First day RCIA its already a mess please help

[ltehs63]

today was our first day of RCIA the topic was faith. There is really no structure to the classes. Today we just talked about what everyone thought on the readings and what they thought faith to them was. No teaching on what faith means to the catholic church. Someone posed the question if it was ok to disegree with Catholic Church doctrine. The teacher did not give a stand on the issue. She basiclly said it was up to the individual, and they would not be considered a bad Catholic.

two years ago a man in the class said Mary was not an ever virgin. No one knew how to defend the church. I do know but at the time did not. This man left RCIA thinking catholiic teaching was wrong. The week after he left. This guy would be catholic If our teacher knew how to defend the faith. This is just one example of how she dont know how to defend our faith. She knows most of what the Church teaches but does not know how to defend it. So therefore our class shrenks every year.

today the issue came up that not only catholics will be in heaven like Jews, baptist, penticosltal, luteran, etc. but i made the coment that even though they will be in heaven we will all be catholic. That set off the class. A man said no where is Catholic in the bible. And our teacher said “he is a volenteer but I did not know he was going to say that.” If she knew that the Church Jesus founded and that is where he wants us to be then she would not have not said this. And she would have defended me. and if i was given the chance to prove we are the Church then beliveing in what all the Chruch teaches would not be such a problem to teach in RCIA.

any help? what do i do, go to the prest, will he take me serious im only 23. do i write a letter to the bishop?

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

today was our first day of RCIA the topic was faith. There is really no structure to the classes. Today we just talked about what everyone thought on the readings and what they thought faith to them was. No teaching on what faith means to the catholic church. Someone posed the question if it was ok to disegree with Catholic Church doctrine. The teacher did not give a stand on the issue. She basiclly said it was up to the individual, and they would not be considered a bad Catholic.

two years ago a man in the class said Mary was not an ever virgin. No one knew how to defend the church. I do know but at the time did not. This man left RCIA thinking catholiic teaching was wrong. The week after he left. This guy would be catholic If our teacher knew how to defend the faith. This is just one example of how she dont know how to defend our faith. She knows most of what the Church teaches but does not know how to defend it. So therefore our class shrenks every year.

today the issue came up that not only catholics will be in heaven like Jews, baptist, penticosltal, luteran, etc. but i made the coment that even though they will be in heaven we will all be catholic. That set off the class. A man said no where is Catholic in the bible. And our teacher said “he is a volenteer but I did not know he was going to say that.” If she knew that the Church Jesus founded and that is where he wants us to be then she would not have not said this. And she would have defended me. and if i was given the chance to prove we are the Church then beliveing in what all the Chruch teaches would not be such a problem to teach in RCIA.

any help? what do i do, go to the prest, will he take me serious im only 23. do i write a letter to the bishop?

Do what I did, read the Catechism and be prepared to defend the Faith.

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

Welcome to Catholic Answers forums!

If you have no other parishes around that you can explore, then get the new Compendium (softcover is cheaper) and the Catechism itself, and read just like ByzCath suggests. Read ahead and then YOU can ask questions about things covered or not covered.

Otherwise, if you are in the Archdiocese of Detroit, or within driving distance, you have this option:

Adult Catechism with Fr. Perrone at Assumption Grotto! It starts some time in October.

 

[ltehs63]

I know my faith and i am catholic I sponsered my wife 3 years ago. and i like going to rcia because I learn but the teacher knows very little of how to defend the faith and the class is not structural at all. I fill it is somthing I have to do, to come to the class so people will hear the truth wether they want ot or not. she on the other hand does not agree with sertain things, and therfore it is ok for all of them not to agree to. I know im not welcome there but i feel i need to be.

 

[vern_humphrey]

I know my faith and i am catholic I sponsered my wife 3 years ago. and i like going to rcia because I learn but the teacher knows very little of how to defend the faith and the class is not structural at all. I fill it is somthing I have to do, to come to the class so people will hear the truth wether they want ot or not. she on the other hand does not agree with sertain things, and therfore it is ok for all of them not to agree to. I know im not welcome there but i feel i need to be.

There is no silver bullet – the RCIA teacher has to KNOW the faith, and that’s something that can’t be learned overnight.

These forums are very helpful – because they force you to find answers to defend yourself or your position. I have been driven to read the Catechism deeply to be able to intelligetly engage in discussions here.

But the real answer is – when you get a question, find an answer. You may lose someone without an immediate answer, but once you’ve found the answer, you can deal with that particular question if it ever comes up again – and my experience is you will find the same questions appearing over and over.

Another point is to develop a debating technique. For example, you mentioned the oft-heard argument that the name “Catholic” isn’t in the Bible. Neither is Episcopalian, Prysbeterian, or any other Church name. Don’t let yourself be led down the garden path of accepting something like that as a valid argument.

 

[Liberian]

Itehs63,

Hello and welcome to the Catholic Answers Forums! I hope you have a blessed and fruitful time here.

I suggest that you go to the priest first. Even if you are only 23, if you have your ducks in a row there is a good chance that the priest will take you seriously. Here are some ducks that you may need to line up:

(1) Make it absolutely, perfectly clear that you are not criticizing or attacking the teacher. I’m sure she is doing the best she can in a difficult job. Your concern is strictly that there are some things that are being taught or not being taught.

(2) Be specific in your concerns. Rather than a vague “I am concerned that Catholic doctrine is not being taught properly” have a specific “last week a student asked if it was okay to to disagree with Catholic church doctrine and the teacher said .”

(3) Try to figure out what other interpretations are possible of what people said. For example, while your comment that in Heaven we will all be Catholic was (I am sure) meant as a statement of “Ex ecclesiae nulla salus,” I could make a case that in Heave we will not all be Catholic as we will have moved beyond such categories–just as in Heaven people neither marry nor are given in marriage. So strictly speaking, it may be possible to interpret your statement as an incorrect statement.

(4) If you wind up writing a letter, doublecheck your spelling and grammar. Nothing will stop somebody from listening to you faster than bad spelling and grammar.

(5) Have Catechism references to back up every single thing you say.

Hang in there and I wish you all the best.

• Liberian

 

[Lux_et_veritas]

I know my faith and i am catholic I sponsered my wife 3 years ago. and i like going to rcia because I learn but the teacher knows very little of how to defend the faith and the class is not structural at all. I fill it is somthing I have to do, to come to the class so people will hear the truth wether they want ot or not. she on the other hand does not agree with sertain things, and therfore it is ok for all of them not to agree to. I know im not welcome there but i feel i need to be.

Have you approached the pastor with specific concerns? Is he approachable?

IMHO, there cannot be a more important thing for any pastor or parish priest than teaching those exploring or entering the faith, aside from celebrating the Mass itself. God Bless my pastor for recognizing this and acting on it each year. Priests should be teaching these classes, or people who are well versed in apologetics, and very solid knowledge of the CCC. Too often, they just put some well-intended person in the slot who volunteers, but this doesn’t help anyone and can cause more harm.

 

[Psalm45_9]

I know my faith and i am catholic I sponsered my wife 3 years ago. and i like going to rcia because I learn but the teacher knows very little of how to defend the faith and the class is not structural at all. I fill it is somthing I have to do, to come to the class so people will hear the truth wether they want ot or not. she on the other hand does not agree with sertain things, and therfore it is ok for all of them not to agree to. I know im not welcome there but i feel i need to be.

This is partly why I became involved in RCIA. The instructors know the faith, but they don’t know it enough, meaning history of the church and defending its dogmas. I’ll pray for your church.

 

[Church_Militant]

RCIA can be really weird.

If you do nothing more than take the new Compendium of the CCC to class with you, at least then you have some substantive church document to offer on any given point.

Patience is going to be a key factor. Remember that many parishes have had problems since the 60s and these things aren’t gonna get fixed overnight. As with all things apologetic, we must always be smart enough to provide accurate info without letting heat and emotion get in the way. We provide the truth…the rest is the work of the Holy Spirit, and that’s the way God does things.

The other critical thing is Biblical knowledge, a “chapter & verse” area where most Catholics think we are deficient. The fact is that most faithful Catholics actually know the Bible better than our n-C counterparts, having heard it every Mass we participate in for years and years. N-Cs on the other hand, tend to know chapter & verse of selected passages (mostly re: “The Way of Salvation” for their “witnessing”) but I have found that when it comes to general Biblical knowledge, I can “smoke” most n-Cs who attempt to “witness” to me or contend points of Catholic teaching. Read the Bible. Know what it says and make notes if ya have to. (Ever see a Bible that a devout n-C uses for his personal study? Sucker is all kinds of marked up and has his penciled in notes all in the margins. It’s a trick that we Catholics can learn from. My own paperback Douay-Rheims Bible looks like it belongs to one of them. )

Just keep working the RCIA classes guys and let the Holy Spirit do all the heart changing work.
Pax Domini sit semper vobiscum,

 

[spalady]

I would like to say I know there are some very solid RCIA programs out there. I first went through RCIA 27 years ago. It was ok. The priest did a good job. It (RCIA) was just beginning. We didn’t have the resources available today.

Last year I went through RCIA again - as a revert - and the program was excellent. The RCIA team was amazing. They really knew what they were talking about. When someone didn’t know an answer - someone else on the team did. It was a large team - because it’s a very large program. I know that some parishes may not be as fortunate.

We can always pray for RCIA team members and those going through the program.

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

today was our first day of RCIA the topic was faith. There is really no structure to the classes. Today we just talked about what everyone thought on the readings and what they thought faith to them was. No teaching on what faith means to the catholic church. Someone posed the question if it was ok to disegree with Catholic Church doctrine. The teacher did not give a stand on the issue. She basiclly said it was up to the individual, and they would not be considered a bad Catholic.

two years ago a man in the class said Mary was not an ever virgin. No one knew how to defend the church. I do know but at the time did not. This man left RCIA thinking catholiic teaching was wrong. The week after he left. This guy would be catholic If our teacher knew how to defend the faith. This is just one example of how she dont know how to defend our faith. She knows most of what the Church teaches but does not know how to defend it. So therefore our class shrenks every year.

today the issue came up that not only catholics will be in heaven like Jews, baptist, penticosltal, luteran, etc. but i made the coment that even though they will be in heaven we will all be catholic. That set off the class. A man said no where is Catholic in the bible. And our teacher said “he is a volenteer but I did not know he was going to say that.” If she knew that the Church Jesus founded and that is where he wants us to be then she would not have not said this. And she would have defended me. and if i was given the chance to prove we are the Church then beliveing in what all the Chruch teaches would not be such a problem to teach in RCIA.

any help? what do i do, go to the prest, will he take me serious im only 23. do i write a letter to the bishop?

If you are not directing the RCIA process then it will be very hard to have any impact. I would suggest speaking with your pastor before doing anything.

 

[Gottle_of_Geer]

today the issue came up that not only catholics will be in heaven like Jews, baptist, penticosltal, luteran, etc. but i made the coment that even though they will be in heaven we will all be catholic.

But, the CC does not teach this. The Catholic name is needed to distinguish our lot of Christians from other lots of Christians only because we are not in communion with them. If we were, this distinction of us from them would be not be needed.​

In heaven, these distinctions do not exist - all are in communion with one another. So there will be no need for the name. ##

That set off the class. A man said no where is Catholic in the bible.

Nor is it.​

And our teacher said “he is a volenteer but I did not know he was going to say that.” If she knew that the Church Jesus founded and that is where he wants us to be then she would not have not said this. And she would have defended me. and if i was given the chance to prove we are the Church then beliveing in what all the Chruch teaches would not be such a problem to teach in RCIA.

any help? what do i do, go to the prest, will he take me serious im only 23. do i write a letter to the bishop?

 

[Reformed_Rob]

today was our first day of RCIA the topic was faith. There is really no structure to the classes. Today we just talked about what everyone thought on the readings and what they thought faith to them was.

Wow, that sounds like a recipe for disaster!

Not that the Holy Spirit would work wonders in spite of what seems to be disorganization and lack of genuine Catholic teaching, but you know what I mean.

I thought that all those in any teaching capacity whatsoever in the US Catholic Church were required to go to classes and be trained and all that! That doesn’t guarantee anything really, but it is a step in the right direction.

Maybe you could ask if the teacher has met diocesian Religious Ed / Catechesis requirements to take on such a big responsibility as teaching RCIA.

I would caution you against disagreeing on the spot with something that the teacher says, because it could portray disunity to those interested in the Faith. Unless of course it’s like really bad and you just can’t be silent!

Perhaps you could make a note of a particular something, and then at the next class you could bring it up after studying up a little and say something based upon authentic Church teaching that will bring people closer to the truth. The teacher may even appreciate it…who knows?

 

[Milliardo]

That’s why I’ve always said that a cathechist isn’t necessarily an apologist; cathechists teach the basics of the faith, though I often find out that they do not go into it too deeply. I feel that a cathechist should also be trained to do apologetics, as they’re the first line of defense when it comes to meeting people who would become Catholics.

 

[puzzleannie]

If this is the first day of RCIA, you may be in the beginning of the inquiry phase, which precedes formal structured teaching of the faith, and is intended to be what it implies, a chance to ask questions and get initial answers, not a theological treatise. someone with a background in apologetics is an ideal person to have in the inquiry team, or someone who knows how to access apologetics material on specific topics.

OP also does not say if this is the catechetical portion of the process, which should be more formal and structured, follow a set curriculum and be taught by a qualified catechist, OR is this the process known as Breaking Open the Word where the Sunday scriptures are explored and a brief teaching and discussion based on them is given.

it is not necessary after the first day of class to have a thorough understanding of the faith, and it is also unfortunately not enough time to assess the quality of the teaching that will be going on. Also, participants may not yet be clear who everyone involved is. some may be the catechists, who should be presumed to be properly trained and know what they are talking about. Others may be sponsors, chosen as faithful Catholics to accompany catechumens, who share their own knowledge and understanding, but who may or may not have a good grounding.

give it some time, and if after a few weeks you have more questions and problems, relay them to the pastor but be very specific. not: the teacher doesn’t seem to know the faith very well
but: the teacher told us this about the Virgin birth, quoted from your notes, which seems wrong to me, can you help me.

 

[Jennifer_G]

I wonder what my first day of RCIA (I hope I can go…) will be like. A former neighbor of ours is teaching the classes.

BTW, what’s a sponser? I guess she’ll be my sponser anyway.

 

[Texas_Roofer]

I wonder what my first day of RCIA (I hope I can go…) will be like. A former neighbor of ours is teaching the classes.

BTW, what’s a sponser? I guess she’ll be my sponser anyway.

A sponsor is a member of the church who is assigned to you to help you

Sponsor - depending on the book you read the sponsor duties are very different. We are going with the sponsor is a short term role to (1)welcome you (2) find out who you are (3)and where you are on your journey, then(4) correct your path if needed (5) partner with you in training exercises (6) step aside for your Godparents.

 

[Scott_Waddell]

That set off the class. A man said no where is Catholic in the bible.

Catholic IS in the bible:

Acts 9:31

31h men oun ekklhsia kaq olhV thV ioudaiaV

 

[pilchard]

acmrcia.org/index2.html is a useful resource. You might even consider attending one of their team training seminars

 

[rwoehmke]

A sponsor is a member of the church who is assigned to you to help you

Sponsor - depending on the book you read the sponsor duties are very different. We are going with the sponsor is a short term role to (1)welcome you (2) find out who you are (3)and where you are on your journey, then(4) correct your path if needed (5) partner with you in training exercises (6) step aside for your Godparents.

In my opinion Puzzle Annie’s post made a lot of sense and was correct. I have been an instructor in RCIA for at least 15 years and people need an opportunity to share who they are and where they are coming from. That of course shouldn’t comprise all there is. It is important to correct misconceptions about what the Church teaches and in due time to emphasize teaching over sharing. In the period of time devoted to “breaking open the word” I am constantly amazed by the insights that many non-Catholics have on the readings. We choose practicing Catholics to be sponsors for our participants. They are expected to do (3) and (4) above , sit at Mass and be in class with their catachumen/candidate,to take part in the rites, and I think more importantly to share their own Faith journey with the catachemens/candidates. They ultimately become God parent to the catchumens at the Easter Vigil. Many of the friendships/relationships persist for years afterwards. I don’t recall that we got this role out of a book, but this is how we do it. As for teaching, we have had a team of four since we began. Some members have changed from time to time. Currently we are led by a Nun who is 85 years old who has a background in teaching in grade school, on the college level, in parish ministry to the sick etc, and more. She is a very upbeat, vigorous individual, has a doctorate in education and has been a fund raiser for her order at some time in the past. Then there is a revert with a masters in theology from Ave Maria University, a convert who went through RCIA three or four years ago and who is great on scripture, and myself.