Rcia for practicing Christian ( non catholic )

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Charliesj

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Hello this is my first post but I have recently become very interested in joining the catholic faith. A little background; I was raised by a catholic mother and a protestant father. I attended catholic school until 5th grade when the local school shut down and I was transferred to public school 😦 . I bounced back and forth between mass and presbyterian services until I was a teen and the presbitarian church started leaning too far left for me to stomach anymore ( gay marriage acceptance among other things ). I then attended a non-denominational church for a while but always felt myself yearning for something more rooted in tradition and deeper than what I was getting. No matter where I ended up I always felt myself being pulled back towards mass.
Now to my question. I was baptized as a child into presbyterian church but I’ve been told both ways that I would or wouldn’t need to be re-baptized. I’m very familiar with the catholic faith and know it better than some of my cradle catholic relatives and friends. I don’t know whether I need to attend rcia or not but one of the problems is that I travel for work a lot and I’m gone for a couple months at a time especially in winter and early spring. That makes it hard to join rcia and be accepted at the Easter vigil.
Any answers will be appreciated
 
I would suggest - speak to your priest and explain your work situation and being out of town.

I’m familiar with other arrangements being made to those who are wanting to convert and having extinuating circumstances. One option could be they give you the books and information for you to read on your own and attend classes as your schedule permits or meet on a somewhat regular basis to touch base with your RCIA director or priest.

More than likely your baptism would be valid and you would simply forward them a copy of your certificate.

Good Luck! 🙂
 
Speak to your priest regarding your situation and desire to be received into the Church. Set up an appointment, don’t do the “catch him after Mass” thing. And, wait until after Easter.

Yes, the Catholic Church accepts Presbyterian baptisms.
 
You would need to enroll in RCIA. The validity of your baptism is determined based on a number of criteria, most important being form, followed closely by intent. As a general rule Main Stream protestant baptisms are valid, but you are an adult this confirmation and Eucharist are in order and your claim to understand Catholicism is nice, but must be verified and confirmed by one who IS knowledgeable.
 
Talk with the RCIA folks in your parish. They’ll know what they can or cannot do to accommodate your schedule.

Ideally they’ll be able to work with you – perhaps more meetings when you are available, perhaps using e-mail or other means to communicate with you when you’re away.

RCIA is not only an instructional program, but also a formational program. Since you may not be as available as others, it may take longer, but shouldn’t be impossible.
 
The RCIA introductions for England and Wales,are at liturgyoffice.org.uk/Resources/Rites/RCIA.pdf .

Your situation is covered in Part 5, beginning with n. 387.

“391 The baptised Christian is to receive both doctrinal and spiritual preparation, adapted to individual pastoral requirements, for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church.The candidate should learn to deepen an inner adherence to the Church, where he or she will find the fulness of his or her baptism. During the period of preparation the candidate may share in worship in conformity witli the provisions of the Ecumenical Directory.
Anything that would equate candidates for reception with those who are catechumens is
to be absolutely avoided.”
 
In the US the Catholic bishops (National Statutes for the Catechumenate, NCCB - 1986) call for a period of doctrinal (instructional) and spiritual (formational) preparation for persons in such circumstances, allow for them to participate in certain rites along with the catechumens (those never baptized), caution against making then go through the “full program” if it’s not necessary, and prefer that their reception into the Church not take place at the Easter Vigil.

I read the above to mean that what will be required should depend on a person’s individual circumstances. In practice however it will vary from local parish to parish. Some may require you to participate in the RCIA, others will not. At some your reception would take place at the Easter Vigil, and at others at some other time.

As mentioned above, you need to contact a local parish for a specific answer, and most likely that would best be done after Easter given the rather hectic pace of activities this week. But by all means do continue to respond to the “pull” that the Mass has on you, especially during this Holy Week as best you can.

.
 
Thanks for all the info guys I will have to talk to the parish preist and see where we stand. The older I get the stronger the pull toward Rome has been, it’s the only church where I feel a deep connection thru the scriptures to God. God bless
 
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