RCIA question...the "experience" thing

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puzzleannie said:
this is exactly the problem, the intake person is not supposed to be the parish secretary, but she has to know where to direct your phone call, and usually the pastor has a designated hitter, the “RCIA Person” to do those initial interview. Your proper status should be sorted out at that time, but the first phone call or office visit is not likely to get you right where you need to be.

For one thing, even though I do the extensive interview in the beginning prescribed by our diocese, people still hold back vital information that I don’t pry out of them until weeks or months later: I was baptized by being strewn with flower petals on a mountaintop in California by my hippie parents, this is my third marriage and all of my previous spouses had been married before, I have to stay JW because of my wife’s family but I need confirmation so we can baptize my brother’s baby. I am of course exaggerating but to make a point. the first thing I have to do is determine “where you are on the journey” (RCIA Person Lingo for whadya’all need). That is why I plug everyone into “Inquiry Period” for a few weeks when they first start out, so we get all this resolved, because it becomes a kind of shake down so we get people on the right track.
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FYI
We have rewritten, rewritten, rewritten our enrollment form for this very issue.
 
jmcrae said:
No, of course not, but what I mean is, the secretary doesn’t mention the option of private instruction with a priest for those who already know most of what they need to know, at.
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that is precisely why the secretary’s job is to direct the person who inquires to the “RCIA Person” who should do a throrough interview to determine that person’s needs, and why the candidate should not try to skip this process, or should not hold back on info this person needs to know to help discern those needs.

I can tell you that in any parish I have worked in for the last 20 years there will be little or no opportunity for “private instruction with the priest” especially if he already has both his parish and diocesan responsibilities, plus care of one or more missions or cluster parishes, and is already working 60+ hours a week.
 
I was just baptized, confirmed and took my first Eucharist. By the time I reached this point, I was so frustrated that I considered waiting until next year and trying RCIA at a different parish.

First, I concur about the “experience” thing. I went through an extensive “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” without any explanation. I was kneeling for a good 45 minutes, without any idea what was going on. Afterwards, they explained the symbolism of the Blessed Sacrament. That would have been nice to know BEFORE you removed it from the sanctuary. Further, I was never taught how to pray the rosary, either of the creeds, the responses in mass, way to accept the Eucharist, etc. I learned those on my own by reading books. It makes me wonder why I was wasting hours “reflecting” and not learning anything new.

Further, the majority of the RCIA team at the parish are cradle catholics who appear to pass judgment on the elect/catechumens. Rather than making our conversion into Catholicism an enjoyable experience, they have been disrespectful to me and more interested in showing off their “Catholic knowledge” than actually facilitating the deepening of our faith. In fact, they played “Catholic Trivia” at an event…of course most people who grew up in the church and received parochial educations know more about catholic history.

I just wanted to vent about how my experience with RCIA left a sour taste in my mouth and has prompted me to find a new parish.
 
McGilvra said:
I was just baptized, confirmed and took my first Eucharist. By the time I reached this point, I was so frustrated that I considered waiting until next year and trying RCIA at a different parish.

First, I concur about the “experience” thing. I went through an extensive “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” without any explanation. I was kneeling for a good 45 minutes, without any idea what was going on. Afterwards, they explained the symbolism of the Blessed Sacrament. That would have been nice to know BEFORE you removed it from the sanctuary. Further, I was never taught how to pray the rosary, either of the creeds, the responses in mass, way to accept the Eucharist, etc. I learned those on my own by reading books. It makes me wonder why I was wasting hours “reflecting” and not learning anything new.

Further, the majority of the RCIA team at the parish are cradle catholics who appear to pass judgment on the elect/catechumens. Rather than making our conversion into Catholicism an enjoyable experience, they have been disrespectful to me and more interested in showing off their “Catholic knowledge” than actually facilitating the deepening of our faith. In fact, they played “Catholic Trivia” at an event…of course most people who grew up in the church and received parochial educations know more about catholic history.

I just wanted to vent about how my experience with RCIA left a sour taste in my mouth and has prompted me to find a new parish.
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On their behalf, I am sincerely sorry about what you have had to endure. 😦

And mea culpa, mea maxima culpa - the week before last, took a group of uncatechized teenagers (who are nominally Catholic) to Confession without telling them where we were going - when we got there I took them in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and I said, “Okay, do your examination of conscience, and then Father will hear your Confessions.”

They all went "WHA …? :eek: "

But I did it that way because I thought they would all bolt for the doors and disappear into the night if I told them any sooner than that what we were doing. As it turned out, more than half of them actually went to Confession, and the others promised me they would make arrangements to go before Easter, but didn’t feel ready just at that particular moment. 🙂
 
I asked about this a while back. Because anytime a question was asked in class what would be happening they question was purposely ignored and dodged so I asked here and this is what I was told:
In most cases the RCIA team do not give all the details what is going to take place at the rite. The Rcia team wants this to be a wonderful experience. People who been through this or is on a team shouldn’t give all the details to the rite :tsktsk: . Let The Holy Spirit be the comforter. Rcia process can be a great. Do not worry about all the details. Let the team and Christ guide you. The questions you have regarding Sending and Election is good. I think any questions regarding what “happens” at the rite or what they do should not be ask or answered.
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🤷
I think it’s silly. I feel the experience would have been no different if I had been told what to expect.
 
texaspanda said:
I asked about this a while back. Because anytime a question was asked in class what would be happening they question was purposely ignored and dodged so I asked here and this is what I was told:

🤷
I think it’s silly. I feel the experience would have been no different if I had been told what to expect.
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What I think is that the participants should be told the outer details. “Father will do this, your sponsor will do that,” etc.

But nobody should ever be told, “You will feel …” this way or that way, because sometimes people feel anxious, or else they don’t feel anything at all, and if they have been promised that they will feel good, then they will be disappointed.

And even details about what Father will do or what the sponsor will do - what happens if Father or the sponsor forgets something? Then all you hear for the rest of forever is how “the RCIA did it all wrong.” So I can sympathize with the instinct to just not tell ahead of time what will happen (because let’s face it - this is the Catholic Church, and regardless of what’s supposed to happen, just about anything could happen - and no matter how organized you are, things have a way of going wrong at the last minute.)

What I used to tell the RCIA people was, “Here is the theory of what is supposed to happen. This being the Catholic Church, something like this will happen, but it won’t be exact in every detail - the book is only considered a guideline; not a prescription.”
 
puzzleannie said:
the NA Forum is NOT the official body responsible for training RCIA catechists, but for 30 years they have effectively been the only game in town. now there is an alternative, the Association for Catechumenal Ministry, which has set the new gold standard in training RCIA directors and catechists and in producting participant resources. you may view and purchase their materials at ltp.org.
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I’d forgotten about this thread, thanks for the info!
 
McGilvra said:
I was just baptized, confirmed and took my first Eucharist. By the time I reached this point, I was so frustrated that I considered waiting until next year and trying RCIA at a different parish.

First, I concur about the “experience” thing. I went through an extensive “Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament” without any explanation. I was kneeling for a good 45 minutes, without any idea what was going on. Afterwards, they explained the symbolism of the Blessed Sacrament. That would have been nice to know BEFORE you removed it from the sanctuary. Further, I was never taught how to pray the rosary, either of the creeds, the responses in mass, way to accept the Eucharist, etc. I learned those on my own by reading books. It makes me wonder why I was wasting hours “reflecting” and not learning anything new.

Further, the majority of the RCIA team at the parish are cradle catholics who appear to pass judgment on the elect/catechumens. Rather than making our conversion into Catholicism an enjoyable experience, they have been disrespectful to me and more interested in showing off their “Catholic knowledge” than actually facilitating the deepening of our faith. In fact, they played “Catholic Trivia” at an event…of course most people who grew up in the church and received parochial educations know more about catholic history.

I just wanted to vent about how my experience with RCIA left a sour taste in my mouth and has prompted me to find a new parish.
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Welcome, new Catholic! Does the parish offer formal Mystagogy? If not, please immediately join an RCIA group in a neighboring parish which does! And please forgive.
 
Yup, I had that big MYSTERY awaiting me also, which turned out to be the Rite Of Signing. I still have no idea if Candidates were supposed to be Signed as were the Catecumans, but I was Signed. Frankly, I was expecting A Bigger Deal.
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Both the Rite of Acceptance (for the unbaptized) and the Rite of Welcoming (for the baptized) include a ritual called “signing of the cross” on their foreheads by the celebrant.

Celebrant to catechumens: N., receive the cross on your forehead. It is Christ himself who now strengthens you with this sign of his love. Learn to know him and follow him…

Celebrant to candidates: N., receive the cross on your forehead as a reminder of your baptism into Christ’s saving death and resurrection…

These rites include another beautiful ritual called the “signing of the other senses” during which the catechist, sponsor, deacon or priest signs the person’s ears, eyes, lips, heart, shoulders, hands and feet as the celebrant prays the blessings, but this is optional, and is sadly (imho) omitted by some celebrants. It IS a big deal, and should be explained to the RCIA participants so they are adequately informed about, and appreciate, the meaning and the graces offered during these rituals.
 
I’ve had a wonderful experience in RCIA and I am now in the Mystagogy “phase”. We were always told what to expect during the Rite of Acceptance, Rite of Sending, Rite of Election, and the Easter Vigil. I know that at our next class we will have people from the different groups there to tell us about each group so that we can find our “niche” in the parish. I enjoyed RCIA so much that I’m thinking of being a sponsor for the next class (hopefully, my hubby will be in it!) I hate that some of you had bad experiences, especially when it should be a joyous process. I hope you find the right church for you.
 
Thanks, Alanswife. I have considered becoming a leader of the RCIA group in the parish that I will be leaving to include a different perspective. I believe that the church should be welcoming to new members, not make them feel awful because they weren’t born Catholic. I also think that people finding a deeper faith and committing to the Catholic church is a beautiful thing…
 
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