S
Steeevyo
Guest
Greeting to everyone.
This is my first post after a few months of interested readings in the various topics and discussions which I find to be very informative, friendly and respectful. I thought initially I would post a few questions that came up in my first weeks of RCIA. Of course I am also asking or discussing these questions directly in my parish but for a start on this forum I thought I’ll try to collect some thoughts too.
As brief as possible about me:
I am unbaptized (Mother Catholic, Father Protestant) and in my 40s. Recently got married in a legal ceremony to a wonderful woman who was baptized in a Presbyterian church and who was raised as a non denominational Christian praying and reading scripture daily. I am also an immigrant to the US from Germany and she is American. The thought of joining the Catholic faith has been with me for a very long time and ultimately my wife’s example of faithful devotion and prayer gave me the final push to finally try become ‘a late afternoon worker in the vineyard’ and go through the RCIA process. i found a parish and we are a small group visiting every Sunday after Mass.
Here is my questions:
I.
I was told that the earliest Rites of Initiation sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and first Eucharist would be Easter 2019. Now I am receiving conflicting information about this. I read of stories where the conversion process took 9 months starting in September and ending Easter the year after. Is this completely at leisure of the RCIA instructors or the local priest? I don’t want to start out this process by asking for accelerating the process but this question can be quite important with the next question.
II.
My wife and I were planning to get married in a religious ceremony way before my decision to finally start the conversion process. My wife is fully supportive if not to say through the moon that I am doing RCIA and has attended Mass with me every Sunday and will continue to do so. As I am currently unbaptized and as a family member of hers who is an ordained minister can and agreed to marry us in the eyes of God I am a little bit concerned about not being baptized in 2018 when we exchange our vows. Would the Catholic Church at a later point covalidate this marriage as they do with two baptized Christians of a different denomination or would my being unbaptized (while still being in a catholic conversion process) cause major problems here?
III. I am getting conflicting information about the Holy Water when entering Church. As an unbaptized person can I bless myself with the water? There are people who basically say: “Sure! It’s good for everyone” and then there is those who point to me even carrying original sin with me and that they would advise against it.
This is my first post after a few months of interested readings in the various topics and discussions which I find to be very informative, friendly and respectful. I thought initially I would post a few questions that came up in my first weeks of RCIA. Of course I am also asking or discussing these questions directly in my parish but for a start on this forum I thought I’ll try to collect some thoughts too.
As brief as possible about me:
I am unbaptized (Mother Catholic, Father Protestant) and in my 40s. Recently got married in a legal ceremony to a wonderful woman who was baptized in a Presbyterian church and who was raised as a non denominational Christian praying and reading scripture daily. I am also an immigrant to the US from Germany and she is American. The thought of joining the Catholic faith has been with me for a very long time and ultimately my wife’s example of faithful devotion and prayer gave me the final push to finally try become ‘a late afternoon worker in the vineyard’ and go through the RCIA process. i found a parish and we are a small group visiting every Sunday after Mass.
Here is my questions:
I.
I was told that the earliest Rites of Initiation sacrament of Baptism, Confirmation and first Eucharist would be Easter 2019. Now I am receiving conflicting information about this. I read of stories where the conversion process took 9 months starting in September and ending Easter the year after. Is this completely at leisure of the RCIA instructors or the local priest? I don’t want to start out this process by asking for accelerating the process but this question can be quite important with the next question.
II.
My wife and I were planning to get married in a religious ceremony way before my decision to finally start the conversion process. My wife is fully supportive if not to say through the moon that I am doing RCIA and has attended Mass with me every Sunday and will continue to do so. As I am currently unbaptized and as a family member of hers who is an ordained minister can and agreed to marry us in the eyes of God I am a little bit concerned about not being baptized in 2018 when we exchange our vows. Would the Catholic Church at a later point covalidate this marriage as they do with two baptized Christians of a different denomination or would my being unbaptized (while still being in a catholic conversion process) cause major problems here?
III. I am getting conflicting information about the Holy Water when entering Church. As an unbaptized person can I bless myself with the water? There are people who basically say: “Sure! It’s good for everyone” and then there is those who point to me even carrying original sin with me and that they would advise against it.
It is a sacramental, not a sacrament, so is open to you.