First night of RCIA

[mikeda]

Hello! I’ve been lurking this forum for a week or so, figured I would register. I have my first night of RCIA tonight, and am incredibly nervous about it. Not entirely sure why, but I am. The whole idea of God is foreign to me, and rightfully so, considering the way I’ve lived for the last 20 years. I was baptized Catholic when I was very young, and I had a first communion, but again, was very young. As of the last year or so, I’ve grown spiritually.

I’m drawn back to the Catholic Church though. My first daughter was born this year and I’d like to get her baptized Catholic. I figure this would be a great journey her and I can take. But, I’m very nervous…is this pretty normal? Have you guys gone through this?

 

[CB_Catholic]

I have been on our RCIA team for about 6 years now, and can tell you this is VERY normal. Just relax, enjoy the classes, learn what you can (you can’t learn everything and are not expected to), and continue to grow spiritually. And welcome home.

 

[peter26]

Although I received private instruction from my parish priest, I’ve just finished the process of converting. My advice is to immerse yourself in the Catholic faith as much as possible from Day 1. Make sure you are at Mass every Sunday as a minimum, go in the week as well if you are able. Learn the responses, join in and don’t be afraid to sing even if few others are! Start saying Catholic prayers every day (an Our Father and a Hail Mary before you go to bed would be a good start). Read up on anything about the faith that interests you. I can recommend the little booklets published by the Catholic Truth Society for this. Also, start reading the Bible regularly. I’d also strongly recommend a mini-pilgrimage in the form of a day trip to a nearby shrine or cathedral at some point in your journey. Go to Mass there, and spend some time in prayer. This was very powerful for me in deciding to become a Catholic.

 

[PJM]

=mikeda;13446648]Hello! I’ve been lurking this forum for a week or so, figured I would register. I have my first night of RCIA tonight, and am incredibly nervous about it. Not entirely sure why, but I am. The whole idea of God is foreign to me, and rightfully so, considering the way I’ve lived for the last 20 years. I was baptized Catholic when I was very young, and I had a first communion, but again, was very young. As of the last year or so, I’ve grown spiritually.

I’m drawn back to the Catholic Church though. My first daughter was born this year and I’d like to get her baptized Catholic. I figure this would be a great journey her and I can take. But, I’m very nervous…is this pretty normal? Have you guys gone through this?

Having been blessed to co-teach RCIA for 3 years; I can assure the answer is YES! BUT their is no need to be.

RCIA [the Rites in Christian Initiation for Adults is the normal path for entry into the Catholic Church for those either coming from another faith basis; or like yourself; perhaps lacking sufficient faith formation.

Usually it runs from Back to school until Easter Sunday; but the pastor has great latitude in these dates.

RCIA aims to introduce the Basis of the Catholic Faith sufficiently so that one can choose for themselves to enter or not to enter into the Catholic Church. It’s a wonderful experiece:thumbsup:

That said: Catholicism has a 2,000 year history going back to Jesus and the 12 Apostles chosen by him. It’s impossible for RCIA to cover all that an Informed and fully practicing
Catholic really ought to know. So after completing the course a period termed Mystagoa
; a period of more in depth study of our faith is expected.

Ask a lot of questions and enjoy the experience. PRAY much! Ask the Holy Spirit to join you and to assist you.

God Bless you,

Patrick [PJM] here on CAF

 

[marlap2]

A heartfelt welcome home to you.

 

[tawny]

Welcome home & God bless you on your RCIA journey. Praying for the intentions of you & your family.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Welcome home! I feel as though you are being guided by the Holy Spirit to return to the Catholic church. I am sure the birth of your daughter has helped! It is normal to feel nervous, but enjoy the clssses and study on your own. I read anything I could find on Catholicism and hadn’t been to church for 20+ years before I converted. That was 7 years ago. I am 63 now. God bless!

 

[Catholic1954]

Hello! I’ve been lurking this forum for a week or so, figured I would register. I have my first night of RCIA tonight, and am incredibly nervous about it. Not entirely sure why, but I am. The whole idea of God is foreign to me, and rightfully so, considering the way I’ve lived for the last 20 years. I was baptized Catholic when I was very young, and I had a first communion, but again, was very young. As of the last year or so, I’ve grown spiritually.

I’m drawn back to the Catholic Church though. My first daughter was born this year and I’d like to get her baptized Catholic. I figure this would be a great journey her and I can take. But, I’m very nervous…is this pretty normal? Have you guys gone through this?

Like all life changing, first steps, being nervous is 100% normal! The feeling will go away after the first 10mins, and by this time next year, all will be well, and you will be receiving the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Risen Lord Jesus in the Eucharist. Welcome Home; let us know how things are going and if we can answer any of your questions, issues or concerns that were not covered in class. :grouphug:

 

[sirach2v4]

If you are IN RCIA, then you are in the right place. Yes, that’s very good – you were already baptized many years ago but did not practice the faith, so it’s entirely right that you are in RCIA.

Many life-long Catholics can wander in and out of church for Mass, and then they seem to forget about it until they go to church next weekend. I do forget myself, more than I want to admit.

But, being a Catholic is not a part-time job; it is 24/7/365.

One of the parts of the mass, is just before the priest reads the gospel, he and everyone makes the sign of the cross on their forehead, on their lips, and over their heart. If I’m not mistaken, the right words to say with this are: May the Lord be in my mind, on my lips, and in my heart.

I’m trying to make a habit of saying those words a couple times throughout the day, especially when I am meeting others.

The Catholic Church is not a club. It is there to make us saints, by knowing and following Jesus Christ. The image of all those migrants from Syria walking to Europe, that is the real image of our journey to God the Father, accompanied by Jesus.

 

[Beryllos]

It’s wonderful how having children can bring parents back to the church. It happened to me!

God bless you, and may the Holy Spirit strengthen and guide you on your spiritual journey.

 

[Luz_Maria]

Welcome Home!

It is normal to be nervous, but we are family. Just like any family the Church has many households (parishes) and each one has its own little idiosyncrasies. Then, there are different traditions in different countries. For instance, what the Spanish-speakers say when we do the three crosses (with a cross made with the thumb on top of the index finger) is:

• Por la señal de la Santa Cruz, [Through the sign of the Holy Cross]
• de nuestro enemigos [from our enemies]
• líbranos, Señor, Dios nuestro. [keep us/save us/free us, Lord, our God]
  And then we bless ourselves: “En el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo." Then kiss the Cross made with the thumb and the index finger.

This long form is called “persignarse” and the other one with only the large cross is “santiguarse” which I’d roughly translate as signing yourself and blessing yourself.

The Mother Catholic Church is a very understanding Mother and each Family will do things slightly different. The way I put it at times is to compare chicken roasted by different ethnic groups: it is the same chicken, with different flavors.

Enjoy the Faith for it is beautiful! Welcome to the Family!

Luz Maria

 

[AKDee]

My advice is to immerse yourself in the Catholic faith as much as possible from Day 1.

I second this. I was in the 2014-2015 RCIA at my parish and was baptized/confirmed at Easter 2015. I did a lot of study on the side. I read books. I listened to CD’s. I watched videos. And later, I joined this forum, which is a wealth of information in itself. The RCIA instructors did a great job, but the Catholic faith is bigger than a couple hours a week for a few months can cover. I’m still reading, still learning, and hopefully I never stop. I feel like I’ve got a lot of what we believe down, and now I’m trying to learn how Catholics live. What daily devotions am I drawn to? Do I want to wear a scapular? What type of prayer works best for me? In what way are my talents suited to help serve the Church? I’m doing this essentially by myself so it’s a huge learning curve for me. But I’m enjoying the process and I do feel led by the Spirit on this journey. I hope that you, too, feel that way and that you enjoy the journey.

 

[mikeda]

Thanks for all of your (name removed by moderator)ut. The first night was a pretty good experience. Though I do feel like everyone around me is speaking a different language, I’m sure that feeling will pass.

 

[abucs]

It’s wonderful how having children can bring parents back to the church. It happened to me!

God bless you, and may the Holy Spirit strengthen and guide you on your spiritual journey.

Hello Berylos,

can i asked what exactly brought you back if you don’t mind? Was it being responsible for someone else or the experience of becoming a parent or something else?

I am always interested to hear about people heading in the right direction.

 

[Catholic1954]

Thanks for all of your (name removed by moderator)ut. The first night was a pretty good experience. Though I do feel like everyone around me is speaking a different language, I’m sure that feeling will pass.

It will; don’t be shy about stopping the talk or discussion and ask for clarification or definition of a term or word you are unsure about. The team is there for you and answering questions is the fun part of the job. Anyway, you can count on at one other person in the room who has the same question, but didn’t ask.

 

[7_Sorrows]

Thanks for all of your (name removed by moderator)ut. The first night was a pretty good experience. Though I do feel like everyone around me is speaking a different language, I’m sure that feeling will pass.

the language of Truth!

 

[Beryllos]

… can i asked what exactly brought you back if you don’t mind? Was it being responsible for someone else or the experience of becoming a parent or something else?

For years prior to the arrival of children, we had gotten out of the habit of going to church. Then, for a while, we thought it would be enough to bring up the kids with Bible stories and moral instruction at home. Eventually it occurred to us that we should get the kids baptized and bring them to church regularly. Since then we haven’t skipped Sunday Mass except for rare and difficult circumstances. I have been participating in some of the Bible study and Catechism programs offered to adults at our parish (but not RCIA), and I am teaching religious education to children. I also hang out here at CAF from time to time.

So, to answer your question, what nudged me back was, as you say, “being responsible for someone else,” beginning with an attitude like “I don’t really need church, but my kids do,” and then realizing I need it too.

 

[7_Sorrows]

For years prior to the arrival of children, we had gotten out of the habit of going to church. Then, for a while, we thought it would be enough to bring up the kids with Bible stories and moral instruction at home. Eventually it occurred to us that we should get the kids baptized and bring them to church regularly. Since then we haven’t skipped Sunday Mass except for rare and difficult circumstances. I have been participating in some of the Bible study and Catechism programs offered to adults at our parish (but not RCIA), and I am teaching religious education to children. I also hang out here at CAF from time to time.

So, to answer your question, what nudged me back was, as you say, “being responsible for someone else,” beginning with an attitude like “I don’t really need church, but my kids do,” and then realizing I need it too.

nice and honest story! I am sure there have been many brought back to the Church because of children.

 

[abucs]

For years prior to the arrival of children, we had gotten out of the habit of going to church. Then, for a while, we thought it would be enough to bring up the kids with Bible stories and moral instruction at home. Eventually it occurred to us that we should get the kids baptized and bring them to church regularly. Since then we haven’t skipped Sunday Mass except for rare and difficult circumstances. I have been participating in some of the Bible study and Catechism programs offered to adults at our parish (but not RCIA), and I am teaching religious education to children. I also hang out here at CAF from time to time.

So, to answer your question, what nudged me back was, as you say, “being responsible for someone else,” beginning with an attitude like “I don’t really need church, but my kids do,” and then realizing I need it too.

Thanks and God bless.

 

[SjMelnychuk]

Thanks for all of your (name removed by moderator)ut. The first night was a pretty good experience.

Welcome Home!

My journey began 25 years ago. In my late teens I went to a bible study to learn the difference between Catholic and Protestant Traditions. I learned a lot. I can’t specifically remember feeling nervous. I was curious although I wasn’t necessarily going to that study to become Catholic. I went out of curiosity. It wasn’t until a few years ago I actually joined the RCIA specifically on my own journey to the Catholic Church. I wasn’t so much nervous during my RCIA journey which was basically 3 years for me but on Easter Vigil Saturday evening coming into the Church… now that was the day I was super nervous. Everyone has different experiences and different feelings and emotions. No matter how similar or how different our experience is our experience and there is no right feeling or emotion with all this. Our decision to become Catholic is a life changing decision and not a decision to not take lightly and probably one reason why the Church historically has had the RCIA process.

Though I do feel like everyone around me is speaking a different language, I’m sure that feeling will pass.

YES. I’m sure it does feel like everyone around you is speaking a different language. That is part of our Catholic subculture. You can literally view it as a different cultural experience and it will feel foreign at first but eventually you learn the subculture and language but are also able to invest back in your Parish community using your past experience and journey to faith to lead others who might be experiencing some of the same things or coming from the same background as yourself. God doesn’t just wipe away our past as if our past never happened but our past is redeemed for His Glory.