Former apostate seeking baptism on short notice

[cuban07]

I apostatized from christianity a few years back. A few months ago i started to look into christianity once again, specifically into the catholic church. i would like to get baptized within two weeks… would that be possible? If im not mistaken i’d have to attend catechism, is there a way to skip that and go right into the baptism?

 

[Ravyn_Guiliani]

if you were never baptized then you can’t have been an apostate. But anyway a priest can baptize you anytime, you just need to convince them of your need. My sister was baptized without RCIA because she has a life-threatening health risk—this was not an emergency baptism, but her health is bad. Ask your priest and explain why you want to be baptized. Also, if he refuses for some reason, know that baptism by desire will protect you until you can get baptized by water.

 

[GandalfTheWhite]

I apostatized from christianity a few years back. A few months ago i started to look into christianity once again, specifically into the catholic church. i would like to get baptized within two weeks… would that be possible? If im not mistaken i’d have to attend catechism, is there a way to skip that and go right into the baptism?

So, you said that you were a Christian before? Were you not baptized? If you were (with a trinitarian formula) then you can’t be re-baptized again.

In any case contact the nearest Catholic parish and they will sort you out if you explain them your situation. You will probably have to go to RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) and after that you will be accepted into the Church (possibly baptized and confirmed and receive the first communion in the same day).

 

[Br.Rich_SFO]

I apostatized from christianity a few years back. A few months ago i started to look into christianity once again, specifically into the catholic church. i would like to get baptized within two weeks… would that be possible? If im not mistaken i’d have to attend catechism, is there a way to skip that and go right into the baptism?

The Norm of the Catholic Church is that adults are Baptized at the Easter Vigil, after a sufficient period of catechesis. Your pastor can based on serious need request permission from the Bishop to Baptize an adult at another time. In serious cases of near death the pastor, any priest, or any person for that matter can validly Baptize in an emergency.

 

[LilyM]

I apostatized from christianity a few years back. A few months ago i started to look into christianity once again, specifically into the catholic church. i would like to get baptized within two weeks… would that be possible? If im not mistaken i’d have to attend catechism, is there a way to skip that and go right into the baptism?

Were you baptised Christian at any point in the past? If so was it a trinitarian baptism (‘in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit’?) If you’ve had a trinitarian baptism in any Christian denomination then the Catholic Church will recognise you as already being validly baptised. To be received into the Catholic Church you’d still need to do preparation (called RCIA) and receive other sacraments, Confession, Holy Communion and Confirmation.

If you were baptised CATHOLIC specifically then it can be easier - you’re not considered as having really left the Church, and would only need to make a confession to be reinstated in good standing in the Church. Then you can proceed to Holy Communion and Confirmation as you wish (but only after proper instruction, of course)

In any event, though, it’s advisable that you do spend time in some serious preparation and study of the faith beforehand. RCIA is actually for Catholics as well as non-Catholics, since the Church desires that all its members be well-instructed in the faith and plenty of Catholics (sadly) haven’t been.

If I may ask, do you specifically want to be Catholic or do you simply want to be baptised Christian? Have you spent much time already in the study of the Catholic faith? And is there any particular reason for your wanting to be baptised within two months?

If you just want to be Christian, it may be advisable for you to seek out baptism in another denomination, many don’t require the preparation that the Catholic Church does. It’s easy enough to become Catholic later if you decide that Catholicism is for you.

If you want more specifically to become Catholic and have spent a lot of time already in the study of the faith - and have a grave reason for wanting baptism so soon - you would be best calling your local Catholic Church and speaking directly to the priest about your situation. Private instruction may be possible.

 

[jmcrae]

I apostatized from christianity a few years back. A few months ago i started to look into christianity once again, specifically into the catholic church. i would like to get baptized within two weeks… would that be possible? If im not mistaken i’d have to attend catechism, is there a way to skip that and go right into the baptism?

We don’t rebaptize. If you were a baptized Catholic at some point in your life, then what you need to do is to go to Confession. You can do that this weekend at the appointed times, or you can make an appointment with the priest at any time.

If there are issues in your life such as an abortion or a divorce and remarriage, you will want to make an appointment with the priest to discuss these issues privately ahead of time, before coming to Confession. If there are no serious issues that could prevent you from returning to the Sacraments, then simply come to Confession.

To go to Confession:

Enter the Confessional, wait for the priest to be ready, and then make the sign of the Cross, saying "Bless me Father for I have sinned. It has been ___ since my last Confession.

(Here list your sins)

For these and for all the sins of my life I am truly sorry."

He will then give you some advice, and ask for your Act of Contrition. Say,

“My God, I am sorry for my sins with my whole heart. In choosing to do wrong and failing to do good, I have sinned against You whom I should love most dearly of all. For the sake of your Son Jesus Christ who died on the cross for my sins, have mercy on me. Amen.”

He will then say the words of the Absolution. At the end, he will give you a blessing and a dismissal, and then that’s it - you’re a good Catholic again.

 

[cuban07]

i was baptized into the Mormon church as a kid, never really attended the church and was just a ‘i believe in God’ kind of christian until I found another religion and converted to it for a few years until i left it; i believe it may have been through divine intervention, some coincidences led me to leaving the faith.

After I left that religion I started looking into the catholic church and was making arrangements to be baptized, however i met a girl and started studying evolution my plans were derailed. I became an agnostic/atheist. My mind tells me that this world is so material i look at the scientific evidence for the earth being billions of years old, the logic of a global flood not making any sense, and things of that nature that contradict religion. However there is a void inside of me that is hard to fill with either agnosticism or atheism.

to make a long story short, a week ago out of nowhere the opportunity presented itself to travel, it will be air travel and i just have this fear that something might go wrong. I’ve realized my mortality and even dread going to sleep at night thinking that i might not wake up. I’ve also been experience some strange phenomena, that it might all be in my head though. It seems like im a religion hopper but thats not the case at all.Sorry for the rant.

 

[jmcrae]

to make a long story short, a week ago out of nowhere the opportunity presented itself to travel, it will be air travel and i just have this fear that something might go wrong. I’ve realized my mortality and even dread going to sleep at night thinking that i might not wake up. I’ve also been experience some strange phenomena, that it might all be in my head though. It seems like im a religion hopper but thats not the case at all.Sorry for the rant.

Ah. Well, first of all, understand that you are in God’s hands, and nothing will happen to you that is outside of His control. If you die, you will go to Him for judgement, and He will cause you to go where ever you were always going to choose to go. You cannot go to Hell by accident, and you cannot go to Heaven under your own power.

Second, it seems as though God is using this circumstance in your life to call you back to the Church. What you need to do is get back into the RCIA process, complete it (take as long as it takes - the more you try to rush, the more obstacles will be thrown into your path, until you learn patience, and how to persevere).

 

[Linda_Marie]

Ah. Well, first of all, understand that you are in God’s hands, and nothing will happen to you that is outside of His control. If you die, you will go to Him for judgement, and He will cause you to go where ever you were always going to choose to go. You cannot go to Hell by accident, and you cannot go to Heaven under your own power.

Second, it seems as though God is using this circumstance in your life to call you back to the Church. What you need to do is get back into the RCIA process, complete it (take as long as it takes - the more you try to rush, the more obstacles will be thrown into your path, until you learn patience, and how to persevere).

I first got the Call when we lived in Iran; it was during the Revolution. I had just had a baby and had nearly died in childbirth so my own mortality had just smacked me in the face. We were under martial law and curfew; there were armed soldiers stationed at all the intersections of the city and they held their weapons at ready. Large intersections got tanks and APC’s in addition to more troops. Helicopter gunships patrolled over the city regularly. Being very obviously Western, I felt like I had a target painted on me every time I left the house, what with the mobs shouting ‘Death to America’ and all. I did get rocks thrown at me. God lit the fire in me to be baptised and I was afraid that I would die before it could happen.

However, when I presented myself, I discovered that it wasn’t as easy as all that. Due to various circumstances, it took nearly 2 years from when I asked to when I finally received Baptism and Confirmation and it was definitely worth the wait even though I was sorely tried during that period.

There is a great deal to learn, especially if you know little about the Church and the Faith, or if, in fact, you have been stuffed with misinformation about the Church, a lot to ‘unlearn’. It is not something done lightly, or even just because you are going to be travelling by air in the next couple months. I do not think any priest will consider that to be a grave enough reason.

Being Baptised is not an end, it is a beginning, the beginning of your new life in Christ. Much like a wedding is the beginning of a marriage. It is not a once done, now I can go back to the way I used to live event. It is not a magical heaven insurance policy.

What jmcrae is describing is what is known as the Baptism of Desire. Should you die in the process of your formation, your sincere desire to be baptised is duly noted by God and you can trust in God’s mercy for He will recognise your desire to be joined with Him.
From EWTN:

WHAT IS BAPTISM OF DESIRE? Baptism of desire is the implicit desire for baptism of water by a person who makes an act of perfect love of God, based on faith and with a sincere sorrow for one’s sins.
ewtn.com/library/DOCTRINE/BAPTISM.TXT

As far as the strange phenomena (also experienced and still do from time to time but that’s another story), you can have your house blessed by a priest. Get yourself some holy water and use it often. (it is free. Bring a small bottle to the church and take some. ask the priest if you feel uncomfortable about it or if the large container is not accessible) Cross yourself with it frequently in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

May God bless you on your journey home.

 

[cuban07]

please pray for me

 

[Ravyn_Guiliani]

please pray for me

tell a priest exactly what you told us and see if he will baptize you. Since you are going to be traveling it is possible he may be able to do it before you start RCIA because it will be put off. But even as I said before there is the baptism of desire that protects catechumens during the process. Another poster suggested you can get any Christian baptism and there may be some other religion willing to baptize you on short notice also.

 

[jmcrae]

tell a priest exactly what you told us and see if he will baptize you. Since you are going to be traveling it is possible he may be able to do it before you start RCIA because it will be put off. But even as I said before there is the baptism of desire that protects catechumens during the process. Another poster suggested you can get any Christian baptism and there may be some other religion willing to baptize you on short notice also.

Adults should never be baptized who have not completed their full Christian formation in RCIA, unless they are in immediate danger of death - not “could die next week some time” but “will die in the next two minutes” type of thing. It’s better to go through the whole process and get it done right, so that they understand what it means to be a baptized person, and how to live that lifestyle.

 

[Ravyn_Guiliani]

Adults should never be baptized who have not completed their full Christian formation in RCIA, unless they are in immediate danger of death - not “could die next week some time” but “will die in the next two minutes” type of thing. It’s better to go through the whole process and get it done right, so that they understand what it means to be a baptized person, and how to live that lifestyle.

good thing my priest did not think that way or my sister would be unbaptized.

 

[jmcrae]

good thing my priest did not think that way or my sister would be unbaptized.

And is she still Catholic, today?

 

[Miserissima]

i was baptized into the Mormon church as a kid,

Ahh. Then to join the Catholic Church, you would have to be baptized. After 2001, the Church does not regard Mormon baptismsas vaild.

A fuller explaination can be found in the article by Fr. Luis Ladaria. He states:

Summing up, we can say: The Baptism of the Catholic Church and that of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints differ essentially, both for what concerns faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, in whose name Baptism is conferred, and for what concerns the relationship to Christ who instituted it. As a result of all this, it is understood that the Catholic Church has to consider invalid, that is to say, cannot consider true Baptism, the rite given that name by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints.

And yes, you’d need to go through the full process of formation in order to be baptized. Here’s an outline of the process from This Rock. I hope it helps in your decision; I can’t wait to say, “Welcome Home!” to you.

 

[Ravyn_Guiliani]

And is she still Catholic, today?

yes. and incidentally it is the Confirmation that makes a person a Catholic (Christian), the baptism makes one Christian.

 

[Ravyn_Guiliani]

And yes, you’d need to go through the full process of formation in order to be baptized. Here’s an outline of the process from This Rock. I hope it helps in your decision; I can’t wait to say, “Welcome Home!” to you.

I don’t care what the Rock says, an adult SHOULD go thru the formation but it is not necessary to be baptized, only to be confirmed. And if the person has special circumstances this formation might only be a couple of interviews with the priest not necessarily a formal RCIA class. It depends on the circumstances.

Talk to your priest. You will get as many opinions here as you will get replies.

 

[Cristiano]

yes. and incidentally it is the Confirmation that makes a person a Catholic (Christian), the baptism makes one Christian.

Wrong!!! You cannot separate Christian from Catholic. There is no salvation outside the Catholic Church. What you say implies that if you die after being baptized you will go to hell because you are not a Catholic yet.

 

[Miserissima]

And if the person has special circumstances this formation might only be a couple of interviews with the priest not necessarily a formal RCIA class. It depends on the circumstances.

This is true. The article I linked AGREED WITH YOU. I offer this in charity:

It is therefore important for Christians coming into the Catholic Church to coordinate carefully with their local pastor or bishop concerning the amount of Catholic instruction they need and the exact timing of their reception into the Church.

But there is a distinction between those who have lived Christian lives and those who have not, just as there is a distinction between an infant received into the Church and an adult who has converted.

Becoming a Catholic is one of the most profound and joyous experiences of life. Some are blessed to receive this gift while infants, and over the course of time they grow into a recognition of the grace that has been bestowed upon them and of the dignity and wonder of their identity as Catholics. Others come into the Catholic fold when they are older children or adults. These people should have a grasp of the process by which one becomes Catholic.

A person is brought into full communion with the Catholic Church through reception of the three sacraments of Christian initiation–baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist–but the process by which one becomes a Catholic can take different forms.

Someone who is baptized in the Catholic Church becomes a Catholic at that moment. One’s initiation is deepened by confirmation and the Eucharist, but one becomes a Catholic at baptism. This is true both for children who are baptized (and receive the other two sacraments later) and for adults who are baptized, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist at one time.

Those who have been baptized outside the Catholic Church become Catholics by making a profession of the Catholic faith and by being received formally into the Church. This is normally followed immediately by confirmation and the Eucharist.

However, in the OPs case, Mormon baptism isn’t recognized as valid, as I postede above. I wish to bring to attention the section titled, “Preparation for Christians,”

The means by which those who have already been validly baptized become part of the Church differs considerably from that of the unbaptized.

Because they have already been baptized, they are already Christians; they are, therefore, not catechumens. Because of their status as Christians, the Church is concerned that they not be confused with those who are in the process of becoming Christians.

“Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30)…

For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians, the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, “Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate” (NSC 31). For this reason, they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do.

 

[jmcrae]

yes. and incidentally it is the Confirmation that makes a person a Catholic (Christian), the baptism makes one Christian.

If she was not baptized Catholic then she cannot be confirmed Catholic until after going through the RCIA program or some kind of equivalent. Being baptized outside of the Church is not a short-cut to anything - if anything, she just made the road even longer for herself.