I am a convert from evangelicalism, and so I have gone through the RCIA process. I am having trouble understanding how conversion to the faith works in all cases, specifically: I’m attempting what I guess could be young adult Catholic fiction. I have a character who is high school age and moves next door to a close-knit Catholic family, befriends the girls in the family, and is interested in the faith. It’s difficult for him because his mom is an atheist and religion wasn’t something ever mentioned in their house growing up. His mother is an Ob/Gyn and abortion provider for a women’s clinic, which makes his interest in religion uncomfortable for her. Also, he is bisexual. I assume he’d do some kind of RCIA, but us it different for high school? Would he be counseled because of his same sex attraction? I don’t think his Mom’s career would affect his ability to convert aside from being awkward, right? Does anyone know how this would go for baptism/confirmation/1STcommunion?
I’ve said some Catholic friends around who weren’t totally sure or said that it might depend on the size of the parish. I am working with a parish that is the only Catholic Church is a county of small farming towns if that matters.
Hypotheticals are tough to answer.
You are basically asking if the person is disqualified from entering the Church due to his life circumstances, which fly in the face of Church teaching.
The answer is no, his circumstances do not prevent him from entering the RCIA process. During the RCIA process no one would (should) ask him his sexual orientation or practices, so it wouldn’t be an issue unless it was a public matter. If he brought it up, members of the RCIA team would probably counsel him as best they could, or the pastor would do it. Confession is part of that process (for candidates only), so if he has issues to confess, he would do that, just like any other candidate. Or Baptism for catechumens, which also cleanses the soul. We have had many catechumens who have had abortions or lived in irregular lifestyles. They go through RCIA, and hopefully in that process they find the mercy of God and the call to conversion, through the Church.
This hypothetical scenario is in fact very common. Many people are burdened by sin and during the RCIA process they come to know the Church through the members of the RCIA team. This is why it is of utmost importance to remember that RCIA is not -only- a program of doctrine, it is a lived process of finding communion with the Church. Hopefully, through RCIA, they discover that the Word did indeed become flesh. If RCIA is only about learning doctrine, the catechumen is simply overwhelmed and discouraged (we’ve had that happen) because they cannot possibly absorb it all in 7 months.
If the catechumen is publicly defying Church teaching, that would be another matter, and the pastor may say something like “you’re not committed to full communion with the Church, let’s try again when you are”.
Every person makes a free commitment to enter the Church. Sin does not prevent one from entering the Church, in fact the Church calls to sinners to come to Jesus.
