Elderly person who might want to convert

[cgoodson2002]

I am a convert to Catholicism in a non-religious family.

Right now, my mother, age 90 (who was baptized Catholic but raised as a Lutheran) cannot come to church with me because she will not leave my father alone and we have no one to stay with him (he is an atheist, 89, very ill, probably dying).

She, on the other hand, while unaffiliated with any religion for many years, is a very spiritual person (I know she prays a lot), and I have a feeling that she might like to go with me, once my father is gone.

I know this is a weird question, but if a very old person wanted to convert, they would not be forced to go through RCIA, would they? I am not sure, at her age, if she could even deal with weekly private instructions from a priest over a period of several months (which is what I had when I became a Catholic in 1981).

Is there some other, shorter way? For example, in a situation like that, could a person make a General Confession, Profession of Faith, receive Confirmation, and then be received into the Church? Or is something like that out of the question?

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Speak to a priest about this. All things are possible with God.

 

[thephilosopher6]

I am a convert to Catholicism in a non-religious family.

Right now, my mother, age 90 (who was baptized Catholic but raised as a Lutheran) cannot come to church with me because she will not leave my father alone and we have no one to stay with him (he is an atheist, 89, very ill, probably dying).

She, on the other hand, while unaffiliated with any religion for many years, is a very spiritual person (I know she prays a lot), and I have a feeling that she might like to go with me, once my father is gone.

I know this is a weird question, but if a very old person wanted to convert, they would not be forced to go through RCIA, would they? I am not sure, at her age, if she could even deal with weekly private instructions from a priest over a period of several months (which is what I had when I became a Catholic in 1981).

Is there some other, shorter way? For example, in a situation like that, could a person make a General Confession, Profession of Faith, receive Confirmation, and then be received into the Church? Or is something like that out of the question?

If she was baptized a Catholic she doesn’t need to convert. She is already fully 100% Catholic. Now, seeing that she was raised Lutheran I assume she didn’t get to have her first communion in the Catholic Church nor her first confession. So, this is where you need to contact a priest. The priest will decide what to do. If she is informed on the faith already she may not need catechesis. If she does not catechesis, the priest can privately instruct her. It does not need to be RCIA. The priest will have her go to confession and then she can receive the Eucharist. If she is not able to leave the house then the priest will have to find some other way to administer the sacraments. The Church typically allows priest to give the sacraments to shut-ins. There will be no formal conversion since the Church already considers her Catholic.

I am also praying for your father.

 

[Catholic1954]

Contact your pastor. It is possible that some other arrangement for instruction can be made for your Mom, if she still needs to receive her sacraments.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

I am a convert to Catholicism in a non-religious family.

Right now, my mother, age 90 (who was baptized Catholic but raised as a Lutheran) cannot come to church with me because she will not leave my father alone and we have no one to stay with him (he is an atheist, 89, very ill, probably dying).

She, on the other hand, while unaffiliated with any religion for many years, is a very spiritual person (I know she prays a lot), and I have a feeling that she might like to go with me, once my father is gone.

I know this is a weird question, but if a very old person wanted to convert, they would not be forced to go through RCIA, would they? I am not sure, at her age, if she could even deal with weekly private instructions from a priest over a period of several months (which is what I had when I became a Catholic in 1981).

Is there some other, shorter way? For example, in a situation like that, could a person make a General Confession, Profession of Faith, receive Confirmation, and then be received into the Church? Or is something like that out of the question?

As a priest, I can assure you that this is not that elaborate to arrange. I have done it in a matter of minutes at hospital bedsides, when it was necessary and time was of the essence. At age 90, and with those challenges, one passes through expeditiously to the essential.

Your mother is already Catholic so it is a matter of reconciling her to the Church and Confirming her and, if feasible, convalidating the marriage, which would be a simple renewal of consent in the presence of the priest or deacon…if your father is well enough. All of this can be done by the priest in her home. Then she can be put on the list to receive the sacraments with others who are shut-ins…or you could be trained to be an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion to be able to bring the Eucharist to your mother.

Please contact the priest right away and discuss this with him, explaining her age and circumstances. All of you will be in my prayers. God bless you.