Discouraging RCIA

[Jsmith17]

These are just some of the shenanigans going down in my RCIA:

1. We are being instructed to recieve a blessing during Communion (“it doesn’t have to be a priest, anyone distributing communion can do it”)
2. The need to confess to a priest was explained like this:
   God has already forgiven you, but in the early church you had to be forgiven by the congregation as well, so, in an effort to speed up the process the congregation decided to just let the priest speak on their behalf and provide absolution.
3. I am a baptized Catholic in need of conditional baptism, which should take place privately before the Easter Vigil. But, after speaking with the RCIA director and the pastor it was decided that it will occur publically during the Easter Vigil and that was “the way we’ve always done it”
4. While making a point during class, the RCIA instructor spoke the word “G-ddamn” at least 2 times.
5. One speaker cited as evidence her personal conversations with Jesus.

The Rite of Acceptance/Welcoming is coming up this Sunday and I honestly don’t know if I want to participate.
What should I do?
Sit through the strange teachings and just plug my ears until Easter Vigil?

 

[happymommy]

These are just some of the shenanigans going down in my RCIA:

1. We are being instructed to recieve a blessing during Communion (“it doesn’t have to be a priest, anyone distributing communion can do it”)
2. The need to confess to a priest was explained like this:
   God has already forgiven you, but in the early church you had to be forgiven by the congregation as well, so, in an effort to speed up the process the congregation decided to just let the priest speak on their behalf and provide absolution.
3. I am a baptized Catholic in need of conditional baptism, which should take place privately before the Easter Vigil. But, after speaking with the RCIA director and the pastor it was decided that it will occur publically during the Easter Vigil and that was “the way we’ve always done it”
4. While making a point during class, the RCIA instructor spoke the word “G-ddamn” at least 2 times.
5. One speaker cited as evidence her personal conversations with Jesus.

The Rite of Acceptance/Welcoming is coming up this Sunday and I honestly don’t know if I want to participate.
What should I do?
Sit through the strange teachings and just plug my ears until Easter Vigil?

I’m sorry this is what you are going through… I joined in 2001 and it was such a beautiful thing…
Is the Priest at the meetings? If not, I’d write down everything you have asked here, and any other questions you have, and make an appointment ASAP to talk with him. Share your concerns. If you don’t agree with the answers given, then find another parish. I think you can switch churches while going through RCIA and still join at the Easter Vigil. God’s blessings to you. Please let us know how this works out!

 

[Trishie]

Do you have no other parish you can follow the graces God has given you? It seems that there may not have been proper formation for the team leading RCIA. I don’t know your location, if in the US perhaps feloow US Catholics can advise you who to speak to regarding possible correction of any errors or misjudgements in handling the RCIA process in your parish. In such a crucial ministry one would think that careful guidance and training of the team would be important.

I ask God to help you to continue to respond to the Holy Spirit in your life and to remain faithful to His gifts to you.

God bless you…Trishie

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

These are just some of the shenanigans going down in my RCIA:

1. We are being instructed to recieve a blessing during Communion (“it doesn’t have to be a priest, anyone distributing communion can do it”)
2. The need to confess to a priest was explained like this:
   God has already forgiven you, but in the early church you had to be forgiven by the congregation as well, so, in an effort to speed up the process the congregation decided to just let the priest speak on their behalf and provide absolution.
3. I am a baptized Catholic in need of conditional baptism, which should take place privately before the Easter Vigil. But, after speaking with the RCIA director and the pastor it was decided that it will occur publically during the Easter Vigil and that was “the way we’ve always done it”
4. While making a point during class, the RCIA instructor spoke the word “G-ddamn” at least 2 times.
5. One speaker cited as evidence her personal conversations with Jesus.

The Rite of Acceptance/Welcoming is coming up this Sunday and I honestly don’t know if I want to participate.
What should I do?
Sit through the strange teachings and just plug my ears until Easter Vigil?

No, you need to take some additional action. You waited too long to ask for our opinions, since there is nothing you can now do most likely until next Monday. Since you know you have been Baptized ( your certain of this?) I would suggest participating in the Rite of Welcome, not Acceptance this Sunday. Don’t ask, (the RCIA director) just do it.

1. That is up to you, remain seated if that is what you would prefere.
2. Write that off as confusion on their part, you know better.
3. Very Important, Contact the diocese directly and speak with the diocesan director for RCIA, or someone from the office for Sacraments and Liturgy.
4. Next time that happened I would stand up and say “EXCUSE ME!”
5. Personal stories are important, but I don’t have a full understanding of the context it happened in.

 

[jfallaw]

I just participated in the rite of acceptance last Sunday. We were also told to go up for a blessing, crossing our hands over our chests to signify that we could not receive communion. I personally was blessed by the priest. Is there something wrong with this? Why should a blessing be wrong?

But I do take issue with alot of things about RCIA here. For instance, one of the books they give us, A Guide to Catholic Customs and Traditions, seems to be very biased AGAINST many Church traditions and laws. For instance, it speaks of the ‘negative’ belief that those who don’t attend Mass are guilty of mortal sin. There are many other instances where it calls Church law or traditions ‘negative’, and I’m only on the second chapter!

But as far as finding another parish, I don’t think that’s called for. If you know the Church’s teachings better than the RCIA directors, then so what? Leaving RCIA will do absolutely no good, but sharing your knowledge with the class might.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I just participated in the rite of acceptance last Sunday. We were also told to go up for a blessing, crossing our hands over our chests to signify that we could not receive communion. I personally was blessed by the priest. Is there something wrong with this? Why should a blessing be wrong?

But I do take issue with alot of things about RCIA here. For instance, one of the books they give us, A Guide to Catholic Customs and Traditions, seems to be very biased AGAINST many Church traditions and laws. For instance, it speaks of the ‘negative’ belief that those who don’t attend Mass are guilty of mortal sin. There are many other instances where it calls Church law or traditions ‘negative’, and I’m only on the second chapter!

But as far as finding another parish, I don’t think that’s called for. If you know the Church’s teachings better than the RCIA directors, then so what? Leaving RCIA will do absolutely no good, but sharing your knowledge with the class might.

It’s generally not appropriate because: 1. The Communion line is for receiving Holy Communion, not a blessing. 2. A person who cannot receive Holy Communion should not even approach the Minister or Extraordinary Minister distributing Holy Communion. 3. Within a liturgical context a lay Extraordinary Minister is not to impart a blessing. 4. Catechumens should not be present at this time during the Mass they should have been dismissed after the Homily.

 

[palmas85]

Unfortunately this thread brings to mind the very reason I even started posting on this forum. I had a friend of mine, co worker, goingthrough RCIA at his parish and what they were teaching wasn’t even close to Catholicism. I knew from teaching RCIA myself that many prgrams were rife with abuses, teaching doctrinal errors, out and out heresy , I know not supposed to say that word anymore, sorry:shrug: and other problems but his took the cake so to speak. I had hoped that with the election of Pope Benedict that there may have been a swing in the general disposition of the teams at RCIA throughout the world towarsda more orthodox presentation of the faith, but apparently in many areas that has not happened.

The old guard is very well entrenched and will not willingly give up their positions of authority. They will often sacrifice almost everything even remotely Catholic in order to prove the inclusiveness and ease of access to the Catholic Church. And if that means gutting the understanding and knowledge of the faith of millions of people then so be it. The Church must modernize and be relevent to modern man. That is their mantra and they will stop at nothing in order to acheive it.

I feel tremendous sympathy for this poster and others like him or her and can only hope and pray that they are able to see through this quagmire that they are faced with and find the truth of the Catholic faith.

 

[jfallaw]

It’s generally not appropriate because: 1. The Communion line is for receiving Holy Communion, not a blessing. 2. A person who cannot receive Holy Communion should not even approach the Minister or Extraordinary Minister distributing Holy Communion. 3. Within a liturgical context a lay Extraordinary Minister is not to impart a blessing. 4. Catechumens should not be present at this time during the Mass they should have been dismissed after the Homily.

Oh, I didn’t realize that. In fact the priest himself invited us to stay after the homily, saying that even though we could not yet receive the sacriment, we should be able to stay and participate with our prayers and worship anyways.

 

[AngelRose81]

Oh, I didn’t realize that. In fact the priest himself invited us to stay after the homily, saying that even though we could not yet receive the sacriment, we should be able to stay and participate with our prayers and worship anyways.

Some parishes dismiss RCIA Candidates and Catechumens after the homily because they all attend the same Mass and have a class/discussion on Sundays. Some do not.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

Oh, I didn’t realize that. In fact the priest himself invited us to stay after the homily, saying that even though we could not yet receive the sacriment, we should be able to stay and participate with our prayers and worship anyways.

He may not understand the historical nature and meaning of it. How powerful it is for those being dismissed and the effect it has on the parish faithful who witness it. It is also unfortunate that you do not participate in Breaking Open the Word.

 

[CWBetts]

It’s generally not appropriate because: 1. The Communion line is for receiving Holy Communion, not a blessing. 2. A person who cannot receive Holy Communion should not even approach the Minister or Extraordinary Minister distributing Holy Communion. 3. Within a liturgical context a lay Extraordinary Minister is not to impart a blessing. 4. Catechumens should not be present at this time during the Mass they should have been dismissed after the Homily.

In my RCIA program last year, we didn’t dismiss after the homily because our Priest wants to participate in the instruction, so we do it during a weekday evening, so catechumens sometimes are there…just seated.

 

[anon77300002]

Until now I haven’t heard anything negative about RCIA . But I have been suspicious because I didn’t know how much of the instruction came from priests.
When I decided to convert a friend introduced me to an FSSP priest. I received personal, orthodox instruction and joined the Roman Catholic Church at a Latin parish. I truly believe that one must seek out orthodox instruction so as to not get led astray.

Dominus vobiscum, Reg.