Do LDS baptize converts immediately?

[RebeccaJ]

In a small parish there may be only one person inquiring into the Catholic Church so there isn’t a group to go through RCIA with unfortunately. I came into the Church in a large suburban parish (6,000+ registered families). There were about 15 people who were baptized along with the same number who were already baptized but confirmed, so 30 total came into the Church at the Easter Vigil last year. They had a similar number enter the Church this past weekend. That doesn’t include the group that enters the Church at Christ the King, which is usually a smaller group but still usually about 10 people.

Wonderful!

:extrahappy:

 

[SteveVH]

That parish is the only on in 60 miles. Perils of living in the middle of no where…

And wouldn’t a 1-on-1 defeat the class-bonding experience you were talking about earlier?

I would only add that while there may be disadvantages associated with 1 on 1, there are also advantages such as getting into more detailed discussions and having the sole attention of the teacher(s) and priest. And there is, or should be, a bond with the local parishioners, not the same as fellow catechumenates, but a strong bond nonetheless.

 

[Stephen168]

In a small parish there may be only one person inquiring into the Catholic Church so there isn’t a group to go through RCIA with unfortunately. I came into the Church in a large suburban parish (6,000+ registered families). **There were about 15 people who were baptized **along with the same number who were already baptized but confirmed, so 30 total came into the Church at the Easter Vigil last year. They had a similar number enter the Church this past weekend. That doesn’t include the group that enters the Church at Christ the King, which is usually a smaller group but still usually about 10 people.

I’ve been surprised how many people in recent years require baptism when coming into the church. It seemed like not to long ago most converts were Christian. At our small college town parish we had 9 come into the Church and 7 required baptism. Interesting.

 

[RebeccaJ]

That will only increase as society grows more secular.

More Catholics will need to work in RCIA! (Yes, I said it again. )

 

[iepuras]

Wonderful!

:extrahappy:

Last year when I came into the Church, one of the bishops (not the Cardinal) was bragging about how about 2,200 people were coming into the Church at Easter Vigil in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. I don’t know how many came in this past weekend, but I would not be surprised if it is a similar number.

Edited to add: And Catholics do not knock on doors seeking converts. We were attracted to the Church and sought her out.

 

[SteveVH]

Last year when I came into the Church, one of the bishops (not the Cardinal) was bragging about how about 2,200 people were coming into the Church at Easter Vigil in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. I don’t know how many came in this past weekend, but I would not be surprised if it is a similar number.

Edited to add: And Catholics do not knock on doors seeking converts. We were attracted to the Church and sought her out.

As a friend and recent convert to the Catholic Church told me: “I didn’t want to become Catholic. I was compelled to become Catholic”.

 

[iepuras]

As a friend and recent convert to the Catholic Church told me: “I didn’t want to become Catholic. I was compelled to become Catholic”.

This is definitely applicable to me as well!

 

[RebeccaJ]

Last year when I came into the Church, one of the bishops (not the Cardinal) was bragging about how about 2,200 people were coming into the Church at Easter Vigil in the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. I don’t know how many came in this past weekend, but I would not be surprised if it is a similar number.

Edited to add: And Catholics do not knock on doors seeking converts. We were attracted to the Church and sought her out.

Our Catholic backwater has about 400 a year who are baptized at Easter. Many who are former LDS. Still, there could be more. We need so many people in RCIA that we can’t handle them all. Seriously!

The number of Catholics who no longer practice increases, and they don’t have their children baptized. Those children grow up, and some come looking for the faith their family once practiced.

 

[RebeccaJ]

This is definitely applicable to me as well!

Same here.

 

[taylorf]

Do LDS baptize converts immediately?

I’m wondering because some of my friends have left the Church to become lds and they seem to have been baptized overnight.

Yes, and a lot of it has to do with how missionaries are instructed to convert. The goal is, in the shortest amount of time possible, to get them to feel good about the message, have them acknowledge that it feels good, tell them that it is the Holy Ghost witnessing to them that it’s true, and then commit them to baptism.

It’s important to baptize them while they still have this good feeling, otherwise it may fade and they will be more susceptible to changing their mind.

At least that’s what was continually reinforced when I was a missionary.

 

[iepuras]

Our Catholic backwater has about 400 a year who are baptized at Easter. Many who are former LDS. Still, there could be more. We need so many people in RCIA that we can’t handle them all. Seriously!

The number of Catholics who no longer practice increases, and they don’t have their children baptized. Those children grow up, and some come looking for the faith their family once practiced.

Let me guess, you work on the RCIA team. I would love to work in RCIA. Unfortunately, I have young children so I don’t have the time to devote to RCIA. Maybe in 10 years! Even though we are Byzantine and attend a Byzantine parish, we are also affiliated with the local Roman Catholic parish where my kids attend CCE and VBS. My poor kids always get confused as to how to do the sign of the cross!

Interestingly, there are more and more Protestant denominations that don’t emphasize baptism. So when these Christians come home to the Catholic Church many of them also need to be baptized.

With the increased secularization of our culture, I would not be surprised if the children and grandchildren of atheists and agnostics find their way to Christianity. I have a friend who entered the Church with me last year who was raised atheist. When she rebelled as a teen, guess what she did? She became a Baptist. Lol.

 

[twopekinguys]

I will also add that in RCIA, we talked about the good, the bad and the ugly. We talked about history. We talked about controversial issues such as birth control and abortion.

When I was the Lay Director of RCIA (18 years), I would tell all inquirers from the very beginning that absolutely no topic was out of bounds.

Just doing a quick scan of the records before I left, we had over 200 people come through, and complete RCIA, with about an 80% retention.

We’ve even had a few converts go on to become priests, and religious brothers and sisters.

Our particular RCIA program was noticed by the Bishop, and most of our program became the standard for our diocese.

I can’t tell you how many times people would comment on how they were impressed with how open and frank we are/were about sensitive issues.

ETA: I would also like to mention, that every inquirer was also told there were no pressure tactics employed. You can quit at any time, just let us know, we’ll say a quick prayer, send you on your way, and not hound you.

The only exception would be if you came up to me 5 minutes before the Easter Vigil and try to back out. You are NOT messing up my seating chart or exit procession.

 

[Horton]

The only exception would be if you came up to me 5 minutes before the Easter Vigil and try to back out. You are NOT messing up my seating chart or exit procession.

You sound just like the RCIA director of my previous parish

 

[RebeccaJ]

Let me guess, you work on the RCIA team. I would love to work in RCIA. Unfortunately, I have young children so I don’t have the time to devote to RCIA. Maybe in 10 years! Even though we are Byzantine and attend a Byzantine parish, we are also affiliated with the local Roman Catholic parish where my kids attend CCE and VBS. My poor kids always get confused as to how to do the sign of the cross!

Interestingly, there are more and more Protestant denominations that don’t emphasize baptism. So when these Christians come home to the Catholic Church many of them also need to be baptized.

With the increased secularization of our culture, I would not be surprised if the children and grandchildren of atheists and agnostics find their way to Christianity. I have a friend who entered the Church with me last year who was raised atheist. When she rebelled as a teen, guess what she did? She became a Baptist. Lol.

I think it was Andrew Sullivan, who years ago wrote that he would raise children Catholic, just because if he didn’t he knew he would come home one day to find a shrine to Vishnu in a corner of his house,

I think that is how more than a few people view religion…something to teach their kids so they don’t pick up something on their own.

 

[debbie_h]

I will also add that in RCIA, we talked about the good, the bad and the ugly. We talked about history. We talked about controversial issues such as birth control and abortion.

There are many things that LDS missionaries will not discuss or bring up with investigators unless the investigator brings it up himself. When will the essays be added to the Preach My Gospel manual?

This is why I loved RCIA so much. Not only did the priest & teachers give us the basics of the Catholic faith, all topics were up for Discussion. We were encouraged to ask as many questions as we each wanted & we were given real answers & explanations, not wishy washy ‘let’s just move on so we can get you baptised quickly’’ types. We were encouraged to use both logic & reason.
I think it’s great that the RCIA process takes several months or longer. That way, we know fully what we’re are committing ourselves to & we come out the other end ready for our baptism into the church.

 

[KjetilK]

LDS missionaries certainly try to. They ask for a commitment to baptism early in the teaching process, well before they finish teaching all the official lessons. Even those lessons only cover the “milk” of LDS doctrine. Missionaries generally try to stay away from the “meat” as it tends to scare off investigators of the faith. It is not unheard of for people to be baptized a couple of weeks after starting lessons with the missionaries.

And many LDS-converts leave the Mormon church within the first year. And, AFAIK, almost all African American converts leave once they find out what the Mormons actually teach about them.

 

[debbie_h]

They are impatient because making a conversion is a big plus to the missionary’s resume.

Very true. Reminds me of the ‘baseball baptisms’ I briefly read about doing a quick google search. I certainly didn’t realise it at the time but We were always encouraged to bring our ‘non-member’ friends to youth activities & whenever we had parties, the missionaries were invited too. Very weird for a kids or teenagers party…

 

[debbie_h]

RCIA is a process. It is where a non-Christian adult is taught the faith in its entirety. It is where any and all questions are answered. It is where a person begins their discipleship of Christ. Scripture study, breaking open the word, prayer and study of the faith is the class part. There is an interior part, of the person turning to Christ. Creating or building a prayer life and spiritual devotions. There is a fellowship aspect, where the person is entering a community, our parishes. It is a time of discernment, where the Catechumen is seeking the will of God and deciding if baptism is where God is calling them. There is no rush. The Rite of Acceptance incorporates the person into the Church in a special way, which supports them and prepares them to live a Christian life, that begins at baptism.

Oh yes! I must also add that we were encouraged pray & to put what we have learned into practice at our own pace (without taking the communion until we are baptised of course :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes. I liked that we were never put down or coerced into it though.

 

[debbie_h]

I’ve been surprised how many people in recent years require baptism when coming into the church. It seemed like not to long ago most converts were Christian. At our small college town parish we had 9 come into the Church and 7 required baptism. Interesting.

I can’t speak for the other parishes & Rites in my area. As there are only a few Marontie parishes within reasonable distance from me. When I was in RCIA we were in a class of 6 people (Buddhist, Muslim, agnostic & Mormon). We all were baptised in our own Maronite parishes. The Maronite diocese of Sydney.

 

[PaulDupre1]

Yes, and a lot of it has to do with how missionaries are instructed to convert. The goal is, in the shortest amount of time possible, to get them to feel good about the message, have them acknowledge that it feels good, tell them that it is the Holy Ghost witnessing to them that it’s true, and then commit them to baptism.

It’s important to baptize them while they still have this good feeling, otherwise it may fade and they will be more susceptible to changing their mind.

At least that’s what was continually reinforced when I was a missionary.

Same here.

Paul (formerly LDS, now happily Catholic)