Family Entering the Church before Easter Vigil

[TiberSwimmer90]

Me and my wife have agreed to enter the Catholic Church after much study, RCIA, meeting with a priest a few times, and attending Mass regularly for over 8 months now. We will have a son in late October/early November, more likely late October. We have made our intention to join and have our son baptized known to the pastor at our parish. He said he has to obtain permission from the diocese before going forward. Understandable.

Here are my questions:

How common is it to have a family join outside of Easter Vigil? Me and my wife are both validly baptized Protestants.

If they tell us no, will we be expected to baptize our son before or wait until Easter Vigil all together?

I know you can’t join or do anything major during Advent season, so I was wondering if it would be acceptable to try to join on Christ the King Sunday, just before Advent.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

How common is it to have a family join outside of Easter Vigil? Me and my wife are both validly baptized Protestants.

It really depends on the parish and the diocese. When I was leading RCIA our practice was that those who were already baptized could be received into the Church at any time EXCEPT the Easter Vigil. As soon as we felt someone was ready we received them. But other parishes focus on the Vigil and don’t have other dates.

If they tell us no, will we be expected to baptize our son before or wait until Easter Vigil all together?

Something to discuss with our pastor. For a child to be baptized there must be a well founded hope the child will be brought up in the Church.

I know you can’t join or do anything major during Advent season, so I was wondering if it would be acceptable to try to join on Christ the King Sunday, just before Advent.

Again, something to discuss with your pastor.

 

[1ke]

Weird.

He doesn’t need additional permission beyond what he already has to bring already baptized Christians into the Church and confirm them. And there is certainly no impediment to doing that on any convenient date, certainly no requirement that it be on Easter Vigil.

 

[SMHW]

I agree that it depends on the parish and the diocese.

Unless your bishop does not allow pastors to confirm outside of the Easter Vigil, or there is some other diocesan rule against it, a pastor is allowed to bring baptized Christians into the Church whenever he thinks they are ready.

At my parish this is done during a regular Sunday Mass.

(We no longer receive baptized Christians into the Church at the Easter Vigil unless it is due to special circumstances like when a family with both adult baptized and unbaptized family members wish to joint the Church.)

At one point during the Mass, the priest will have you make a profession of faith and he will confirm you.

As for your son, if he is born prior to you being received into the Church, it might be possible for him to be baptized at that same Mass. But he could also be baptized later.

 

[Horton]

He doesn’t need additional permission beyond what he already has to bring already baptized Christians into the Church and confirm them.

A priest does need delegation even for the Easter Vigil. It’s not an automatic thing.

 

[TheLittleLady]

I know you can’t join or do anything major during Advent season,

Not sure who told you that.

Validly baptized Christians, at the discretion of their Pastor and permission of the Bishop (he must give the faculties for Confirmation) , may make their Profession of Faith and be received on a random Tuesday, or any other day except Good Friday (unless there are grave reasons to do it on Good Friday).

 

[Phemie]

1ke:

He doesn’t need additional permission beyond what he already has to bring already baptized Christians into the Church and confirm them.

A priest does need delegation even for the Easter Vigil. It’s not an automatic thing.

He needs permission from the Bishop to receive them into full communion or to baptize them. Canon 883 gives him the faculty to confirm those adults he baptizes or receives into full communion.

 

[1ke]

He needs permission from the Bishop to receive them into full communion or to baptize them.

Which he seems to already have.

 

[Phemie]

Phemie:

He needs permission from the Bishop to receive them into full communion or to baptize them.

Which he seems to already have.

I agree. I was rather responding to Horton’s comment about special delegation for the Easter Vigil. That would only be necessary if Catholics were being confirmed at the Vigil. No delegation necessary in the other two cases.

 

[1ke]

I agree. I was rather responding to Horton’s comment about special delegation for the Easter Vigil. That would only be necessary if Catholics were being confirmed at the Vigil. No delegation necessary in the other two cases.

Gotcha!! Thanks! Somehow I overlooked that post. Thanks for posting the canons that are relevant.