pre RCIA

[xChrisx]

Im looking for everyones oppinions… Do you think its sinfull or offensive for one to refer to himself or herself as Catholic before they complete their RCIA? Ive been wondering this for awhile and I learn so much from these Forums I know you guys will have the right answers.

Thank you and God bless!

 

[Marie5890]

Well in terms of accuracy, (making no judgement as to whether it’s offensive or not), the answer IMO is that it depends.

I went thru RCIA, but in the eyes of the Church (and how I identified myself) I was Catholic since I had been baptized as a Catholic as an infant.

I was a Catholic working towards full Communion with the Church.

If you have ever been baptized as Catholic, then you are Catholic, just not fully initiated.
If you have received valid baptism in another denomination, you are not Catholic yet. You have not been received into the Church.

You are however, a validly baptized Christian seeking reception and communion with the Catholic church.

If you have never been validly baptized at all, then you are neither.

Again, Im just speaking in terms of facts and how the Church views it. I make no judgements other than those facts

 

[xChrisx]

Ok thats what I was thinking too I just wanted another opinion. I have unfortunately never been baptized at all. My mom wanted me and my brothers to grow up and choose our own religion when we were old enough I believe in Catholicism and Im going with that but I have no one to go to church with and learn the ways. I have been learning mostly from this forum and one of the guys I work with. I was going to go to church with him but he doesnt care for the way his church was being ran so he stopped going and he hasnt found a new one yet so now Im waiting for that. Other than that I have no idea where to start.

Thank you!

 

[Marie5890]

Your welcome Chris!

Have you talked with the pastor of the parish you have been attending? Do they have an RCIA ministry?

Check around if they dont is my advice.

I know in my parish (and the process I went thru) there was even a pre-RCIA stage known as the inquiry phase. It’s a great place to start as you discern God’s direction in your life. There is no commitment, no pressure. It’s a time to ask questions and explore and discern.

In the meantime, CAF is a wonderful place to learn of the faith. So, in my experience anyway, is EWTN. Good places for the nuts and bolts understanding.

But beyond all that, developing a relationship with Christ (and I would add, His Mother) is the bedrock of discipleship.

Going back to your original question, the fact of the matter is that you are not Catholic. (I dont say that offensively, I say that accurately and descriptively.)

God Bless!
Feel free to PM me with any questions. Not only have I been thru RCIA, I am also now part of our parish’s RCIA team.

 

[xChrisx]

I havent found a parish down here. I only have 2 months left in the army then I am moving back to the Northwest so Im going to wait and start my RCIA when I find a parish back home so that I can go through it with the people that I will be with for a long time. Your absolutely right though I love CAF its already taught me so much and I will definitely remember your invite I will PM you if I have any questions. Thank you so much.

 

[Waiting]

Im looking for everyones oppinions… Do you think its sinfull or offensive for one to refer to himself or herself as Catholic before they complete their RCIA? Ive been wondering this for awhile and I learn so much from these Forums I know you guys will have the right answers.

Thank you and God bless!

You can say that you are Catholic in desire. How wonderful that God called and you listened. Those two months will pass quickly, and you can enroll in an RCIA program. In the meantime, watch EWTN as much as possible. Marcus Grodi’s “Journey Home” on Monday nights is especially informative about what compelled others to join the Catholic Church. Read about the Catholic faith. Any book store should have a large variety of Catholic titles. Choose what most interests you. Learn as much as you can before RCIA begins. You will gain more from the classes when you have more background. Good luck and God bless.

 

[xChrisx]

Thank you I have definitely been looking at some Catholic books I havent bought any yet but I plan on going down probably next weekend to browse some books. Thanks for the advice.

 

[jwinch2]

My understanding is that during the RCIA process, through the various rites (rite of welcoming, rite of election, etc.) you are declaring your intent to join the Church. We were instructed by our Deacon and our Priest that if we were to die after the rite of election but before we were confirmed, that we would be able to have a Catholic funeral. Now, that obviously does not make you fully in communion with the Catholic church but if you know you are going through, believe what the Church teaches, then I don’t see the harm in calling yourself Catholic. After all, the Church teaches “baptism by desire” and I really don’t see how this is much different.

 

[xChrisx]

I was thinking that because I know that im going through with it and Ill be there someday and in my heart I feel like I should be able to I just didnt want to come off as disrespectful because I havent been through the whole process yet…

 

[jwinch2]

I was thinking that because I know that im going through with it and Ill be there someday and in my heart I feel like I should be able to I just didnt want to come off as disrespectful because I havent been through the whole process yet…

I understand completely. I knew the Catholic Church was home long before I received the sacraments at Easter.

Are you in RCIA right now?

 

[xChrisx]

No I was going to try and do it when I got back from Iraq but we go to the field every 2 weeks so I have been having a hard time trying to work on my personal life. I get out of the army in 2 months though so at this point I am just trying to learn as much as I can and then when I move back home I will enroll in an RCIA program once I find a parish I like. What does RCIA consist of? For instance how many times a week do you usually go for and what do you do at the church during the program?

 

[jwinch2]

No I was going to try and do it when I got back from Iraq but we go to the field every 2 weeks so I have been having a hard time trying to work on my personal life. I get out of the army in 2 months though so at this point I am just trying to learn as much as I can and then when I move back home I will enroll in an RCIA program once I find a parish I like. What does RCIA consist of? For instance how many times a week do you usually go for and what do you do at the church during the program?

RCIA typically meets once a week. I would suggest trying to talk to a priest where you will be living. He might be willing to allow you to read the catechism and matriculate into the RCIA process when you get home. We had people start rather late in the process due to various reasons and we also had a few people who met with the priest one on one or as a small group because their schedule did not allow them to make the normal group meeting times.

One other thing you could consider is meeting with a priest where you are at now and asking him to help you transfer into an RCIA program wherever you will be moving to following your ets date. There is always a way to make it happen. The worst case scenario is that you have to wait an extra year though that might not even be true. Some priests will do RCIA for you one on one and just bring you into the church when they think you are ready.

Personally, I hope you can get to a place where you can be part of a group. Going through the process with others was a rich experience and both my wife and I made some lifelong friends. I would not wish to have gone through it by myself, though if there was no other way for me to come into the faith, I would certainly have gone that route.

Peace, and thanks for your service.

 

[xChrisx]

That is a lot of great advice thank you so much for your help. I am going to talk to my mother and have her ask around to see if there is a good parish where she lives that I can start going to. She has a lot of friends up there so that will definitely help and perhaps they could get a number to the priest. Thank you for everything.

 

[jwinch2]

That is a lot of great advice thank you so much for your help. I am going to talk to my mother and have her ask around to see if there is a good parish where she lives that I can start going to. She has a lot of friends up there so that will definitely help and perhaps they could get a number to the priest. Thank you for everything.

No problem, I really hope things work out for you to join in with a group when you finish your enlistment.

 

[PJM]

=xChrisx;8376306]Im looking for everyones oppinions… Do you think its sinfull or offensive for one to refer to himself or herself as Catholic before they complete their RCIA? Ive been wondering this for awhile and I learn so much from these Forums I know you guys will have the right answers.

Thank you and God bless!

ITS NEITHER But perhaps not a great idea. There is VERY MUCH too and expected in order to be brought into the church. Until you at least KNOW what we believe and are able or understand and FREEly and in an informed manner commit and accept ALL that he hold as true; in the Catholic Faith; it is at least premature to do so.

We are TRULY excited and look eagerly to the time when you are fully a member of Christ Only Church and Faith:thumbsup:

God Bless you, and know that you ARE in our prayers,
Pat

 

[xChrisx]

Thank you, you have many good points here. I definitely make clear that I have not been baptized or been through RCIA or any of the official process when people ask me what religion but I do tell them that I am a strong believer in Catholic faith and thats what I am going with because I know one day I will officially be catholic and I am very excited for that day.