RCIA whining

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So I had my first talk with the RCIA director yesterday. I don’t so far have any major issues, just…the program seems so stupid!

(1) We’re using the YouCat book as the primary text. I mean, it’s a nice little book and all, but it’s still a kid’s catechism. I read through it already, it’s got a lot of basic points but doesn’t really do any work to explain them.

(2) The director seems to assume that people coming in had absolutely no grasp of the sacraments or what was going on. I find this odd - why would I start RCIA if I didn’t know the theology already?

(3) The few times I did try to ask a question, I got the baby “well we think baptism is very important” type of answers. I know it’s important, that’s why I was asking!

I know I have to go through it, but…ugh. I’d like somewhere to go where I can get real answers, not stuff that’s suitable for 12 year old children.
 
Perhaps there is someone in the parish who is knowledge or at least ready to help you find the more in depth answers you seek on a one to one basis. I do believe the Catholic Church holds the treasures of the true faith. Often they just give you a shovel & expect you start digging into your area of interest. Reading encyclicals, Catholic radio, & joining bible studies taught me a lot. May God Bless your search!
 
Hmm…I understand what you’re saying, but I think you should consider praying for humility. I had been through RCIA once before, only to find out that I could not receive the Sacraments at Easter b/c of my husband’s former marriage. So I dropped out and then years later when my husband’s marriage was annulled, we got married in the Church so that I could receive the Sacraments. I asked to be dismissed from RCIA b/c I had already been through it before…and all we were doing this second time around was discussing the Bible readings from Sunday Mass. I thought I was “ready” and understood it all, but in reality it took me another 14 years from baptism for it to all finally “sink in”. I would encourage you to do as much studying on your own as you can from the Catechism of the Catholic Church; meanwhile, go to RCIA and be a humble participant. Help others who seem not to know as much as you. Ask questions as you come across them during your studies on your own. Pray for humility…because I wish that I had…it would have saved me a lot of grief.
 
DarkLight said:
So I had my first talk with the RCIA director yesterday. I don’t so far have any major issues, just…the program seems so stupid!

(1) We’re using the YouCat book as the primary text. I mean, it’s a nice little book and all, but it’s still a kid’s catechism. I read through it already, it’s got a lot of basic points but doesn’t really do any work to explain them.

(2) The director seems to assume that people coming in had absolutely no grasp of the sacraments or what was going on. I find this odd - why would I start RCIA if I didn’t know the theology already?

(3) The few times I did try to ask a question, I got the baby “well we think baptism is very important” type of answers. I know it’s important, that’s why I was asking!

I know I have to go through it, but…ugh. I’d like somewhere to go where I can get real answers, not stuff that’s suitable for 12 year old children.
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The RCIA program is actually designed for those who have not been baptized and are beginners to Christianity. But many others come who have been baptized, but haven’t set foot in a church in years and know nothing about the faith. Some come from Protestant backgrounds–we even had a Pagan one year, and we have a Mormon this year. They need basic catechesis.

In our program this year we have 6 people who know nothing about Catholicism and aren’t baptized, and others coming from other Christian faith traditions who know about as much as the unbaptized about the Catholic Church, although they may be familiar with Christianity in general. Others have been going to Mass, but are basically uneducated as to dogma and doctrine and the Sacraments.

You are not the typical RCIA candidate, so if you feel the program is too basic for you, ask for private instruction. Most of those in RCIA (though not all) need basic catechesis. Some of our catechumens have never even opened a Bible, that is how basic their instruction needs to be.

However, you might be surprised at what you actually do learn.🙂
 
DarkLight said:
(2) The director seems to assume that people coming in had absolutely no grasp of the sacraments or what was going on. I find this odd - why would I start RCIA if I didn’t know the theology already?
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When I started RCIA last year, I basically knew nothing about the Catholic church. Why would you assume everyone would come prepared like you? The fact is that RCIA is there to learn about the church and its beliefs for those either checking out the church or those wanting to join.
 
I guess…I always thought of RCIA as something you’d start after you had decided (or at least mostly decided) that the Catholic Church was right. Making that decision in the first place requires serious study, knowledge of how the Catholic church views tradition as opposed to the various Protestant denominations, a basic understanding of sacramental theology as opposed to primary symbolism theology, the justification for the primacy of Rome, etc. If I didn’t know all that I’d wait another year instead of starting now.
 
Quick! Grab a copy of Catholicism for Dummies. It will answer probably 99% of your questions, and is a resource that you can rely upon for years to come. Many RCIA programs use it (hint, hint). Show it to the RCIA program director. If they balk for some reason, I would advise you to endure the rest of the program, rely on the accuracy of the book, and rest in the fact that that the reward is worth the sometimes painful journey.
 
I am also in RCIA. I’ve been attending Mass since last winter, reading, studying everything I can get my hands on since my decision last winter. I’m very much enjoying it. My husband, whom was born, raised Catholic is also coming to RCIA with me. He is a valuable part of the class, and has a lot of knowledge. He, also, says he’s learning so much. He was raised in Catholic schools pre-vatican2.
We all learn at different rates, on our own time, but we never know it all. Relax and enjoy. Continue to study on your own aside from the RCIA class.
 
Think of this as an opportunity to fill in the gaps of what you already know. That’s what i’m doing. I’ve done a lot of reading about Catholicism in the past couple years, and watched the Catholicism series last summer with some people i know, and yet i still feel like what i know already is merely a drop in the bucket. I do have a copy of the YouCat, and i’ve read it, in my opinion it has some pretty good information regardless of who the target audience is.

I think it would also behoove you to keep in mind that the RCIA director’s dealing with people across the board, from absolute beginners about the faith to people who’ve yet to receive the Sacraments, not to mention differing educational backgrounds. This is totally not an indictment or anything like that, believe you me, just something to help you keep it all in perspective.

Might i suggest you talk to the RCIA director outside of class and ask those questions? There is a possibility that the program will pick up as time goes on and become more challenging. In the meantime, you can grace others with your knowledge that may not be in the know like you are. 🙂
 
Enjoy, RCIA is now available to Catholics coming home that have been away from the church awhile.
 
DarkLight said:
I guess…I always thought of RCIA as something you’d start after you had decided (or at least mostly decided) that the Catholic Church was right. Making that decision in the first place requires serious study, knowledge of how the Catholic church views tradition as opposed to the various Protestant denominations, a basic understanding of sacramental theology as opposed to primary symbolism theology, the justification for the primacy of Rome, etc. If I didn’t know all that I’d wait another year instead of starting now.
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Most cradle Catholics don’t know these things.
 
OK, take a step back for a second and realize that yes, you may have a little more knowledge than some other people in the class, but the class isn’t catered to one person. There may be people coming in who really have little to no knowledge of the Catholic Faith and that is why they are there. Acting as if their teaching aids are so beneath you isn’t a good attitude to take.

Second, when I signed up for RCIA class, I had been studying the Catholic faith for six years prior – and they gave me about five little booklets for children. They weren’t doing it because they thought I was stupid or because they had nothing better to work with. These books showed the very basic of the basics and they gave them to EVERYONE doing the classes. Once classes began, we moved on very quickly to things that were not geared toward “12 year old children”.

How many classes have you actually attended? My guess is not very many considering RCIA just started for many parishes, in which case, please do not jump to conclusions already. Give it time. If the RCIA director isn’t giving you answers that you need, ask the priest or the others who are in charge of teaching the RCIA classes.
 
Delaine75 said:
OK, take a step back for a second and realize that yes, you may have a little more knowledge than some other people in the class, but the class isn’t catered to one person. There may be people coming in who really have little to no knowledge of the Catholic Faith and that is why they are there. Acting as if their teaching aids are so beneath you isn’t a good attitude to take.

Second, when I signed up for RCIA class, I had been studying the Catholic faith for six years prior – and they gave me about five little booklets for children. They weren’t doing it because they thought I was stupid or because they had nothing better to work with. These books showed the very basic of the basics and they gave them to EVERYONE doing the classes. Once classes began, we moved on very quickly to things that were not geared toward “12 year old children”.

How many classes have you actually attended? My guess is not very many considering RCIA just started for many parishes, in which case, please do not jump to conclusions already. Give it time. If the RCIA director isn’t giving you answers that you need, ask the priest or the others who are in charge of teaching the RCIA classes.
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I can’t attend classes because of a schedule conflict. The director was giving me a bit of a hard time because she wasn’t sure I could learn the basics without being in classes. I felt like I couldn’t even get across what I understand - I tried to ask a serious question and got jumped back to the baby answer, it really felt very condescending. I’m just sort of shocked that this is the kind of teaching material they’d use for adults, or that someone would even want to join a church without knowing their basic theology.
 
I would probably be feeling a bit frustrated also if they where teaching us from a kids book. I would recommend checking out a different RCIA class in the area from another parish perhaps. We’re using the “Come and See: A Lectionary-based Christian Initiation Resource Using Catholic Updates” by Karen Albertus from St. Anthony Messenger Press. And I have to say I really like it.
 
DarkLight said:
I’m just sort of shocked that this is the kind of teaching material they’d use for adults, or that someone would even want to join a church without knowing their basic theology.
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Many many people make decisions for all sorts of reasons, most based not on theology but on something they just know somehow inside.

I am going through the full RCIA cycle this year. I have studied everything in depth before I made the decision to join. I’m just glad they’ll let me in and am happy to comply with whatever process they wish. Their time is also limited and this is how they do it. I don’t come to the Church to tell them how to improve, they’ve made it 2000 years without me.

There is a frustration and a feeling you know it all already coming through loud and clear in your post. I’m sure you have the knowledge you indicate. However if the RCIA folks are hearing the same tone as you are expressing in your post that may be a big part of why they are reacting the way they are.

Unless you become as little children you cannot enter the kingdom of heaven – Christ.
 
When I was RICA sponsor we had a huge range of ages in the room. Several families with children joining in at the same time. The elementary nature needed for some was perhaps boring to others but it seemed like there were always in depth questions which provided that dimension for the more knowledgeable in the room. Perhaps you could formulate some questions on the topics in advance and “spice” up the evening!
 
I am considering taking RCIA classes b/c I didn’t when I joined the Church this year. I had studied the faith and doctrines and the priest decided I was ready without the classes. They more I’m still learning the more I know there is to learn. Although I know there will be times when we cover things I already know I also know that this may be new to others in the class. The first part is the inquiring phase. That is designed for people who know very little about the faith and are discerning if they want to join the Church. You may want to contact the Priest to see if he’d be willing to do private instruction. If that doesn’t work than you may have to seek out another program.
 
DarkLight said:
So I had my first talk with the RCIA director yesterday. I don’t so far have any major issues, just…the program seems so stupid!

(1) We’re using the YouCat book as the primary text. I mean, it’s a nice little book and all, but it’s still a kid’s catechism. I read through it already, it’s got a lot of basic points but doesn’t really do any work to explain them.

(2) The director seems to assume that people coming in had absolutely no grasp of the sacraments or what was going on. I find this odd - why would I start RCIA if I didn’t know the theology already?

(3) The few times I did try to ask a question, I got the baby “well we think baptism is very important” type of answers. I know it’s important, that’s why I was asking!

I know I have to go through it, but…ugh. I’d like somewhere to go where I can get real answers, not stuff that’s suitable for 12 year old children.
Click to expand...
I went through RCIA last year having come off of these forums. I knew the majority of stuff that we learned in RCIA from being on here. It gave me a pretty big head. Not to where I felt I didn’t “need” RCIA, but it made me feel like I had a bigger part to play. Of course the more I learn about the faith, the more I realize I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface. I’m back again this year on RCIA on the other end of the table. If I’ve learned one thing from RCIA it’s that every single class I learn something new. Everyone has something to add to the mix whether they are on the board or are inquiring. We all have understandings and personal experiences that could benefit one another given the right discussion. The Holy Spirit definitely works through us during our RCIA sessions. For every one insightful thing I might say, I hear about six or seven from other people. I learn so much more than I “teach” every time I go. For that reason alone I’d suggest being humble and going into these classes with an open mind. Perhaps your knowledge of things could help you to elaborate in greater detail when something is talked about (if the class doesn’t go into enough depth) you can push it into greater detail. The deeper you go into anything, the more of an impact it will have on you and all those around you. Have faith that you are in the right place. Have patience. It will take the rest of your life to learn half of what the Church has to offer 👍
 
DarkLight said:
So I had my first talk with the RCIA director yesterday. I don’t so far have any major issues, just…the program seems so stupid!

(1) We’re using the YouCat book as the primary text. I mean, it’s a nice little book and all, but it’s still a kid’s catechism. I read through it already, it’s got a lot of basic points but doesn’t really do any work to explain them.

(2) The director seems to assume that people coming in had absolutely no grasp of the sacraments or what was going on. I find this odd - why would I start RCIA if I didn’t know the theology already?

(3) The few times I did try to ask a question, I got the baby “well we think baptism is very important” type of answers. I know it’s important, that’s why I was asking!

I know I have to go through it, but…ugh. I’d like somewhere to go where I can get real answers, not stuff that’s suitable for 12 year old children.
Click to expand...
I used to assist instructing in an RCIA class a few years back, and it was nothing like you described. I think maybe you should speak with the parish priest. You are not going to change the course, but perhaps he could refer you to a spiritual director to also answer your more in-depth questions and concerns about the faith.

Oh, and WELCOME TO THE FAITH!!! So happy for you. 👍
 
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