RCIA tuition - what is the norm?

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I agree that the instructors should not be stuck footing the bill – unless they actually want to do that. But you have other stuff going on to cover fees, bake sales and whatnot.
 
Parishes that charge for RCIA sound dysfunctional to me. Don’t these parishes pass the plate every Sunday? A few paperback books per person don’t cost that much, I’m sure. I would bet that the church could get them at a discount anyway.
Seriously, that gives a terrible impression. I would totally run away from a parish that would charge more than $20 or so for materials only.
I feel an Old Testament rant coming on at the thought of parishes that charge people for snacks at RCIA class! 😤
 
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All that is needed is a Bible and well learned, orthodox catechists for RCIA and I guarantee catechesis will be good. With just those things. Catechists read books and pass along the info and the serious candidates and catechumens, I guarantee, are already reading books on their own. They also bring paper and a pen to take notes

Bad catechist… Bad catechesis
 
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So I have heard… I hope I make the cut. I was fortunate to have two great RCIA catechists during my conversation
 
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Horton said:
I can tell you from experience whatever is collected will never cover the actual costs of the program.
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That is the problem I have with the line of thinking though…

We don’t ask people in the soup kitchen to help cover the cost of their meals or ask them for a donation to give them shelter or clothes because that is part of our Christian duty to feed and shelter the poor and clothe the naked.

RCIA is part of the missionary outreach of the Church and we shouldn’t have the expectation that those we are reaching out to should bear the cost of that outreach. Just as we shouldn’t expect people to pay to receive the corporal works of mercy, we shouldn’t expect that the spiritual works of mercy (instruct the ignorant) should have recuperation baked into it.

I get that there are costs to run the programs, but there are certainly other ways to cover the costs. I know that we don’t pay anywhere near cover price for bibles or the catechism since we tend to buy them in bulk with other parishes (NABRE and Catechism together I think come out to around $14-17 when we buy 25 at a shot). Instead of asking prospective converts to cover the cost I’ve seen good luck with parishes that ask people after they have been received to “pay it forward” by helping to cover some of the costs for the next class or donating some of the food. It gives the neophytes a chance to become involved in the community immediately. You also don’t have to have food and snacks at meetings.

I’m just saying that this thought that RCIA needs to be as self supporting as possible just goes contrary to the missionary spirit of the Church. We are often told to spread the word without minding the cost. If we can’t do that then there is a problem with where the Church’s focus is directed. I just checked Matthew 28:19 and couldn’t find the part where Christ says go, therefore, and collect donations from all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.
 
I went to an RCIA class as an observer several years ago. No charge, no required books or materials.

On the other hand, our parish is now offering three different programs (Bible study, etc.) and they are charging $30 for each. It seems counter-productive to me–if you want to get people to come, why are you charging them?
 
We use Benziger’s Foundations in Faith to guide the catechists, however, we do not use the workbooks for the catechumens (which would be about $8). We do not charge. We also provide a copy of the CCC and a paperback Bible. The catechists volunteer and we take turns providing a mid-morning snack (coffee, cheese, fruit). When I went through RCIA, I remember taking note that they gave me these resources without cost. It made me feel valued and that they were willing to invest in me.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
A few paperback books per person don’t cost that much, I’m sure. I would bet that the church could get them at a discount anyway.
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It depends what you are buying. You can get Bibles as low as $4 and Catechisms for about $8 from Communication Center (plus 10% shipping). I prefer to get RCIA candidates a Bible that is a little bit nicer, though, just as a further way of emphasizing the importance of Scripture. But if you had to do it on a shoestring budget, there are ways to do so.

Still, even at about $15 a person, that can add up if there are a lot of people in RCIA.
 
Welcome to the Church!
I think most of our churches only charge what is necessary to pay for materials, books, etc.
But, we always can donate more along the way.
Good luck in your journey to Catholicism!!!
 
In our parish 12 years ago when I went through RCIA, the materials were primitive. The ext year I was asked to be part of the catechetical team. We have slowly built the program into what it is today. Now that I am the director, I insist on ongoing continuing education of our catechists, and new non-photo copied materials for the catechumens and candidates. As long as my wife and I are financially able, the students will never pay a penny. Some years it is tight for us, but we cove the costs ourselves. The church provides bibles and catechisms, but the books we use for the program run about $70 per student, and we contribute about half of the cost of a Formed subscription.
 
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That’s great and everything, but does the parish not give you anything to cover costs? I just don’t understand this. How many people do you typically have in RCIA, and how large is your parish? What are you buying that costs $70 per person (and I see that that is $70 of books in addition to the Bible and the catechism)?
 
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Welcome home, Nina!!

I’ve been a member of the parish RCIA team for 20+ years, and it’s always a joy to welcome people to the church. We have never charged for the RCIA process, but quite a few of the people who have entered the church through RCIA have ‘paid it forward’ in various ways.
Thank you for posting. I’m encouraged by the large number of RCIA ‘graduates’ who have responded, as many of them are obviously active Catholics rather than pew sitters.
Best wishes as you continue on your faith journey.
 
I don’t ask. The parish designates some funds for RCIA, but not much. Over the past ten years we have had classes with 2 and as many as 15.
 
Loud-living-dogma said:
That’s great and everything, but does the parish not give you anything to cover costs? I just don’t understand this. How many people do you typically have in RCIA, and how large is your parish? What are you buying that costs $70 per person (and I see that that is $70 of books in addition to the Bible and the catechism)?
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I was thinking kinda along the same lines. We have a budgeted line item for RCIA as part of our total Family and Faith Formation budget. To be fair, I’m in a large parish and the diocese has a benefactor that provides access to Formed for every parish in the diocese. I think that is one advantage we have is that many things are done at the diocese and deanery level to leverage the resources of the whole local church and not rely on a single parish’s resources.

And while I think it’s great to provide nicer bibles and other materials, there is a difference between providing what is needed and asking people to pony up for extras. The last time I was involved directly we had basic no thrills bibles, but then showed people nicer bibles that they could choose to buy if they would like or to ask for them as a confirmation gift which many of our sponsors provided. For some of the optional books, we took a head count and tried to buy at discount (we got something like 10-15% off, plus no sales tax when bought through the parish).

I’m also curious what other books are provided in that $70. Not saying it’s extravagant or unneeded, but truly curious. I have some books I got in RCIA that I never once read and are still sitting on the shelf and there are others that I bought additional copies of because I either gave mine away or wore them out.
 
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I think it’s one book on Catholic teaching, plus a Missal. There’s a small prayer book for prayers all Catholics know, as well as a large folder filled with copies. We’re also provided with a Rosary.
 
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