RCIA

[sarah_anne_628]

I’m a fairly new Catholic. So I’m not really sure how to witness to non-Catholics but I’ve been trying to evangelize a friend for sometime now, but since I am unfamiliar with so many things Catholic and my friend has NO church background AT ALL…I thought the RCIA would be best. I talked to our RCIA coordinator before it started in the fall and she said they would love to have my friend and I could be her sponsor.

My friend has a really hard time making it to RCIA every week…she has poor health, her children are constantly sick, her husband is deployed and her oldest child has a learning disability and several hours worth of homework everyday. So I talked to our RCIA coordinator and said that my friend is still interested and explained the situation and the RCIA coordinator basically said, “she’s missed too much, maybe now is not the best time, maybe when her husband gets back, encourage her to keep coming to mass”.

I can understand this position…but why does the bulletin advertise RCIA every week if new people or people who have missed too much are not welcome? Why was my husband and I allowed to join RCIA in January and be confirmed two months later but my friend cannot resume after missing too much? Is there nothing that can be done…? I’m afraid this is really going to undermine the witnessing I’ve been doing and I’m not really sure how to handle it.

One other thing to note…this is a military parrish…in that our chapel is located and maintained by the Army, our priest is a soldier, our staff is Army contract, we fall under the jurisdiction of the military and local archdiosese…etc…
Everything military is 10 times more complicated than it needs to be…is RCIA at military chapel just another military complication or is it a Catholic complication. Would my friend and I have better luck if we sought RCIA at a civilian off-post parish (which also advertise year round for RCIA?)

Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut, advice, encouragement…

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Maybe this really isn’t the best time for your friend to commit to RCIA. Right now it sounds like one more thing on her “to do” list. As the coordinator said, encourage her to come to Mass and then when her life is more settled she’ll be able to participate more fully.

 

[kage_ar]

I can give you what happens at our Parish RCIA. Anyone and everyone is welcome to come to the classes - we have childcare available.

There may be people who, for various reasons, miss many classes. We are blessed to have the ability to video tape the classes so people can watch a DVD of what they have missed - then, do a make-up review session with one of the RCIA team. Perhaps you could suggest something like that to your Priest?

When people begin late in the year, sometimes they will just attend the classes but not yet be ready to participate in the Rites. Maybe that is what the instructor meant?

Either way, have your friend make an appt with the Priest. He is the boss of RCIA