one.

Simply call the church parish and ask to speak to the person in charge of religious education or RCIA classes. They will give you all the information you will need. 🙂 Usually, they set up an initial appointment to meet with you and make sure that you understand what the RCIA process is and see if you have any questions at that time.

Lastly, it depends on each particular parish how long RCIA takes. My own personal experience: I signed up for RCIA classes in July, classes began at the end of August and went on (meeting twice a week - after Sunday Mass and one evening a week) until April where all of us in RCIA were baptized (if previously unbaptized) and confirmed into the church.

Keeping you in prayer and wishing you the very best in this new journey! It will be the best choice you will ever make in your life! 😉
 
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