Confirmation question

[breckyp]

I am talking with the RCIA coordinator at the Parish about getting confirmed. Here’s my question. Why do I need to go through RCIA? I took 1st communion and confession at like 7. So…what’s the deal with RCIA???

Confused in Alabama.

 

[jediliz]

Are you a returning Catholic who was never confirmed?

 

[breckyp]

Are you a returning Catholic who was never confirmed?

Just never confirmed. I missed it. When I was in 8th grade we were supposed to get confirmed in 9th and the HS closed. Where I attended HS they expected everyone to have been confirmed in 8th. So wrong place at the wrong time for me.

 

[Brendan]

My wife was in a similar situation.

She did not have to go through RCIA, she was simply added to the list of Confirmandi the next time our parish had the bishop in for Confirmation.

 

[SMHW]

I am talking with the RCIA coordinator at the Parish about getting confirmed. Here’s my question. Why do I need to go through RCIA? I took 1st communion and confession at like 7. So…what’s the deal with RCIA???

Confused in Alabama.

Confirmation is considered a sacrament of initiation and you are an adult who has not yet been fully initiated. How this is implemented is up to your diocese and parish.

It seems that your parish and/or diocese thinks that the easiest thing to do is to have you to undergo formation via the classes and fellowship associated with RCIA.

Some parishes lump all adult confirmation candidates together with the catechumens and adult candidates for full initiation and confirm them at the Easter Vigil. Some have them go to a group confirmation with other adults in the diocese. Some have them undergo confirmation at the same time as the children/youths who are being confirmed.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I am talking with the RCIA coordinator at the Parish about getting confirmed. Here’s my question. Why do I need to go through RCIA? I took 1st communion and confession at like 7. So…what’s the deal with RCIA???

Confused in Alabama.

It’s really a matter of parish and diocesan resources.

Ideally those who need only confirmation would have their own sacramental preparation, either in the parish or diocese. But that requires additional people to coordinate and teach them and it can be hard to recruit the needed volunteers. So many – perhaps most – parishes use their existing RCIA set-up and add in those who need to be confirmed.

 

[Brendan]

It’s really a matter of parish and diocesan resources.

Ideally those who need only confirmation would have their own sacramental preparation, either in the parish or diocese. But that requires additional people to coordinate and teach them and it can be hard to recruit the needed volunteers. So many – perhaps most – parishes use their existing RCIA set-up and add in those who need to be confirmed.

If it is a matter of resources, what resources does he really need. All it would take is for him to show that he is a practicing Catholic, and show up the next time the parish has Confirmations.

The only ‘resource’ would be one meeting with his pastor (or his designate) and that would most likely be a half hour tops.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Generally people do some kind of preparation – both catechetical and spiritual – before receiving sacraments of initiation. Perhaps it is done differently in your area.

 

[Brendan]

Generally people do some kind of preparation – both catechetical and spiritual – before receiving sacraments of initiation. Perhaps it is done differently in your area.

Yes, that is commonly done for those who are coming into the Church from other Faith communities, or for children to assist them in understanding their Faith, but neither apply here.

A half hour interview to ensure that he has the level of understanding of the Faith that one might expect from a Confirmation candidate, and have him show (most likely from parish records) that he is practicing the Faith, at least by regular Mass attendance). What more is really required by the Church?

To do anything more WOULD be a waste of parish or diocesan resources.

 

[SMHW]

Generally people do some kind of preparation – both catechetical and spiritual – before receiving sacraments of initiation. Perhaps it is done differently in your area.

I think it also depends on how much individual interaction there is between the pastor and the potential recipient of a sacrament.

It’s been my observation that the more the pastor delegates the process of preparation the less likely that there will be individualized preparation.

 

[Gorgias]

Just never confirmed. I missed it. When I was in 8th grade we were supposed to get confirmed in 9th and the HS closed.

OK – so, in other words, you attended Catholic school for a number of years (8? 12?), but never received catechesis in preparation for Confirmation?

 

[breckyp]

OK – so, in other words, you attended Catholic school for a number of years (8? 12?), but never received catechesis in preparation for Confirmation?

Yeppers. We were supposed to get that in 9th grade. But then the HS I was going to closed. When I went to the other Catholic HS they expected that all incoming Freshman were confirmed.

 

[felsguy]

Like so many of these issues, it usually comes down to how its handled at an individual parish (pastor, deacon, DRE, or whoever is "empowered to make the decision) and even this might not be “one size fits all.” At my parish, for example, the pastor pretty much leaves it up to the DRE to decide whether a person should participate in a full year of RCIA, attend only the RCIA sessions on the sacraments, or just meet one on one with a catechist for a time or two.

For what’s it worth, for someone in your situation, I think 30 minutes is a little on the light side but an hour or two of discussion and perhaps some reading on your own ought to be adequate preparation.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Just never confirmed. I missed it. When I was in 8th grade we were supposed to get confirmed in 9th and the HS closed. Where I attended HS they expected everyone to have been confirmed in 8th. So wrong place at the wrong time for me.

I know some dioceses in the United States use the RCIA modules as a catch all for their adult religious education needs. That is unfortunate.

This is one of those instances when I would suggest contacting the chancery of your diocese to ask what the policy of the diocese is for someone in your circumstance and what provision the bishop has made for Catholics who failed to be confirmed because of the situation you describe.

I would suggest, however, going to the parish priest first and discussing the situation with him since the person that you spoke with was the RCIA coordinator.

 

[breckyp]

I know some dioceses in the United States use the RCIA modules as a catch all for their adult religious education needs. That is unfortunate.

This is one of those instances when I would suggest contacting the chancery of your diocese to ask what the policy of the diocese is for someone in your circumstance and what provision the bishop has made for Catholics who failed to be confirmed because of the situation you describe.

I would suggest, however, going to the parish priest first and discussing the situation with him since the person that you spoke with was the RCIA coordinator.

I want to thank everyone for the support. I’ve finally put a call in. Waiting on a return call. I had to get the nerve up. Don’t know why it seemed so nerve racking. Anyway. Now I wait. I will probably have a few more questions before then end of this endeavor.

 

[Padres1969]

Yeppers. We were supposed to get that in 9th grade. But then the HS I was going to closed. When I went to the other Catholic HS they expected that all incoming Freshman were confirmed.

I had a similar situation at that age. My diocese had moved confirmation from 8th to 9th grade for a couple of years before I was that age. Then the summer after I completed 8th grade they moved it back to 8th grade. So I was jumped over by the sacrament. The only options were to go back to my home parish and undergo RCIA with incoming adults outside of school or to wait until 12th grade and undergo the “remedial” confirmation class for non-Catholic students of my high school who wanted to join the church. In both cases however it was a full formation class that was required, either RCIA or the “remedial” class.

 

[Vico]

I had a similar situation at that age. My diocese had moved confirmation from 8th to 9th grade for a couple of years before I was that age. Then the summer after I completed 8th grade they moved it back to 8th grade. So I was jumped over by the sacrament. The only options were to go back to my home parish and undergo RCIA with incoming adults outside of school or to wait until 12th grade and undergo the “remedial” confirmation class for non-Catholic students of my high school who wanted to join the church. In both cases however it was a full formation class that was required, either RCIA or the “remedial” class.

CIC Canon 843 says that the faithful should be properly prepared for Confirmation, however, it is also true that confirmation is not the culmination of Christian initiation but that the Eucharist is, so bishops have been moving to restored order of the sacraments. This means earlier preparation for both Confirmation and Eucharist together at the age of reason.

 

[Padres1969]

CIC Canon 843 says that the faithful should be properly prepared for Confirmation, however, it is also true that confirmation is not the culmination of Christian initiation but that the Eucharist is, so bishops have been moving to restored order of the sacraments. This means earlier preparation for both Confirmation and Eucharist together at the age of reason.

Can’t say I agree with them doing that. If anything based on my own life experience I’d suggest they move all confirmations until 12th grade or later. First it keeps the initiate engaged longer, particularly into a time of their life that many young adults drift away from their childhood church. And second, so that Confirmation is actually that, the initiate confirming their belief in and acceptance of the Catholic faith in addition to receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Not that it matters I guess seeing as I’m not Catholic anymore. But my 2 cents none the less.

 

[Vico]

Can’t say I agree with them doing that. If anything based on my own life experience I’d suggest they move all confirmations until 12th grade or later. First it keeps the initiate engaged longer, particularly into a time of their life that many young adults drift away from their childhood church. And second, so that Confirmation is actually that, the initiate confirming their belief in and acceptance of the Catholic faith in addition to receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Not that it matters I guess seeing as I’m not Catholic anymore. But my 2 cents none the less.

Many have objected. From the Archdiocese of Denver site:

Why is the Archdiocese of Denver doing this now?
The Archdiocese of Denver is restoring confirmation to its original place because children need more grace at an earlier age to become saints in our increasingly secular world. The archdiocese is not doing this on its own, but is responding to calls made in the documents of Vatican II, Pope Benedict XVI’s document Sacramentum Caritatis, and the personal encouragement Benedict XVI gave to Archbishop Samuel Aquila in 2012.

 

[Dmitri77]

If you take a minute to read this I think you’ll see how it applies to your situation.

This Was From Me