RCIA tuition - what is the norm?

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Nina said:
Granted they help those who need financial assistance…I’m wondering if this situation should be considered a red flag that they’re bringing up money at all or if I should be understanding that some parishes don’t have as many resources as others for these programs.

Thank you all for your responses so far.
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I don’t know that I’d go so far as to call it a “red flag” on it’s own. I’d hate to encourage suspicion of your parish from the outset. 😑

Personally, I have never heard of a parish that charges for RCIA. I definitely would encourage a parish to avoid doing that if at all possible. Although, I do have RCIA candidates and catechumen ask me at the beginning of almost every year if they have to pay anything. I tell them no, but if they want to contribute, they can put it in the collection basket on Sunday.

I’m sure I spend at least $70 per person, though.
 
I’ve not read all of the responses, but usually RCIA is $0. However, religious education for children does have a fee (RCIC, I’ve been a catechist). With that in mind, it’s possible they are attempting to cover some costs. If you cannot cover it don’t hesitate to reach out to your parish and discuss this with them, even if you suggest a smaller fee or none at all. I’m sure they’ll work with you. No one wants someone to miss out on sacraments over money.
 
Thanks @Joe_5859, good to know it doesn’t warrant a red flag, I’ve been coming to this church for a while and really don’t want to search for a new one.
 
RCIA was free – including reading materials. RCIA is a ministry that welcomes people into the Church. A fee would be off-putting, at least to me.
 
Horton said:
For confirmation prep the cost is $50 dollars, however each kid receives a $30 bible which is theirs to keep. The other $20 is to cover retreat costs. We do not turn anyone away for their inability to pay.
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Wow, that’s cheap. At my wife’s parish the cost of Family Formation pushed a lot of people away. We had to pay $125 per kid ($175 for 1st communion year)…a lot of parents wondered why it was so expensive when “we” have to do all the work.

We only signed up one kid to save on the cost (the curriculum is the same K-6…they just shared a book), they figured that out and changed the pricing structure so if you had 2 eligible kids…you were paying that much whether you signed them both up or not.
 
TC3033 said:
We only signed up one kid to save on the cost (the curriculum is the same K-6…they just shared a book), they figured that out and changed the pricing structure so if you had 2 eligible kids…you were paying that much whether you signed them both up or not.
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Wowsers. I recall you speaking of the exorbitant fees at your parish before. This new development just makes it all the more perplexing. I mean, as the one in charge of faith formation at my parish, it does bother me when families only sign up their children during sacrament prep years and then disappear during other years. But to attempt to address that issue by charging for kids who aren’t signed up? I don’t think I could do that in good conscience.
 
Joe_5859 said:
it does bother me when families only sign up their children during sacrament prep years and then disappear during other years. But to attempt to address that issue by charging for kids who aren’t signed up? I don’t think I could do that in good conscience.
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I understand how that may be frustrating…but it’s not even that.

Let’s say I have 3 kids K-6. A Kindergartner, 4th and 6th grader… The curriculum is the same for all three. They do the same lessons out of the same books. Rather than paying the family max, at the time would have been $300, we just sign up the Kindergartner @ $125, saving $175…the kids share the books for lessons and they work as a team on projects at family day.

I think the parish figured out that families were doing this and changed the charging scheme where as, if you don’t sign up all eligible kids in your family (because they know), you aren’t eligible for any “family discount” which basically worked out to the price of two kids signing up.

That’s the way it was for us. We have two eligible kids, and usually just signed up the younger one @ $125. Let the kids share the book, younger one can do the crafts. Under the new charging system this year it would have been $200 either way. Family discount made it 2 or more kids signing up = $200 (+ if it’s a sacrament year). If we were to only sign up one kid (with multiple kids) we don’t get the family discount and that one kid is $200…if I understand correctly ¯_(ツ)_/¯
 
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Sure…If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard that…the program would be free 😉

However, I can understand my wife’s position (and the position of other Catholic parents) is they had to go to class growing up…their kids should too. “I” (they) don’t want to be the one that needs to pay (in some cases hundreds) of dollars to go to class then come home and “do all the work”…especially when that’s not the program they grew up with or a direction they don’t agree with.

Honestly for us, the family program didn’t work. Our kids respond better in a classroom environment away from each other. The program doubles the work at home as our boys can’t go through the lesson together at the same time. The last thing they want to do is homework…even worse is together.
 
Then don’t send them. Take them to another parish. I have seen many of your posts and none have anything positive about the Church that I recall.

Family faith formation is a growing trend BECAUSE many parents have abdicated being the primary teachers of the faith to their children. Many parents have gotten used to dropping their kid(s) off for 90 minutes of babysitting weekly and having to do nothing about religion until the next week. Many don’t even take their kids to Mass unless it’s a special occasion.

I have 45 students in our confirmation prep class. Approximately 50% of them do not attend Mass with their parents. Well over half of them have never opened a bible until they opened the one we gave them. These are high school students. Family Faith Formation is a good thing. It is getting parents to do what they should have been doing all along, catechizing their children.

When you married in the Catholic Church you and your wife promised to raise your children in the Catholic faith. This is what fulfilling that promise looks like. If you & your wife didn’t really mean that promise it may be time to have a long talk with the parish priest.
 
We don’t charge. If we use a book, we will charge whatever it cost us to buy the book. Even then, the book is optional. No one is ever turned away.
 
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I was not asked to pay for anything and it’s not expected. The priest gave everyone a St. Joseph’s catechism which he is teaching from. Those that did not have a Catholic bible were provided one.

I bought my own bibles (different versions) and my own copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for my own edification and to use at home. I don’t take that to catechism to class with me, it supplements for me some of the homework assignments that are given.

It is reasonable though to make a donation if you’re enrolled. Those handouts are not free to anyone, there is a cost associated with them. Do it anonymously through the collection plate or drop off a donation to the office and ask them to earmark it for educational materials for other classes.
 
I had suggested an unblemished goat or two doves if one was in financial need. Apparently I’m not nearly as funny as I think :crazy_face:
 
Horton said:
Then don’t send them. Take them to another parish. I have seen many of your posts and none have anything positive about the Church that I recall.
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Well, TBH we didn’t send them this year. They’re not signed up for anything as we decide where our next step is going to be. We’re not the only parents who have done so.

This has nothing to do with the church… I honestly quite liked their old RE program. Parents and kids (I believe…ours did) got more out of that (including more fellowship) due to the time they had to play together before class and by sharing a meal after. Which was a time older kids could come to eat as well before evening classes. Honestly, they had a really good thing.
Horton said:
Family faith formation is a growing trend BECAUSE…
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Yes…I understand what the goals are supposed to be. I did a lot of homework when they announced the change as I figured this was going to put a lot on my wife’s shoulders. I also had a pretty long talk with the old DRE about it as well.
Horton said:
I have 45 students in our confirmation prep class.
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In K-6 we had somewhere in the neighborhood of 120 before family faith formation. By the end of the 1st year it was down to ~30 parents attending parent night. The 2nd year (last year) we never had more than 20-25.
Horton said:
When you married in the Catholic Church you and your wife promised to raise your children in the Catholic faith. This is what fulfilling that promise looks like. If you & your wife didn’t really mean that promise it may be time to have a long talk with the parish priest.
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I didn’t realize that when a parish changes their RE program (Honestly the old program was the reason she switched there in the first place) and you disagree with that change voicing it was now not fulfilling that promise.
Horton said:
it may be time to have a long talk with the parish priest.
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I know this isn’t what you’re talking about…but I think many people have…and he’s read the end of the year feedback. It was met with “we have this program now and are never going back”…

In all fairness, I think if it was cheaper parents may have jumped on board a bit more early on. We paid $125 for the old program that included busing from the public school to church, snack, classes and then we had a “free will offering” meal at 5pm. The parish tossed this out for the family program and charged the same amount. It irked a lot of families.
 
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I did not pay a single penny. But I remember a ex girlfriend of mine said she was charged a little bit. But she went to, quite possibly one of the most populated parishes in the county.

At RCIA at my parish the new candidates and catechumens not only are not charged anything but they get a free Bible and Catechism. And our parish is not rich by a Longshot. I think the rcia director and one of the other catechists pays for them out of pocket.

I would ask what the money goes to. It’s probably a suggested donation, not a fee. You can’t be charged to start the process to come into The Church. RCIA is not a class, it’s a ancient process that has existed in one way or another since the beginning of The Church.
 
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They clearly stated in writing that it is a fee, not a suggested donation, for books and materials. That’s why I wanted to check in with other churches if there are fees for RCIA. The only way it’s waived is if you mention something to the director.
 
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Maybe the director is dirt poor and is trying to get out of having to pay anything out of pocket or something. But if there is, say, 5 students that is $350. Way, way more then needed for paper and ink or whatever might be needed to teach. Very weird. I am a catechist for RCIA at my parish and I can’t imagine charging anyone anything for any reason to go through rcia. I would not use materials at all if I could not afford to provide it. So, even then my theory would be strange. I don’t know… It just seems strange.
 
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I am the DYM at my parish and what we charge the youth to come to our program only makes up about 15% of the total budget. The rest comes out of parish funds. And none of that includes my salary & benefits.
 
While I think it’s laudable that some of the RCIA directors and catechists are apparently footing the bills for their classes, not every RCIA director or catechist can afford that. Also, not using materials if the director or catechist can’t afford to provide them out of pocket might mean the class goes without books. I’m not sure if that’s an ideal solution for good catechesis.
 
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