rcia classes

[beckie_clark]

what is the classes gong to be like? whats going to happen during them? what is going to happen during confimation? im anxious about classes (but i really want to be catholic)

 

[ChadS]

Don’t be nervous, you are about to embark on a journey that will change your life for the better: You’re going to become Catholic.

All RCIA programs are different. Ideally you should be meeting weekly from August or September through Easter. You will be learning about the basic tenets of Christianity and Catholicism. You should learn about the Bible, the Catechism, the Sacraments and basically what it means to live as a Catholic.

Some RCIA, like the one I went through, used pamphlets with different topics for each week. Others, I’ve heard of use the Catechism. It’s really up to the Religious Education director and the priest at your parish to figure out how the program should be run.

Even if the classes don’t live up to your expectations stick with it, do readings in good Catholic sources on your own in addition to what you do in class. Sometimes particular RCIA courses can be rather heterodox, I’m sorry if that is your case but at the end of the ride you’ll still be Catholic and that can’t be taken away from you!

ChadS

 

[po18guy]

They are also called inquiry classes, so there may be someone who constantly asks questions. Not all may be considering conversion, but are only inquiring into Catholic beliefs and practices.

You can get a huge head-start on them by reading through a copy of Catholicism for Dummies. It is an excellent resource that many RCIA programs use for catechesis. I would take note-taking materials, as there will likely be things that you want to look up on your own time.

 

[whatsmyname]

In my last Inquiry class I mentioned that I was looking forward to learning so much more about Catholicism when RCIA starts in October. I was told we wouldn’t really be learning that, but would mostly be discussing our thoughts on that Sunday’s scripture each week to develop our faith. They did say we might go visit a church that has mass in Latin instead of English. They also said some people in the last class had been disappointed that they didn’t learn about some of the things Catholics do like crossing themselves, so they said they might add some information about that. I’m also a little fearful I may be the only one in RCIA.

I have a wonderful list of books about Catholicism that I’m reading and I’ve been going through a free online catechism course on the Knights of Columbus website which has been very helpful. Thanks to whomever on these forums posted about that in the past. If your RCIA is as sparse as I expect mine to be, a course like that might be very helpful to you.

 

[Brianmcg321]

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[bitznbitez]

what is the classes gong to be like? whats going to happen during them? what is going to happen during confimation? im anxious about classes (but i really want to be catholic)

Welcome! I was in your shoes not very long ago. It goes faster than you think. It does vary by parish.

In my case we attended the mass at the time they told us too so that we would then be dismissed halfway through and go out to “break open the word” where we would talk about the scripture readings for that day for a period of time and then we’d transition to the second part of the weekly meeting where a topic about the catholic faith was presented and discussed.

Confirmation is part of the easter vigil ceremony, in my case. That and anything else they have you do, is a big deal in one sense but in another sense truly isn’t. What i mean is don’t stress about it. You will be told what you need to do and its not hard.

Easter Vigil will be here before you know it.

 

[dcache]

I just finished sponsoring my best friend through the RCIA program. Our parish provided a meal each night. We had a couple of table discussion questions after hearing the Reading for the following Sunday Mass. Topics for each evening were preselected so we knew what the speaker would be teaching us. The speakers were mainly our parish priests and deacons. We had 2 at church retreats. Experiencing Lent and Easter Vigil with this group of people who started out as strangers was beautiful. I grew so much in my faith during the whole R C I A period. There was so much love during the Easter Vigil Mass while I witnessed people receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation. The Holy Spirit was moving all of us to fully participate. My advice is to go into R C I A with an open mind and heart. Your fears and anxiety will be replaced with calm and certainty. Best of luck to you.

 

[beckie_clark]

my sponcer says i know most of if not all that will be gone over and more than what will be gone over

 

[bitznbitez]

my sponcer says i know most of if not all that will be gone over and more than what will be gone over

I too had studied a great deal before deciding to join and was in a similar situation to you. In the end though I was very glad I was sent thru RCIA. In some cases I was able to answer a question or two for some of the others in a way that helped them. And there is a lot more to the faith than just knowledge. I formed some friendships there that I really appreciate.