Being received in a different parish than RCIA instruction?

[Chiro]

Good evening all (and happy Feast of the Assumption),

I’m writing on behalf of a friend who planned on being received into the Church in the Easter Vigil. Obviously, because of Covid, that won’t happen. The Bishops Conference here in the UK have given guidelines for how to safely receive candidates into the Church. The problem is that her church are being really difficult about it - she’s been in touch several times with her RCIA director, who keeps telling her that they can’t receive her yet, and that they can’t give a timeframe for when she might expect to be received. Other churches in the area have already started to clear the backlog of candidates and catechumens hoping to be received and she is really disappointed that there’s no date in sight for her reception.

Is it possible for someone to be received into a church that was not where they received their RCIA instruction? Could she say that she went through RCIA at a different parish, but because they are being really slow and awkward about the process, she’d like to be confirmed elsewhere? She’s really anxious to be received as soon as possible, and especially before we (potentially) go into another lockdown. Before I suggested this to her, I wanted to see if this is something that’s even possible.

Many thanks!

 

[BartholomewB]

It’s the kind of thing that can vary from one diocese to another, and even from one parish to another. The quickest and easiest way would be to choose a parish that looks promising, then just phone them and ask.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I’ve been involved in this sort of thing before. It involved a lot of communication between staff of the two parishes involved. If everyone is willing to make it work, then it’s possible.