RCIA for children question

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petrachus

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I’m the RCIA co-ordinator for my parish and it’d help if anyone could answer this difficult question raised to me be a concerned parent.

There is a seven year old boy who attends our parish with his mother. His mother was on the RCIA programme and was recived into the church at easter, having a conditional baptism because she could not locate a record of her baptism. She is now a faithful catholic. Her son, the seven year old, was baptised into the Church of England as an infant and we have checked and found this baptism to be valid. As such he was admitted to First Holy Communion in the catholic church after his mother had converted. This is because our diocese rules that for a child to recieve HC they must have one supporting catholic adult. Was this course of action correct? Did that child need to receive any other rite, or is he in full communion by virtue of his reception of Holy Communion and his anglican baptism?

thanks,
Andrew
 
I believe that prior to First Holy Communion all persons/children are required to have Reconciliation. There is usually a preparation class for this during the second grade year. If that did not happen, you should discuss this with the parent and have the child refrain from the Eucharist until he has prepared for and gone to Reconciliation.
 
The child recived Reconcilliation prior to First Holy Communion in accordance with due process.

The question really is whether this child is validly a catholic or not. He has a valid Christian baptism recognised by the church and he was admitted to first Holy Communion and attends a catholic school - all of which was adminstrated correctly. However, is there a rite of initiation that he should have undergone? Or is he brought into full communion with the catholic church (already being validly baptised) by virtue of first Holy Communion?
 
petrachus said:
I’m the RCIA co-ordinator for my parish and it’d help if anyone could answer this difficult question raised to me be a concerned parent.

There is a seven year old boy who attends our parish with his mother. His mother was on the RCIA programme and was recived into the church at easter, having a conditional baptism because she could not locate a record of her baptism. She is now a faithful catholic. Her son, the seven year old, was baptised into the Church of England as an infant and we have checked and found this baptism to be valid. As such he was admitted to First Holy Communion in the catholic church after his mother had converted. This is because our diocese rules that for a child to recieve HC they must have one supporting catholic adult. Was this course of action correct? Did that child need to receive any other rite, or is he in full communion by virtue of his reception of Holy Communion and his anglican baptism?

thanks,
Andrew
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Your correct.
He will receive Confirmation with his proper age group after a number of years of Faith Formation.

This is because he was already Baptized.
 
It all hinges on the “age of reason”, which is never defined in Canon Law because it can be individual to each person/child.

Below the age of reason, the parents can bring their child into full communion with the Church just the way this woman did. I presume since the priest chose this route he believed the child to be below the “age of reason” cut off.

If the child had been, say 8 or 9 or older, they would have had to attend RCIC, make a profession of faith, and be received into the Church completing both Eucharist and Confirmation at the same time.

Sounds like it was borderline but the priest made a judgment call and the child is now a Catholic.
 
1ke said:
It all hinges on the “age of reason”, which is never defined in Canon Law because it can be individual to each person/child.

Below the age of reason, the parents can bring their child into full communion with the Church just the way this woman did. I presume since the priest chose this route he believed the child to be below the “age of reason” cut off.

If the child had been, say 8 or 9 or older, they would have had to attend RCIC, make a profession of faith, and be received into the Church completing both Eucharist and Confirmation at the same time.

Sounds like it was borderline but the priest made a judgment call and the child is now a Catholic.
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If this child was NOT validly Baptized abd 8 or 9 then “they would have had to attend RCIC, make a profession of faith, and be received into the Church completing both Eucharist and Confirmation at the same time.”

However this child was already validly Baptized, so they are catechized with their age group and receive the Sacraments at the usual age (7-8 for First Holy Communion), (Diocesan policy on Confirmation).
 
1ke said:
It all hinges on the “age of reason”, which is never defined in Canon Law because it can be individual to each person/child.

Below the age of reason, the parents can bring their child into full communion with the Church just the way this woman did. I presume since the priest chose this route he believed the child to be below the “age of reason” cut off.

If the child had been, say 8 or 9 or older, they would have had to attend RCIC, make a profession of faith, and be received into the Church completing both Eucharist and Confirmation at the same time.

Sounds like it was borderline but the priest made a judgment call and the child is now a Catholic.
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Awesome! Thanks for the info.
 
Br.Rich_SFO said:
If this child was NOT validly Baptized abd 8 or 9 then “they would have had to attend RCIC, make a profession of faith, and be received into the Church completing both Eucharist and Confirmation at the same time.”

However this child was already validly Baptized, so they are catechized with their age group and receive the Sacraments at the usual age (7-8 for First Holy Communion), (Diocesan policy on Confirmation).
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If they were validly baptized in a non-Catholic denomination AND over the age of reason, then they would be required to complete the process of being received into the Church as an ADULT.

This child was not over the age of reason, and therefore was brought in as described by the OP.

If they’d been over the age of reason, they absolutely would have been considered and ADULT and had to go through a different process.
 
1ke said:
If they were validly baptized in a non-Catholic denomination AND over the age of reason, then they would be required to complete the process of being received into the Church as an ADULT.

This child was not over the age of reason, and therefore was brought in as described by the OP.

If they’d been over the age of reason, they absolutely would have been considered and ADULT and had to go through a different process.
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The Rite provides for a child already Baptized, either under or over the age of reason to be received and then catechized for the Sacraments of Holy Communion and Confirmation with their age group. An older child say 13 -16 could be Confirmed when they are received, depending on the policy in the diocese.
 
petrachus said:
The child recived Reconcilliation prior to First Holy Communion in accordance with due process.

The question really is whether this child is validly a catholic or not. He has a valid Christian baptism recognised by the church and he was admitted to first Holy Communion and attends a catholic school - all of which was adminstrated correctly. However, is there a rite of initiation that he should have undergone? Or is he brought into full communion with the catholic church (already being validly baptised) by virtue of first Holy Communion?
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If he is seven years old, there is extremely little likelyhood that he has formed any opinion, thought, or kowledge sufficient to indcate that he is anything other than any other 7 year old who is a cradle Catholic.

I think the question really is one of whether he whopuld have had catechesis on being a Catholic. Presuming that he was taught what most other 7 year old Catholics are taught about Reconcilliation and the Eucharist, there should be no other questions. It is not like he has had years of inculcation in being an Episcopalian.
 
petrachus said:
I’m the RCIA co-ordinator for my parish and it’d help if anyone could answer this difficult question raised to me be a concerned parent.

There is a seven year old boy who attends our parish with his mother. His mother was on the RCIA programme and was recived into the church at easter, having a conditional baptism because she could not locate a record of her baptism. She is now a faithful catholic. Her son, the seven year old, was baptised into the Church of England as an infant and we have checked and found this baptism to be valid. As such he was admitted to First Holy Communion in the catholic church after his mother had converted. This is because our diocese rules that for a child to recieve HC they must have one supporting catholic adult. Was this course of action correct? Did that child need to receive any other rite, or is he in full communion by virtue of his reception of Holy Communion and his anglican baptism?

thanks,
Andrew
Click to expand...
**The child’s baptism was valid. He’s fine. 🙂 **
 
question is how old was the child when he was received into the Church, or when his mother began the RCIA process. An unbaptized child over the age of reason, generally age 7, should go through RCIA, but that is not a hard and fast rule for a baptized child. The family should have been interviewed by the pastor as well as the RCIA coordinator early in the process precisely to ascertain these questions.

yes it was fine for him to be received at the same time as the mother, and to make first communion. It should have been preceded, however, by the same instruction and preparation with others his age who were also making first communion, and with first confession. If he had been in RCIA he could also have been confirmed at the same time. Now he will proceed with regular religious instruction throughout the school years, including (but not limited to) preparation for confirmation at the age set by the local bishop. If he has not been instructed prior to first communion, that should be a priority.

if he was under 7, and in most places up to and including age 7, he automatically became Catholic, if baptized, when his parent was received, and would receive RE and sacramental prep with others of his age group in due course. If unbaptized the infant may be baptized with his parents, or sooner if necessary as long as they wish it.

example, we had a non-Catholic child in our parish school some time ago who had been baptized Anglican and attended several years including first communion prep with her class. When the school discovered her baptismal status they called me. Since she had already been receiving instruction with her peers inlcuding first confession, she simply attended our RCIA sessions for children during Lent, celebrated the appropriate rites and was received into the Church at EAster with confirmation and first communion. She still participated in her “second communion” with her school class on their special day.

generally if we have parents in RCIA the children are included as a matter of course in RE with their peers, and moved to a special RCIA class for the immediate preparation for the Easter sacraments.

yes the child is Catholic by virtue of being admitted to communion, and will, as do Catholic children, complete his Christian initiation at a later date through formal profession of faith and Confirmation. this fact must be recorded in the sacramental register of the parish, so make a note in the first communion register, because he will need this proof when it comes time for confirmation and later marriage.

any validly baptized children under age of reason become Catholic simply by the act of their parents reception into the Church without any rites, the fact should be noted in the parish sacramental record, and the children prepared for the other sacraments with their peers at the common age in the diocese.
 
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