Questions for priests

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Christmysavor

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I’ve been told that even though I have been received into the church this Easter of 18 and was also baptized and have had 1st confession and 1st Eucharist that I will need to go through 6 more months in classes before I can say that I’m Catholic is this true? * not sure where to put this *
 
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I think you’ve answered your own question, when you said you “accepted into the Church.”

As our life goes on, we have new problems and need new answers, so we should always be “working out our salvation” and getting our minds in order. Paul says he was running the race but had not completed it. That applies to all of us.

You are a Catholic right now and, if I may say so, you should want to learn more about the faith.

Lutheran minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer coined a phrase “easy grace.” That refers to doing the easier things, in a short period of time. But, we need spiritual nourishment our entire life. That may be formal (like you say, six more months – I’ve never heard of that) or informal spiritual development through a variety of means.

I could be wrong, but, between the lines, I wonder if you previously had the belief “once saved always saved.” Salvation is a life-long process and we should want to develop ourselves spiritually and mentally. It takes effort in a number of ways, such as eliminating sins we repeat over and over, and then there’s the problem of new challenges we face in life. There’s always something to challenge us.
 
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You have celebrated the sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation and Holy Communion – you are very Catholic my friend. You didn’t mention Confirmation. Maybe that’s what they meant??
 
Then I honestly don’t know what they meant by saying you needed 6 more months of classes before you can say you’re Catholic…just isn’t so. Once you’ve received the Sacraments of Initiation, you’re a Catholic in full communion with the Catholic Church.
 
Actually you are already a Catholic now.
I believe what they are talking about is a mystagogia, that is a time of catechesis for the newly baptized so that the things that they have learned might sink in.
 
It can be that long but not heard of it going on after confirmation. My RCIA was 8 LONG months before the Easter vigil. Consisted of sitting in a very hard chair for 90 minutes every week and being talked at and being shown a PowerPoint presentation. It was led by a deacon with a very very monotonous voice too. We were allowed to ask questions but nobody really did start any meaty discussion maybe just down to the personalities in the group and also a member used to bring his young child so no way to ask about some of those tougher ‘adult’ topics. One of the priests who was present there said to me after my confirmation’ I don’t know how you stood that every week’.
 
OP. Could it be that you are preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage? Some parishes/dioceses have between 2-6 months preparation for that sacrament.

The parish I was received in, invites all converts for further studies in the Catholic faith. All groups since about 2012 are invited between 6-8 times/year. Lectures dive deeper into the faith and are taught by the priests and deacon. It is a good way for “new” Catholics to meet some of the “old” Catholics and we have a small potluck with everyone bringing something small to eat like bread, cheese, fruit, cookies etc. Breakfast for some as they went to Mass just before.
 
Christmysavor said:
I’ve been told that I will need to go through 6 more months in classes before I can say that I’m Catholic is this true?
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No, this is not true.

Typically after the Elect are baptized at Easter, they go through the period of Mystagogy, which is during the Easter season. This is continued catechesis and living the full life of the faith, such as attending mass together, etc. After Easter you are fully initiated. Mystagogy is a great period of post-baptismal catechesis and sacramental living, but it is not itself any sort of right nor does it make you “more” Catholic than you already are.

As for 6 more months of classes before you can say you are Catholic, this is absolutely false.

Certainly go to the classes if you believe they are worthwhile for your own continued growth in the faith, but they aren’t obligatory.

Maybe you misunderstood what was being said?
 
ok good to know so my mother has been misinformed or she was thinking on pre Vatican 2 ? was it like that before Vatican II and they changed it?
 
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Christmysavor said:
or she was thinking on pre Vatican 2 ? was it like that before Vatican II and they changed it?
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No. Prior to Vatican II, people took private instruction with the local priest. So there was essentially no structure and program like today. I know many people who took instructions for a few months and were then baptized, or received into the Church if already baptized. Definitely nothing for “6 months after” you receive the sacraments of initiation.

The ancient RCIA rites were brought back in the early 1970s.

So, yes, I think your mother must have misunderstood something.
 
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halogirl said:
be that long but not heard of it going on after confirmation. My RCIA was 8 LONG months before the Easter vigil. Consisted of sitting in a very hard chair for 90 minutes every week and being talked at and being shown a PowerPoint presentation. It was led by a deacon with a very very monotonous voice too. We were allowed to ask questions but nobody really
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There’s GOT to be a better way to prepare people for Confirmation than this.

I really think there is a major issue with people thinking Confirmation is some sort of “reward” or “graduation” Sacrament instead of a Mystery and free Gift of God. There’s a reason why it’s so popular to wrongly equate Confirmation with a Jewish bar Mitzvah or some sort of “coming of age” ceremony… Which it is NOT.

I think the Roman Church would do well, first of all, to stop calling this Sacrament by the Latin name of Confirmation, and go back to the older Greek term Chrismation.

Next I think the Roman Church should also go back to the more ancient Eastern way of administering this Sacrament together with baptism and Eucharist, even to infants and children.

Some Roman Churches have already started doing this.

I just think there is way too much ignorance and false impressions about this Sacrament for the Roman Church to continue administering it the way it has been being done.

I also feel like doing it this way is hurting our evangelization efforts. How many people have walked away from the Church over frustration about this issue or the way RCIA is done?
 
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Irishmom2 said:
OP, I am confused. Did you make your confirmation
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Reading the OP and thread again I’m confused now as well.

He enumerates “baptism, reconciliation and Eucharist” as the Sacraments he received.

But then he says he received “all 3” during the Easter Vigil…

The trouble is reconciliation is not administered during the Vigil, and the common thing done at the Vigil is for people to be first baptized, then Confirmed, then given Communion, thus being fully initiated into the Church.

But then the OP says he needs 6 months of RCIA before being “called Catholic…”

OP - you’ve made some very confusing statements. We’re going to need clarification from you before anybody can go any further in attempting to guide you and give you answers.
 
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No, you are catholic. Attending six more months of classes is an arbitrary definition made up be the person who told you.
 
we went through first confession probably about 30 minutes before the vigil even started then i hand classes until mid June of '18 and that was after the vigil itself so she was misinformed ?
 
Okay no that’s good.

I don’t see why they made you make a Confession if you were being baptized at the Vigil… That’s pointless. Seems to me to add undue stress to you.

Also I’m not sure why they told you that you can’t call yourself “Catholic” before being Confirmed…

It sounds like whoever is catechizing you may have a deficient understanding of the Sacraments themselves - meaning they think the Sacraments are somehow “earned.” The reason I say that is because of how they made you confess before being baptized and want you to go through 6 more months of RCIA to be Confirmed so you can “be called Catholic.” Sounds to me like the people attempting to catechize you may need to be better catechized themselves.

In fact I’m pretty sure they violated canon Law because I’m pretty certain canon Law states only baptized Catholics are to make Confessions… Because Baptism is traditionally considered the door to the other Sacraments.
 
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ChristMyLife said:
In fact I’m pretty sure they violated canon Law because I’m pretty certain canon Law states only baptized Catholics are to make Confessions… Because Baptism is traditionally considered the door to the other Sacraments.
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Perhaps it was a conditional baptism? I’m not a canon expert, but if it was conditional I would think Confession is okay because whether baptism has already occurred (and therefore the new one wouldn’t wipe away sin) would be a legitimate question.
 
Perhaps. Then you’re right, in that case it would certainly make sense.
 
No it wasn’t a conditional baptism, I thought it would be due to being told that i was as a baby (turned out) not to be true so was baptized as a Catholic at the vigil. And believe me when I found out that I never had been all kinds of questions came flying tword my mother from me like are you even my parents? etc.
 
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