Gatecrashing RCIA question

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Vic_Taltrees_UK

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Parish literature says that RCIA is for persons not yet having done First Holy Communion which means spouses.

I however want to be Catholic on my own account. The trouble is I was confirmed over half a century ago in another part of the country at age 9, having been at about half a dozen 40-minute sessions, the content of which I do not recall.

If I insist, will I be admitted to the RCIA classes and allowed to drop out towards the end, as a way of mugging up on some ideas about the faith and equipping myself to evaluate the “culture” of the Church? Or is it a faux pas?

I wasn’t considering it but something someone said in another thread made the idea come into my head.
 
When I went through RCIA there were a lot of people who just came to the courses to brush up on their Catholic. It was a welcome thing and no one minded a bit. In fact I think it is sort of encouraged. Hope that helps!

Peace.

-Trident
 
Have you been confirmed? If not, you need to get into RCIA and be Confirmed at the Easter Vigil.

So NO to “dropping out” – but ANYONE is welcome to attend.
 
Vic_Taltrees_UK said:
Parish literature says that RCIA is for persons not yet having done First Holy Communion which means spouses.
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I’m not sure what spouses have to do with anything. RCIA is for those who fall into one of several categories: those who are unbaptized; those who are baptized in a non-Catholic community who want to become Catholic; those who were baptized Catholic but didn’t receive their other sacraments of initiation; and (in many parishes) those who were baptized Catholic, received their First Communion, but were never confirmed.
If I insist, will I be admitted to the RCIA classes and allowed to drop out towards the end, as a way of mugging up on some ideas about the faith and equipping myself to evaluate the “culture” of the Church? Or is it a faux pas?
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“If I insist” is a strange way of putting it. How about “May I ask to sit in on the RCIA sessions” as an alternative? Yes, you may ask. The RCIA director may or may not be open to the idea. RCIA is not aimed at catechizing cradle Catholics though it often becomes the dumping ground for anyone seeking adult faith formation. If your parish has other options available, they may fit your needs better.

If you are a fully initiated Catholic, one way of sitting in on RCIA – including all the rites – would be to serve as a sponsor for someone coming into the Church.
 
“If you insist”?

You hardly will need to assist. I am sure that every parish, like ours, encourages anyone who wants catechesis to attend…our bulletin says something about RCIA being for “those who have not finished sacraments of initiation, desire to come into full communion with the Church, or wish to find out more about the faith”…

I hope you find it spiritually rewarding!
 
Neofight said:
“If you insist”?

You hardly will need to assist. I am sure that every parish, like ours, encourages anyone who wants catechesis to attend…our bulletin says something about RCIA being for “those who have not finished sacraments of initiation, desire to come into full communion with the Church, or wish to find out more about the faith”…

I hope you find it spiritually rewarding!
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I agree on both parts – most parishes welcome people to learn more about their faith and “insisting” is an unusual way to approach this situation.
 
RCIA is for any adult- baptised or not, First Communion or not. Everyone who completes the year will have the sacraments on Easter Vigil. I also am not sure what you mean about spouses.
 
Vic_Taltrees_UK said:
Parish literature says that RCIA is for persons not yet having done First Holy Communion which means spouses.

I however want to be Catholic on my own account. The trouble is I was confirmed over half a century ago in another part of the country at age 9, having been at about half a dozen 40-minute sessions, the content of which I do not recall.

If I insist, will I be admitted to the RCIA classes and allowed to drop out towards the end, as a way of mugging up on some ideas about the faith and equipping myself to evaluate the “culture” of the Church? Or is it a faux pas?

I wasn’t considering it but something someone said in another thread made the idea come into my head.
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Um, speak with the priest or the Director of RCIA.
We have people who are unbaptized, people who are baptized but lacking First Communion and Confirmation, and those who just want a refresher course on the faith.
You can go.
Just tell him you want to join.
 
I agree with Clare. Speak to the Priest or RCIA Director. Even if you are Baptized & Comfirmed; it is a great refresher course for any Catholic. We always have 1 or 2 Baptized & Comfirmed people taking the course each year.
 
RCIA is for anyone interested in learning more about Catholicism who either hasn’t been baptized at all, or has been baptized but requires Confirmation. At least, that was my understanding. There is no pressure to convert and they even told us up front that people have chosen not to convert after going through the process. I think everyone in my group did get baptized (if needed) and confirmed. But there was never any pressure. And I assure you, we hit our catechists with some hard questions. There were definitely people with doubts. It was okay, I never saw any judgmental attitude from anyone.

For those already Confirmed, our Church offers Adult Faith Formation separately…but I don’t think anyone would have objected if people had shown up to listen in on the RCIA classes. The primary reason I wouldn’t recommend it was that, at least in our Parish, they released all the RCIA members just before the Creed in Mass and if you’re already Baptized and Confirmed, you probably don’t want to miss out on the Eucharist.
 
Vic_Taltrees_UK said:
I however want to be Catholic on my own account. The trouble is I was confirmed over half a century ago in another part of the country at age 9, having been at about half a dozen 40-minute sessions, the content of which I do not recall.
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Please understand the Sacrament of Confirmation is not a rite of passage, it is not a sacrament that you make an adult decision to be part of the Church. If you do not want to be part of God’s church then do not receive communion. The sacrament of Confirmation is like any other sacrament in that it is God’s life shared with you. Confirmation is unique in that it leaves a mark on your soul. That means that God’s divine Love is so powerful so special that in receiving that sacrament that your soul is altered. It becomes equipped (everlasting) to operate in a different and unique manner than it was capable of before. That close spiritual family relationship with God also brings you closer to God in dignity than if someone was not confirmed.

RCIA a different issue altogether. It may be that your parish offers inquiry classes or adult formation in the form of bible studies or apologetic classes that it would prefer you to attend. If they do not offer such classes then simply ask the priest if you can join RCIA. You do not have to be coy about the request. He will most likely say yes, or he may want to instruct you personally especially if you have a lot of questions.
 
Strictly speaking, RCIA isn’t just ‘catechesis for adults’. As others have noted, it’s meant as the means by which adults enter into full communion with the Church, complete their sacraments of initiation, and begin their journey as Catholics.

However, as others have noted, some parish priests allow uncatechized adults to attend the ‘teaching sessions’ of RCIA in order to gain a better understanding of the Catholic faith. When they say “I can’t see how anyone would say ‘no’,” they’re betraying a certain parochialism, though: at their parish, that’s how it works… but that doesn’t mean that this is characteristic of all Catholic parishes (nor that this is what is envisioned by the Church).

OP, ask your parish priest whether he minds if you sit in on the sessions, as a means of becoming more familiar with Catholic teaching. If he has other programs that would be more appropriate, he’ll be sure to point them out to you.

Good luck!
 
The trouble is I was confirmed over half a century ago in another part of the country at age 9, having been at about half a dozen 40-minute sessions, the content of which I do not recall.

Presumably it has run out or is otherwise invalid.

Adult Faith Formation is definitely frowned on for miles around and I can’t travel.

All I’m getting out of this is that I’ve got to tackle the padre.
 
Vic_Taltrees_UK said:
l.

Presumably it has run out or is otherwise invalid.

Adult Faith Formation is definitely frowned on for miles around and I can’t travel.
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I’m sorry, I have difficulties with both of these statements.

WHAT has ‘run out’? You surely don’t mean your confirmation?

‘Adult Faith Formation definitely frowned upon for miles around’? [edited]
 
Yes. again, I believe finding a good adult catechist for weekly “class & coffee” at the parish might be a great place to start. Also, purchase a copy of the Catechism.
Ask your priest to find someone to work with you.
It’s never too late to increase your knowledge about the faith.
In fact, it’s a life long process for everyone.
And it is very much recommended. 🙂
 
Your confirmation doesn’t “run out.” Once you’re confirmed, you’re confirmed forever, just like baptism.

If you’re looking for learning opportunities, consider online sources as well. There’s the Virtual Learning Community for Faith Formation at vlcff.udayton.edu/ It’s a program offered through the University of Dayton that offers adult education type classes in a wide variety of areas. (I say “adult education” since they’re not aimed toward a degree.) Since it’s online it doesn’t matter where you live. I’ve taken several classes through this program and found them quite good. There are undoubtedly other options as well.
 
Gorgias said:
Strictly speaking, RCIA isn’t just ‘catechesis for adults’. As others have noted, it’s meant as the means by which adults enter into full communion with the Church, complete their sacraments of initiation, and begin their journey as Catholics.

However, as others have noted, some parish priests allow uncatechized adults to attend the ‘teaching sessions’ of RCIA in order to gain a better understanding of the Catholic faith. When they say “I can’t see how anyone would say ‘no’,” they’re betraying a certain parochialism, though: at their parish, that’s how it works… but that doesn’t mean that this is characteristic of all Catholic parishes (nor that this is what is envisioned by the Church).

OP, ask your parish priest whether he minds if you sit in on the sessions, as a means of becoming more familiar with Catholic teaching. If he has other programs that would be more appropriate, he’ll be sure to point them out to you.

Good luck!
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This ^^

To me, this seems like another example of RCIA being seen as more about the classes (which probably take place in some classroom or hall) and less about the Rites that take place inside of a church or chapel as part of a Mass or other Liturgy.

Unless seating is extremely limited there doesn’t seem to be any reason why an adult who needed to brush up on his or her Faith couldn’t sit in on the instruction classes.

The only reason I can think of for excluding fully initiated Catholics from RCIA classroom sessions would be to prevent confusion when someone in RCIA saw another participant receiving communion or some other sacrament.

OP, did you receive your First Communion either before or after you were confirmed? It’s not clear to me.
 
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