Conversion to Catholocism

[Sideribus]

Im looking for some help please!
I was christened in the Salvation Army as a baby, my dad was Catholic and mum Protestant. As I have gotten older I have been drawn to Catholicism after looking for some answers when my dad died and wish to convert to catholicism.
I understand I will have to go through the RCIA and was wondering if anyone had been through it and what was it like? Is it at set times or days? I have a 1yr old so he limits when I can attend

I am wholeheartedly commited to conversion, just at a aloss as how/where to start

any help appreciated

x

 

[BPD1586]

Im looking for some help please!
I was christened in the Salvation Army as a baby, my dad was Catholic and mum Protestant. As I have gotten older I have been drawn to Catholicism after looking for some answers when my dad died and wish to convert to catholicism.
I understand I will have to go through the RCIA and was wondering if anyone had been through it and what was it like? Is it at set times or days? I have a 1yr old so he limits when I can attend

I am wholeheartedly commited to conversion, just at a aloss as how/where to start

any help appreciated

x

Hi and congratulations on your decision. I’m a convert from Southern Baptist and went through RCIA back in '04.
-Although it has been a while I remember the course being pretty enjoyable and really enlightening. I loved the discussions we had during the classes, covering topics which rant the gamut. I remember it was a lot of Q&A sessions as well.
-As for set times & dates, depends on the parrish you go to. Best bet would be to get in touch with your parrish education coordinator. Ours usually met on Sundays after mass and Tuesday evenings for about an hour. When I went through some of the candidates brought there children along, however I don’t recall any of the children being any younger that 4 or 5.

 

[Tallguy88]

I was Baptized a Non-Denominational Protestant in my teens. Later, I drifted away from my faith. But I was always interested in Catholicism since they were so different from what I grew up with. When I began studying Catholicism I found a faith I responded to. It took a couple of years and a few trys at RCIA before I finally went through with it, and as of this Easter I’m now officially Catholic!

Don’t worry too much about RCIA. My main problem was that it was all so basic, I felt like a college kid having to sit through kindergarten. But I understand that many people need that basic level and it also helps to make sure that there aren’t any holes in your foundation of faith.

If the parish you attend is big, it will likely be led by a lay person who specializes in RCIA. If it is a small parish, you may get lucky, like me, and have an actual priest teach the class. Having tried both, I recommend the small-parish approach. It just feels more personal.

You say you were christened in the Salvation Army. Do you mean that you were Baptized? If so, then you will not need to be re-Baptized. I know that the Salvation Army likes to do “dedications” and not Baptisms, so if that’s what happened to you, then you will be Baptized at the end of RCIA, at Easter Vigil. Otherwise, you will be Confirmed and given first Communion.

 

[aicirt]

Im looking for some help please!
I was christened in the Salvation Army as a baby, my dad was Catholic and mum Protestant. As I have gotten older I have been drawn to Catholicism after looking for some answers when my dad died and wish to convert to catholicism.
I understand I will have to go through the RCIA and was wondering if anyone had been through it and what was it like? Is it at set times or days? I have a 1yr old so he limits when I can attend

I am wholeheartedly commited to conversion, just at a aloss as how/where to start

any help appreciated

x

I suggest you call the local Catholic church and ask when their RCIA program starts and put your name down as an interested party.
My friend converted in April. One of the books the priest gave her was CATHOLICISM FOR DUMMIES which, I understand, is very good.
You might want to buy a cathecism too.

 

[StLudmilla]

Congratulations on your decision to convert.
As another poster commented you can find info RCIA classes if you call your parish office.

Usually classes begin in the fall with the public school calendar so now is a good time to contact someone. They continue until Easter vigil with the Sacrament of Confirmation. It is a 6 to 9 month commitment. When I went through RCIA, we met one evening a week. Most RCIA classes are held in the evening because of adults work schedules.

As far as childcare that is up to the parish. One family, that had young tweens and elementary school kids, brought their children had them watch a movie in room off our classroom. Most parishes could probably make some kind of accommodation like that.

When you attend RCIA classes they will help you find out whether you had a valid Baptism or not and whether you will need to receive that Sacrament.

I hope you have a great year. RCIA is a wonderful experience.

 

[nietz]

Im looking for some help please!
I was christened in the Salvation Army as a baby, my dad was Catholic and mum Protestant. As I have gotten older I have been drawn to Catholicism after looking for some answers when my dad died and wish to convert to catholicism.
I understand I will have to go through the RCIA and was wondering if anyone had been through it and what was it like? Is it at set times or days? I have a 1yr old so he limits when I can attend

I am wholeheartedly commited to conversion, just at a aloss as how/where to start

any help appreciated

x

Yes, by all means, go to a RCIA class. I am a cradle catholic, and I continue to learn more each time I attend a class. Hopefully, your parish has a good program. Most do unless it is a very small parish. The one in our parish is once a week (Mother’s nite out?) usually the classes start in Sept. and go through Easter Sunday, when you are accepted into the Church. It will be a journey you will treasure! I will pray for you.

 

[zz912]

RCIA was great for me. converted from Baptist. I would go one step further and call up the local parish and ask to set up a meeting with a priest to discuss your situation. (That way they can make sure they have time to properly discuss things with you.) Write down some questions you have, and if you can bring any record of your baptism it would be helpful. (If not a record of the baptism, then get the information from the chruch you were baptized in. You can call them and request a letter certifying your baptism.)

Taking the time to sit down with the priest will give you a better feel for the parish, find out about the Church and parish, and ask all the questions you got.

Also, if you have other questions, bring them here, plenty of us would be happy to give you our opinions or answer questions.

 

[corsair]

I’m a coverted “heathen”. I came into the church 42 years ago, before RCIA. Since then I have discovered the Traditional Latin Mass and I now follow that form of the Mass.

When I converted, I attended several weeks of “beer and pizza” catechism classes with the priest. It was a real one on one teaching session. The FSSP still follows that idea in most of their parishes (minus the beer & pizza)

I can’t recommend or criticize RCIA as I have had no experience with it.

 

[Vico]

Im looking for some help please!
I was christened in the Salvation Army as a baby, my dad was Catholic and mum Protestant. As I have gotten older I have been drawn to Catholicism after looking for some answers when my dad died and wish to convert to catholicism.
I understand I will have to go through the RCIA and was wondering if anyone had been through it and what was it like? Is it at set times or days? I have a 1yr old so he limits when I can attend

I am wholeheartedly commited to conversion, just at a aloss as how/where to start

any help appreciated

x

Salvation Army does not have a Catholic recognized baptism, therefore you will receive an adult baptism, confirmation, and communion. Coming to the Catholic Church as an adult you can choose to be in any of the 23 Catholic Churches, not only the Latin Church which is one of the 23. There are also Maronite, Melkite, Chaldean, Ukrainian, Byzantine, Romanian, Syro-Malabar, Syro-Malankara, Armenian, Syrian, etc. Sometimes people prefer the theology of one Church over the other. These 23 Catholic Churches each have their own bishops and are in full communion (Pope Benedict XVI). The Latin Church has RCIA, the others have their own catechumenate programs.

cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=54&pagetypeID=9&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1