Becoming Catholic...

[RodneyJ]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

It’s starting to hack me off.

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

I love the love.

 

[the_phoenix]

You deserve better, RodneyJ.

Please allow me to pray a psalm for you, and if you like, with you, for the intention of your joining the Catholic Church in a spirit where you are made fully welcome.

From today’s Liturgy of the Hours:

Psalm 85 (86)

A poor man’s prayer in time of trouble

Turn your ear to me, Lord, and hear me,
for I am poor and destitute.
Keep my life safe, for I am faithful;
O God, save your servant, who trusts in you.

Take pity upon me, O Lord,
for I call to you all the day long.
Make your servant’s heart glad,
for to you, O Lord, I have raised it.
For you, Lord, are gentle and mild:
you are kind to all those who call on you.

Let your ears hear my prayer, O Lord!
Turn to the voice of my pleading!
In my time of trouble I call on you,
for you, O Lord, will hear me.

No other god is like you, O Lord,
and nothing compares with your works.
All people – all nations you made –
will come and worship before you;
they will give glory to your name.
For you are great, you work wonders:
you alone are God.

O Lord, teach me your paths,
and I will come to your truth.
Make my heart simple and guileless,
so that it honours your name.
I will proclaim you, Lord my God,
and give you praise with all my heart.
I will give glory to your name for ever,
for your great kindness is upon me:
you have rescued me from the deepest depths.

O God, the proud rise against me,
in the meetings of the powerful they seek my life:
they do not keep you in their sight.
And you, Lord, are a God of compassion,
full of mercies, patient and true.
Look upon me, have mercy upon me,
give your strength and protection to your servant
your servant, the child of your handmaid.

Give me a sign of your goodness,
let my enemies see it and be confounded;
because you, O Lord, have helped me and given me comfort.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen.

 

[Pixie_Dust]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

It’s starting to hack me off.

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

I love the love.

I am so sorry, Rodney. It breaks my heart to read this. Do you only have those two parishes nearby? I’d be calling every Catholic parish in the phone book if there are other options.

 

[jamison]

Wow…I’m going through the same thing!

 

[Pixie_Dust]

Wow…I’m going through the same thing!

Praying for you, too.

 

[donmaximuso27]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

It’s starting to hack me off.

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

I love the love.

This is really shocking. I was raised Lutheran and studied the Catholic faith five years prior to entering RCIA. The priest evaluated my knowledge the Catholic doctrine and the CCC, and decided I only needed to go through the last step of RCIA. Throughout the chatechesis, he was always very encouraging and extremely joyful to my conversion. I recommend finding a new priest, one who is extremely glad to hear of your conversion. Also, if you are validly baptized and have prior knowledge and experience of the Catholic faith, I recommend finding an alternative then the 8 or 9 month process, whatever it is.

The Church states: “Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30) (U.S. Conference of Bishops, National Statutes for the Catechumenate).

 

[Pixie_Dust]

This is really shocking. I was raised Lutheran and studied the Catholic faith five years prior to entering RCIA. The priest evaluated my knowledge the Catholic doctrine and the CCC, and decided I only needed to go through the last step of RCIA. Throughout the chatechesis, he was always very encouraging and extremely joyful to my conversion. I recommend finding a new priest, one who is extremely glad to hear of your conversion. Also, if you are validly baptized and have prior knowledge and experience of the Catholic faith, I recommend finding an alternative then the 8 or 9 month process, whatever it is.

The Church states: “Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30).

Thanks for looking that up! I know one woman in my parish who was confirmed while the rest of RCIA was still in the Inquiry phase. She met one-on-one with the priest and had (like a lot of us) done her homework ahead of time. I probably could have done the same thing but my parish offered a Summer Intensive RCIA designed for baptized Christians that was only about 8 weeks long so I went to those sessions.

 

[Atemi]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

On Pentecost, they entered the very same day.

…

 

[JustaServant]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

It’s starting to hack me off.

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

I love the love.

I was blessed by a good priest in a predomately non-Catholic community. Don’t give up, keep searching for a good priest. Check online first for the Parishes in your community. You might want to look for a Parish with a non-American priest, they tend to be more attentive.
Will pray for you.

 

[neophyte]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”…

I thought that it was a very good idea when I went through RCIA four years ago. No other community bothered to ensure I understood their teachings before deciding to join - and I guess that makes sense if there’s nothing sacramental about the few sacraments they acknowledge.

Given the nature of Eucharist, it was a matter of my own safety to make sure I recognised it for what it is. And on entering the Church, I took an oath before God that I believe everything the Catholic Church teaches - how could I responsibly take that oath without actually having studied Church teaching at least a little bit?

I know that it’s possible for the priest to get with you to evaluate your understanding of Church teaching, and then allow you to bypass RCIA to some extent.

As for getting blown off by those priests, allow me to apologise for them. You do deserve better. Keep trying. Praying for them would be a good exercise in charity.

 

[JRKH]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

It’s starting to hack me off.

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

I love the love.

I too apologize. The only defense I can offer is that our priests are terribly overworked these days.

That being said, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP!!
Jesus said knock and it shall be opened to you. Well I say if knocking doesn’t work, then Pound on the Door - Ring the Bell - Insist that someone from the parish office pays attention.

Also - Go to Mass as often as you can. Even if you cannot recieve communion, you will gain so much strength from just being there.

Go to church at odd times as well and just sit with our Lord. Ask Him for the strength to persevere in your pursuit of Truth.

I will say a prayer for you at mass today.

Peace
James

 

[Lampo]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

The Apostles went through a three year class before coming in to God’s Church.

It’s starting to hack me off.

Maybe God is testing you.

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

I love the love.

I said a prayer for you.

 

[DMW1980]

When I decided to convert, I was initially put off by the fact that I would possibly have to wait a full year to become Catholic(I was raised Baptist). However I have come to appreciate the period of waiting. I think it will make my entry into God’s true church more significant. I can relate to being given the run around or being told conflicting things. When I called the local parish I was curtly informed to call back in the fall(when the next RCIA rourse begins), attend Mass in the meantime and then hung up on. For now I just try to read as much as I possibly can on Catholicism, especially the experiences of former protestants.

 

[BlestOne]

I am sorry for those of you who don’t feel welcome or are finding it hard to accept a year wait…

What can a priest (or church) do but tell you to wait until fall? We see many that call the parish and ask at this time of year… Our classes start in the fall…

Why can’t you just join??? Because we want you to willingly join with your eyes wide open… You need to know what it means to be Catholic… and you need to be sure you embrace the whole of it… not just the parts you like… it is informed consent…

In the mean time, please feel free to go to mass… and to participate in any parish activities like bingo, or picnics or stuff like that… make some good Catholic friends… ask questions… read and pray… we want you to feel welcome but we also want you to be informed… kwim???

 

[JRKH]

When I decided to convert, I was initially put off by the fact that I would possibly have to wait a full year to become Catholic(I was raised Baptist). However I have come to appreciate the period of waiting. I think it will make my entry into God’s true church more significant. I can relate to being given the run around or being told conflicting things. When I called the local parish I was curtly informed to call back in the fall(when the next RCIA rourse begins), attend Mass in the meantime and then hung up on. For now I just try to read as much as I possibly can on Catholicism, especially the experiences of former protestants.

I’m a Cradle Catholic - Revert and I love hearing some of these stories too. Even though I was away and came back, I don’t feel that I’ve had the same sort of “conversion experience” or journey that others have had. Got a CD by Tim Staples and one by Steven Ray that I play over and over in my car.

Tim Staples even addresses your comments on his CD. The fact that the parishes do a poor job of welcoming new people into the Church.

I thoroughly enjoy “The Journey Home” on EWTN also. If you haven’t heard of them you might want to look into “The Coming Home Network”. Marcus Grodi seems to do a very good job.

Of course, coming here has been a great resource as well for me.
Hopefully your time here will help you on your journey as well.

Peace
James

 

[DMW1980]

I’m a Cradle Catholic - Revert and I love hearing some of these stories too. Even though I was away and came back, I don’t feel that I’ve had the same sort of “conversion experience” or journey that others have had. Got a CD by Tim Staples and one by Steven Ray that I play over and over in my car.

Tim Staples even addresses your comments on his CD. The fact that the parishes do a poor job of welcoming new people into the Church.

I thoroughly enjoy “The Journey Home” on EWTN also. If you haven’t heard of them you might want to look into “The Coming Home Network”. Marcus Grodi seems to do a very good job.

Of course, coming here has been a great resource as well for me.
Hopefully your time here will help you on your journey as well.

Peace
James

Thanks for the links James. I am currently reading Surprised By Truth and it has been really helpful for me. I have "Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating and “By What Auhtority” next on my list.

 

[Milliardo]

Why is it that you would have to go through a class for a year to be in “God’s Church?”

This is needed in order to understand the Faith completely, or at least there’s a basic understanding of the Faith before entering the Catholic Church. Being a catechumen can be long; the early Church had it the shortest to be 3 years, so it was not unusual then to be a catechumen for 5 years or so.

 

[jjformica]

You should definitely keep serching for a good and dedicated priest to welcome you home in the proper way! I think it’s the devil’s way of keeping you out and at the same time, setting his usual traps and snares for the priests who seem to be blowing you off.

I’m not trying to make excuses for those priests, but in attempting to explain a possible reason for their actions, you should know that they are probably extremely overworked, as our clergy are spread pretty thin these days.

Please don’t give up - be persistent in your journey! This is just the beginning of a faith journey where persistence and determination are absolute necessities.

You’re in my prayers.

 

[JRKH]

Thanks for the links James. I am currently reading Surprised By Truth and it has been really helpful for me. I have "Catholicism and Fundamentalism by Karl Keating and “By What Auhtority” next on my list.

I haven’t read it yet but I’ve heard that Crossing the Tiber is good.
I did read, “How Firm a Foundation” by Marcus Grodi. It’s a “fictional” story of conversion but quite good.

Peace
James

 

[crenfro]

I talk to one priest is who just not interested in my joining the Catholic Church and then another schedules a meeting, cancels the second and won’t call me back.

Maybe you could write the Bishop of your diocese and tell him about your difficulties.

I’m so sorry this is happening. You must be pretty special because God is already working on strengthening your faith through adversity.

I’m honored to be reading your post.