Question about converting and study

[IHF]

Ok now up here in Canada in order for me to become Baptized have my first confession and first communion I need to take classes for 6 months or so at the church before I can do this.

My girlfriend who is Catholic told me this. Is this the norm everywhere?

I think it is good as I will have a full appreciation and more thorough understanding of the faith.

I am merely curious as I keep reading of people who seem to have become instantly Catholic. So I was wondering what was required elsewhere in the world.

If this isn’t in the right spot kindly move to where it belongs mods.

Thanks for any and all replies.

 

[Lazerlike42]

Ok now up here in Canada in order for me to become Baptized have my first confession and first communion I need to take classes for 6 months or so at the church before I can do this.

My girlfriend who is Catholic told me this. Is this the norm everywhere?

I think it is good as I will have a full appreciation and more thorough understanding of the faith.

I am merely curious as I keep reading of people who seem to have become instantly Catholic. So I was wondering what was required elsewhere in the world.

If this isn’t in the right spot kindly move to where it belongs mods.

Thanks for any and all replies.

The way that a person is brought into the Church is called the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). It’s just like the rite of Mass or of baptism - a book that gives the rubrics of how it is to be done.

What you are experiencing is generally how it goes. The “instant” Catholics you’re talking about are relatively rare. The way the RCIA explains it, people who have been baptized validly in other Christian communities should be given as easy a road as possible to full communion with the Catholic Church. This means that if the person is ready, they ought to be let in as soon as possible. In practice, these people normally go through the classes anyways, for a few reasons. One is that they often need the classes and are not ready right off the bat. The second is for the sake of logistical reasons. It is often hard for a parish to find the resources to deal with someone apart from the standard RCIA class. A third reason is that some parishes simply don’t do things as they’re supposed to and make people go through classes when they shouldn’t have to.

Peace and God bless

 

[Roguemelody]

My RCIA class lasted for a year. I’m glad it did cause I learned so much from it.

If you find that you are not learning anything new - you could always speak to your Parish priest and see if you could be received into full communion earlier. Though I highly recommend staying in the course for the full length as there is always new stuff to learn and it’s also a great refresher on the stuff you already knew!