RCIA not for reverts

[Casilda]

This is why I have been so frustrated attempting RCIA. I came across this while reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If one cant get hold of a priest, you are doomed in ‘the system’. Why is there no system in place to help reverting Catholics if it is spelled out in the CCC that they should not be subjected to RCIA?

catholic.com/documents/how-to-become-a-catholic

“Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30).

For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such (NSC 3). As a result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens, such as the scrutinies. Even “[t]he rites of presentation of the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for those who have received no Christian instruction and formation” (NSC 31).

For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians, the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, **“Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate” (NSC 31). For this reason, they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do. **

The timing of their reception into the Church also is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, "It is preferable that reception into full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism, possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of baptism celebrated in another church or ecclesial community . . . " (NSC 33).

Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, “[t]he reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . .” (NSC 32).

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

This is why I have been so frustrated attempting RCIA. I came across this while reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If one cant get hold of a priest, you are doomed in ‘the system’. Why is there no system in place to help reverting Catholics if it is spelled out in the CCC that they should not be subjected to RCIA?

SUBJECTED to RCIA. What an incredibly odd way of putting things.

Some parishes have more resources available and some have fewer. They all do the best they can.

Ideally RCIA covers three groups:
those seeking baptism
those seeking to become Catholic from another ecclesial community
uncatechized Catholics (those who are baptized but haven’t received their other sacraments of initiation; ideally those needing only confirmation are treated separately)

The first group generally needs the most instruction and formation. The other two groups vary a lot and ideally RCIA will be flexible enough to accommodate their needs. Unfortunately not all parishes have sufficient resources to offer flexibility so everyone basically goes through the same process.

I guess the short answer is that you should take advantage of what your parish has to offer.

 

[ccmcmg]

How lucky are we, that since we have been confirmed in the Catholic Church, that we only have to return to the sacrament of Confession, prayerfully and truthfully, and we’re back?!!

Are you being instructed that, as a reverted Catholic, that you must be in RCIA? What is your background as a Catholic? Have you received first communion and confirmation?

Supposedly, there is a ‘welcome home’ program, but that was, for me, a dead end. I wasn’t contacted, and the one parish that did have it, wasn’t going to work for me for personal reasons (and very good ones, I might add).

 

[Usige]

Ideally RCIA covers three groups:
those seeking baptism
those seeking to become Catholic from another ecclesial community
uncatechized Catholics (those who are baptized but haven’t received their other sacraments of initiation; ideally those needing only confirmation are treated separately)

Actually that is far from ideal. Shoving all three groups into RCIA is about as far from ideal as possible. It’s like saying it’s ideal to take a kindergartner, a fourth grader and a high school senior and put them in the same class to learn multiplication; we’ll just modify the material for their level of understanding.

RCIA is intended to bring unbaptized adults into the church. There are allowances to used combined rites for candidates in *exceptional *circumstances, but it is not supposed to be the default and well catechized candidates are not supposed to go through the same program of formation. They are to be received as soon as possible. The National Statues for the Catechumenate (NS) makes this very clear, but people continue to say RCIA classes are for everyone.

As for those returning to the Church? They aren’t even supposed to be in RCIA classes as there are no rites in the RCIA that directly relate to someone that is already Catholic (hint: returning Catholics are neither catechumen or candidates).

Can any person get stuff out of RCIA classes? Sure. Is nine months and attending X classes required by the church before anyone can receive the sacraments? No. RCIA was never meant to be a weed out process (i.e. take 9 months to see if your serious) or as a community building process (we have holding hand during the Our Father for that).

 

[Nacho45]

I have been told RCIA is for converts, those who just want to learn more about the Catholic Church which includes current Catholics or anyone else who wants to learn. This is what I have seen on multiple web pages (Catholic pages) and have been told by priests.

 

[ClearWater]

catholicscomehome.org/

Welcome home! :yup::bounce::clapping:

 

[DarkLight]

Honestly, even when you have all one group, RCIA is a mishmash. That’s the nature of classes sometimes. I was bored for about 2/3 of mine, because I did a lot more homework than they’d expected. Our classes were almost entirely converts from protestantism, with one revert who’d been away since he was fairly young.

 

[Cat]

Corrie ten Boom used to say, “Nestle, don’t wrestle.”

Why on earth create a conflict over this?! It’s silly. Just submit. It will be good for your ego–it will make you more humble to sit in on classes that are intended for beginners.

It isn’t good to begin your sojourn in the Catholic Church by creating a conflict for yourself and others. Just NESTLE. Settle in and enjoy the experience. Throughout the rest of your life, you will come across other issues that WILL be worth fighting over, but this isn’t one of them. Just stop obsessing about what the “documents” say, and nestle, don’t wrestle.

Keep in mind that a lot of converts probably know a lot more than you do about the Catholic Church. When my husband and I started RCIA, we had read dozens of books, including the Catechism, and sat in on many seminars and conferences. We were Evangelical Protestant, and we wanted to learn EVERYTHING about the Catholic Church, so we already KNEW a lot of the stuff before we ever stepped into our RCIA classes, plus like most Evangelical Protestants, we knew the Bible inside and outside, up and down, and all around. But we still learned lots from our RCIA classes.

What possible harm will come of sitting in classes and reviewing the history and theology of the Catholic Church?! Why would you object to doing this?! We can always learn more. A good teacher might be able to phrase something in a way that gives you new insights and a fresh determination to never again leave the Catholic Church. And even if the classes are an utter waste of time and the teacher is a dolt, you can STILL benefit by the discipline of sitting quietly and listening and submitting to the authority of your local parish. Your soul will benefit by doing “the right thing.”

Also, there is much value in getting to know a group of like-minded people who have decided to commit themselves to the Church that Jesus Christ established. These people will become your good friends in the parish, if you open up to them and don’t treat them differently because they are converts and you’re not. You will see them in the years to come and share the bond of having persevered through RCIA together. And if you truly know it all already, you can help them to learn it all, too.

Nestle, don’t wrestle.

Now if you are truly pressed for time and have no time for a weekly class, then that’s a different story. There’s no need to search through church documents looking for a reason to justify missing RCIA. Just tell the priest and work something else out. In our RCIA, the sessions were videotaped so that those who couldn’t be there could listen on their own time. Or you can go through private training with your priest. Just don’t make a big deal out of it.

 

[Linusthe2nd]

This is why I have been so frustrated attempting RCIA. I came across this while reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If one cant get hold of a priest, you are doomed in ‘the system’. Why is there no system in place to help reverting Catholics if it is spelled out in the CCC that they should not be subjected to RCIA?

catholic.com/documents/how-to-become-a-catholic

“Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30).

For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such (NSC 3). As a result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens, such as the scrutinies. Even “[t]he rites of presentation of the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for those who have received no Christian instruction and formation” (NSC 31).

For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians, the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, **“Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate” (NSC 31). For this reason, they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do. **

The timing of their reception into the Church also is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, "It is preferable that reception into full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism, possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of baptism celebrated in another church or ecclesial community . . . " (NSC 33).

Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, “[t]he reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . .” (NSC 32).

Aside from the references above, have you been refused admittance to RCIA? Have you had a problem arrainging a meeting with a local pastor to discuss your particular needs? Have you already received baptism, first communion, and confirmation? If so, I do not understand why you could not participate in RCIA simply as a way to get " caught up " with Catholic teaching. In this case you should be able to attend with the understanding that you are not a Catechumate and will not take part in those events ( the reception of the sacraments for the first time ). Perhaps you could explain you particular " problem " in light of these comments.

Linus2nd .

 

[Memaw]

This is why I have been so frustrated attempting RCIA. I came across this while reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church. If one cant get hold of a priest, you are doomed in ‘the system’. Why is there no system in place to help reverting Catholics if it is spelled out in the CCC that they should not be subjected to RCIA?

catholic.com/documents/how-to-become-a-catholic

“Those who have already been baptized in another church or ecclesial community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is, it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church” (NSC 30).

For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such (NSC 3). As a result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens, such as the scrutinies. Even “[t]he rites of presentation of the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for those who have received no Christian instruction and formation” (NSC 31).

For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians, the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, **“Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate” (NSC 31). For this reason, they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do. **

The timing of their reception into the Church also is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states, "It is preferable that reception into full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism, possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of baptism celebrated in another church or ecclesial community . . . " (NSC 33).

Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, “[t]he reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . .” (NSC 32).

RCIA is actually open to everyone! You have to understand what the wording means before judging it. They have Cerimonies for different people, 1) those who have never been Baptized, 2) those who have been Bapitzed but want to become Catholic., 3) Catholics who want to be Confirmed. Those who want to learn more about their Catholic Faith do not parcipatate in those ceremonies but they can be there to give support. No one is excluded. I have been to RCIA many times as an observer or as Sponser. Talk to the one in charge of the RCIA. I have been a lifelong Catholic, taught CCD for 20 years. have read many, many books, attended many instruction classes with prespective converts over the years, and still learn from and am inspired by those in the RCIA program. God Bless, Memaw.

 

[Casilda]

Actually that is far from ideal. Shoving all three groups into RCIA is about as far from ideal as possible. It’s like saying it’s ideal to take a kindergartner, a fourth grader and a high school senior and put them in the same class to learn multiplication; we’ll just modify the material for their level of understanding.

RCIA is intended to bring unbaptized adults into the church. There are allowances to used combined rites for candidates in *exceptional *circumstances, but it is not supposed to be the default and well catechized candidates are not supposed to go through the same program of formation. They are to be received as soon as possible. The National Statues for the Catechumenate (NS) makes this very clear, but people continue to say RCIA classes are for everyone.

As for those returning to the Church? They aren’t even supposed to be in RCIA classes as there are no rites in the RCIA that directly relate to someone that is already Catholic (hint: returning Catholics are neither catechumen or candidates).

Can any person get stuff out of RCIA classes? Sure. Is nine months and attending X classes required by the church before anyone can receive the sacraments? No. RCIA was never meant to be a weed out process (i.e. take 9 months to see if your serious) or as a community building process (we have holding hand during the Our Father for that).

So, we fall through the cracks, we are but nothing…several times over the course of 3 decades I have tried to get back. Part of that estrangement was the way I was treated as a teenager (18) who was on her way back to church after my parents stopped taking me. I got no response from the priest, the parish, the convent connected to the parish or even the school. I went to mass, I called, I showed up at the office. No response. I didnt lose faith in God, just in the church. Now I’ve been in the desert for 42yrs. Do I go to the cathedral? I’ve got my certificates now (baptism/1st holy communion), my 42yr old children’s missal/rosary…or do I just give up?

 

[SaintRita]

I think that some parishes are really trying to welcome in reverts. Our parish is hosting a group at Christmas this year and it was advertised in the bulletin of the other parish in town as well. I’m not sure if I’m going to attend or not - if I didn’t have small children I definitely would make an effort to attend. Personally I’m not in the mood to re-open old wounds during Advent - I did my healing during Lent this year.

Come Home for Christmas, our doors are open!

Do you know someone that has been away from the Church for a
while but might be open to returning this Christmas season?
Whether it has been months, years or decades we want to
work with them, addressing any issues that have arisen between
them and the Church The first session will be held
on December 1 st. Hear from others that have left the Church
and come back home. There will be opportunities to ask
confidential questions. This session is facilitated by lay
leaders, with no clergy present.

On December 8 our parish priests will join us
to pr ovide answer s to those confidential questions as well as
discuss the Church’s mission in
proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ.

On December 15 we will discuss
how the Sacraments enrich your life and
help you cope with life’s challenges. The focus this week
will be on the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

All sessions are on Sunday evenings at 7PM. Please
encourage anyone you know that has been away from the
Church to join us and “Come Home for Christmas"!

 

[Casilda]

Corrie ten Boom used to say, “Nestle, don’t wrestle.”

Why on earth create a conflict over this?! It’s silly. Just submit. It will be good for your ego–it will make you more humble to sit in on classes that are intended for beginners.

It isn’t good to begin your sojourn in the Catholic Church by creating a conflict for yourself and others. Just NESTLE. Settle in and enjoy the experience. Throughout the rest of your life, you will come across other issues that WILL be worth fighting over, but this isn’t one of them. Just stop obsessing about what the “documents” say, and nestle, don’t wrestle.

Keep in mind that a lot of converts probably know a lot more than you do about the Catholic Church. When my husband and I started RCIA, we had read dozens of books, including the Catechism, and sat in on many seminars and conferences. We were Evangelical Protestant, and we wanted to learn EVERYTHING about the Catholic Church, so we already KNEW a lot of the stuff before we ever stepped into our RCIA classes, plus like most Evangelical Protestants, we knew the Bible inside and outside, up and down, and all around. But we still learned lots from our RCIA classes.

What possible harm will come of sitting in classes and reviewing the history and theology of the Catholic Church?! Why would you object to doing this?! We can always learn more. A good teacher might be able to phrase something in a way that gives you new insights and a fresh determination to never again leave the Catholic Church. And even if the classes are an utter waste of time and the teacher is a dolt, you can STILL benefit by the discipline of sitting quietly and listening and submitting to the authority of your local parish. Your soul will benefit by doing “the right thing.”

Also, there is much value in getting to know a group of like-minded people who have decided to commit themselves to the Church that Jesus Christ established. These people will become your good friends in the parish, if you open up to them and don’t treat them differently because they are converts and you’re not. You will see them in the years to come and share the bond of having persevered through RCIA together. And if you truly know it all already, you can help them to learn it all, too.

Nestle, don’t wrestle.

Now if you are truly pressed for time and have no time for a weekly class, then that’s a different story. There’s no need to search through church documents looking for a reason to justify missing RCIA. Just tell the priest and work something else out. In our RCIA, the sessions were videotaped so that those who couldn’t be there could listen on their own time. Or you can go through private training with your priest. Just don’t make a big deal out of it.

I was in a class, and in every class we were pressured to make an appointment with a priest if you have an ‘irregular’ marriage, as soon as possible or you will not be confirmed on time. I tried calling every week for a month and still couldnt get an appointment. Said priests were also supposed to be in RCIA every week, but they never were. They never answered my emails or returned my calls. Tried another parish, two of the appointments were cancelled by the parish.

 

[Casilda]

Aside from the references above, have you been refused admittance to RCIA? Have you had a problem arrainging a meeting with a local pastor to discuss your particular needs? Have you already received baptism, first communion, and confirmation? If so, I do not understand why you could not participate in RCIA simply as a way to get " caught up " with Catholic teaching. In this case you should be able to attend with the understanding that you are not a Catechumate and will not take part in those events ( the reception of the sacraments for the first time ). Perhaps you could explain you particular " problem " in light of these comments.

Linus2nd .

To who?

 

[Casilda]

Where is this parish?

**Come Home for Christmas, our doors are open!

Do you know someone that has been away from the Church for a
while but might be open to returning this Christmas season?
Whether it has been months, years or decades we want to
work with them, addressing any issues that have arisen between
them and the Church The first session will be held
on December 1 st. Hear from others that have left the Church
and come back home. There will be opportunities to ask
confidential questions. This session is facilitated by lay
leaders, with no clergy present.

On December 8 our parish priests will join us
to pr ovide answer s to those confidential questions as well as
discuss the Church’s mission in
proclaiming the message of Jesus Christ.

On December 15 we will discuss
how the Sacraments enrich your life and
help you cope with life’s challenges. The focus this week
will be on the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation.

All sessions are on Sunday evenings at 7PM. Please
encourage anyone you know that has been away from the
Church to join us and “Come Home for Christmas"!**

 

[DarkLight]

Ok, that’s a different problem than what it sounded like at first!

Yes, I would call or write to the bishop’s office and say exactly what you’ve said here, preferably with as much documentation as you can. Say you’re trying to return to the church, you have an irregular marriage situation, but you haven’t been able to get in contact with anyone to help you resolve it.

 

[SaintRita]

So, we fall through the cracks, we are but nothing…several times over the course of 3 decades I have tried to get back. Part of that estrangement was the way I was treated as a teenager (18) who was on her way back to church after my parents stopped taking me. I got no response from the priest, the parish, the convent connected to the parish or even the school. I went to mass, I called, I showed up at the office. No response. I didnt lose faith in God, just in the church. Now I’ve been in the desert for 42yrs. Do I go to the cathedral? I’ve got my certificates now (baptism/1st holy communion), my 42yr old children’s missal/rosary…or do I just give up?

Were you confirmed? If you were not confirmed then RCIA is the first step.

 

[Casilda]

Ok, that’s a different problem than what it sounded like at first!

Yes, I would call or write to the bishop’s office and say exactly what you’ve said here, preferably with as much documentation as you can. Say you’re trying to return to the church, you have an irregular marriage situation, but you haven’t been able to get in contact with anyone to help you resolve it.

I say irregular, I’ve been told different things, I married a Christian not a Catholic and married in his church. First marriage for both of us, still married after 30 years. I’ve been told this is irregular. Havent been able to get with a priest to talk about this.

 

[Simpleton]

Were you confirmed? If you were not confirmed then RCIA is the first step.

I’ve heard this as well, but it was not the case with me. I was not confirmed until after I came back to the Church. I was expecting to have to do RCIA, but the priest never told me to take the classes. He just advised me to show up on the day of confirmation with the other adults. I told him I was a revert who had fallen away from the faith for sometime before coming back and that I was not confirmed. I’m sure my confirmation is still valid; although, come to think of it I’ve never received a certificate for my confirmation.

 

[Oneofthewomen]

I say irregular, I’ve been told different things, I married a Christian not a Catholic and married in his church. First marriage for both of us, still married after 30 years. I’ve been told this is irregular. Havent been able to get with a priest to talk about this.

Based on what you have posted, and as someone who was in a similar situation regarding marriage I offer you this-

!. Yes, your marriage is “irregular”, but it can be a very easy fix. Baptism binds one to the Church, so all Catholics are bound to follow the laws of the Church, whether they know it or not. Your marriage, based on what you shared suffers from “lack of form”. This is a relatively easy process.

1. Since you are not getting any help at the parish level, I would suggest getting in touch with the “Marriage Tribunal” with your diocese. Tell them you want to come back but are getting conflicting information, etc. They can point you in the right direction.
2. One the parish level~ Don’t give up!! Remember the story of the persistent widow!!
   Document all attempts to seek help and if things continue in the same manner (no return calls/e-mails), contact the diocese, the Bishop needs to be aware that people are being “left out in the cold”.

Peace & prayers