RCIA for Children, can exceptions be made?

[lacy.1893]

I’ve seen this topic several times on these boards; but, I think I have a different slant on the topic.
We all know that the Catholic church sees people over 7 as adults and that everyone over 7 should be admitted into the church through RCIA. Now, my question is are the priest and or bishop required to put a child through RCIA, if they are not baptized or can exceptions be made?
I have a child who, for whatever reason was not baptized…she has been raised Catholic, been to religious education classes, and attended Mass regularly. Now, it’s time for First Communion and the child is requesting baptism and First Communion. Our pastor is requiring her to go through RCIA…in our church that means he must LEAVE his peers and attend classes with two other children his age and a whole class of older children. (There is only one class for children and they are all lumped together.) I was told they do NOT follow the curriculum required for school age children by the archdiocese, in fact, there is no standard curriculum for RCIA but they just discuss the Mass and any questions the catechumens have. As an early childhood educator I’m really appalled by the lack of consideration for the unique requirements for children under the age of 10 by our church. Does anyone know if exceptions can be made? I am about ready to go to the bishop on behalf of this child because I just think this is wrong…but, I wouldn’t have any idea how to do that.

 

[Maximilian75]

I would say you sound like you could make a good case, especially as you are in ECA.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

RCIA is the normal procedure but what you are describing sounds crazy. There should be much more concern for the good of the child and flexibility to meet the child’s needs. We don’t always have children in RCIA and when we do there may be only one or two so we have to be flexible. What we do is have them attend religious education with other children their age, then meet separately once a month or so with their parents and our children’s RCIA catechist. The catechist is there to help them catch up with things they might have missed along the way. And, since they are usually issues with the parents that kept the children from being baptized as infants, she is sensitive to working with the parents as well.Then they go through the rites themselves with the adults in RCIA.

 

[Hereiam]

We all know that the Catholic church sees people over 7 as adults and that everyone over 7 should be admitted into the church through RCIA.

The operative word in your statement is “should”, not “must”. And, exceptions can be made. However, if your pastor is requiring she go through RCIA, then follow his dictate.

The Catechesis provided by RCIA is a good thing. There are many “cradle” Catholics who are woefully uncatechised, thinking if they were born into the faith, they understand it.

And, don’t go running to the Bishop because you don’t like the decision of your pastor. Instead, talk to the pastor, and if he is unwilling to change his mind, only after your discussion, consider going to the Bishop.

If the Bishop had to intervene for people who don’t agree with the decisions of their pastors, he would have not time for his ecclesiastical duties and might as well be acting pastor at all his perishes.

Pax et Bonum!

 

[FrDavid96]

I’ve seen this topic several times on these boards; but, I think I have a different slant on the topic.
We all know that the Catholic church sees people over 7 as adults and that everyone over 7 should be admitted into the church through RCIA. Now, my question is are the priest and or bishop required to put a child through RCIA, if they are not baptized or can exceptions be made?
I have a child who, for whatever reason was not baptized…she has been raised Catholic, been to religious education classes, and attended Mass regularly. Now, it’s time for First Communion and the child is requesting baptism and First Communion. Our pastor is requiring her to go through RCIA…in our church that means he must LEAVE his peers and attend classes with two other children his age and a whole class of older children. (There is only one class for children and they are all lumped together.) I was told they do NOT follow the curriculum required for school age children by the archdiocese, in fact, there is no standard curriculum for RCIA but they just discuss the Mass and any questions the catechumens have. As an early childhood educator I’m really appalled by the lack of consideration for the unique requirements for children under the age of 10 by our church. Does anyone know if exceptions can be made? I am about ready to go to the bishop on behalf of this child because I just think this is wrong…but, I wouldn’t have any idea how to do that.

Technically, everyone over age 7 does go through RCIA; by definition.

However, modifications can be made for individual circumstances. It would still be RCIA (there’s no getting around the word) but it would be tailored to fit the needs of a particular child.

My pastoral response is to put the children in the class with their own age as much as possible. That’s my response; it doesn’t mean any other priest need do it that way.

The simple truth of the matter is that there are already so many modifications made that we are hardly following the RCIA statutes anyway (at least in the US). For example, it’s typical to see the non-baptised and the already-baptised grouped together—which is exactly what is not supposed to be done. Likewise, the already-baptised should not be received/confirmed/communicated at the Easter Vigil.

Talk to the pastor first. Try to work with him. If you get nowhere, talk to the chancery. Don’t start with the bishop. There should be an office at your diocese that deals with the catechumenate and there will certainly be one dealing with children’s education. If you reach the point of contacting the diocese, start there.

 

[Casilda]

This abuse has been going on for decades. I tried to come back to the church as a teen (my parents had left the church) and there was no help. Ended up being frustrated after trying a few different parishes. As an adult it isn’t any better as rcia has no standards.

The diocese offices are no better, as they refer you back to your parish. So, I would advise a thoughtful letter to the bishop on behalf of this child of God. I ended up trying another bishop, with an Eastern Catholic church.

 

[Horton]

You need to be fair here. There are certainly standards for RCIA. From your experience, in your parish, in your diocese appeared to not have standards to you.

Your comment is so disrespectful to the thousands of folks who work in Religious Education, Youth Ministry, and RCIA directors, including me. I’m in no way trying to diminish your experience but the blanket statement that the Roman Catholic doesn’t help with faith formation is incorrect.

Now, my question is are the priest and or bishop required to put a child through RCIA, if they are not baptized or can exceptions be made?

The Church requires a child go through some faith formation. RCIA is the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults. A child would go through what our parish calls RCIC. Have you spoken with the DRE in your parish. That would be the first person I’d go.

 

[Casilda]

Correction, rcia programs are not standardized. They have standards but their implementation varies greatly. Having experience in four diocese, in three states, training of laity in positions of parish, diocesan offices is very poor. It’s why I tell people to speak directly with a priest. It is his ordained office as shepherd to personally see to the pastoral care of all souls in his parish. ‘Trained’ laity could care less if you sign up or not, show up or not, complete the program or not. The onus is on the priest for true pastoral care.

 

[Horton]

The idea that you feel the need to be offensive to those of us who work for and/or volunteer for our parishes tells me more about you than about us. Just because things didn’t work out the way you wanted them to does not mean all programs run by the laity are bad. Or that:

could care less if you sign up or not, show up or not, complete the program or not.

This is completely wrong.

There are standard RCIA programs and regardless what you state there are many that are very well implemented.

 

[TheLittleLady]

To clear things up, RCIA is not classes. RCIA are the Rites of Christian Initiation of Adults. Dioceses and Parishes have a very wide range of ways they prepare the unbaptized for these Rites.

At our parish, unbaptized children over the age of 7 are in the Faith Formation classes with the other children their own age. They attend 3 or 4 additional classes during the year that go into more depth about baptism.

In the USA every Diocese I know of gives parishes/pastors the ability to decide how to prepare people between the age of 7 and 107 for the Rites.