Returning to the Roman Catholic Church

[MORAANA54]

I was baptized as a baby into the Catholic Church many years ago, but about two years ago was baptized into the Pentecostal Church; I was at first very happy in their church but recently I felt lost and began reading my Catechism again and felt relaxed. Now I am wondering how I can rejoin the Catholic Church again?
Will I have to undergo baptism again? I am reading my books on Catholic Prayers for guidence and need some advice. I do hope someone can help me.

 

[DavidPalm]

I was baptized as a baby into the Catholic Church many years ago, but about two years ago was baptized into the Pentecostal Church; I was at first very happy in their church but recently I felt lost and began reading my Catechism again and felt relaxed. Now I am wondering how I can rejoin the Catholic Church again?
Will I have to undergo baptism again? I am reading my books on Catholic Prayers for guidence and need some advice. I do hope someone can help me.

Hi Moraana, I’m glad to hear about God’s work in your life. Let me say that it would be very good if you could have a talk with a priest in your area; I’m sure he can help you return to the Catholic Church. To answer your question about baptism, no, you certainly will not need to be baptized again (as St. Paul says, there is but One baptism and your original one was valid, the “second” one at the Pentecostal congregation didn’t add anything.)

Perhaps you could answer a few questions for us? Have you made your first confession in the Catholic Church? Received your first Holy Communion? The reason I ask is that if you have done that, you actually only need to go to confession in order to be fully reconciled with the Catholic Church. But again, it would be a very good idea to find a good priest and speak to him about returning.

God be with you.

 

[Rocky]

Hi Moraana, I’m glad to hear about God’s work in your life. Let me say that it would be very good if you could have a talk with a priest in your area; I’m sure he can help you return to the Catholic Church. To answer your question about baptism, no, you certainly will not need to be baptized again (as St. Paul says, there is but One baptism and your original one was valid, the “second” one at the Pentecostal congregation didn’t add anything.)

Perhaps you could answer a few questions for us? Have you made your first confession in the Catholic Church? Received your first Holy Communion? The reason I ask is that if you have done that, you actually only need to go to confession in order to be fully reconciled with the Catholic Church. But again, it would be a very good idea to find a good priest and speak to him about returning.

God be with you.

This is great advice. Don’t be afraid to take it. And don’t be afraid of confession. It is the most freeing, peaceful thing in the world to hear the priest say the following words of absolution:

God, the Father of mercies,
through the death and the resurrection of his Son
has reconciled the world to himself
and sent the Holy Spirit among us
for the forgiveness of sins;
through the ministry of the Church
may God give you pardon and peace,
and I absolve you from your sins
in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

The response is AMEN!!!

 

[jpm1977]

I was baptized as a baby into the Catholic Church many years ago, but about two years ago was baptized into the Pentecostal Church; I was at first very happy in their church but recently I felt lost and began reading my Catechism again and felt relaxed. Now I am wondering how I can rejoin the Catholic Church again?
Will I have to undergo baptism again? I am reading my books on Catholic Prayers for guidence and need some advice. I do hope someone can help me.

You don’t need to be baptized again. If you received first communion and confirmation as a young person, you don’t need those sacraments again either. You need to go through the sacrament of reconciliation to return to the Church. If you were never confirmed or had first communion, you will likely have to go through the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) program to receive those sacraments and join the Church.

Even if you have received eucharist and confirmation, I would strongly recommend you go through RCIA. It is a great program and an ideal way to rejoin the Church with a group of likeminded adults. Check with your local parish. The programs usually begin in September and conclude with confirmation and communion at the Easter vigil mass in the spring:thumbsup:

Congratulations!

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

As others have pointed out, you don’t need to be rebaptized. We don’t do that for Protestants coming into the Church so we wouldn’t do it for someone who was baptized Catholic.

If you haven’t received your sacraments of First Eucharist and Confirmation then it would be good to receive them. Talk with your parish about RCIA.

In general, you may find it helpful to talk with someone in your parish about coming back and what it means. They’ll be able to answer any questions you might have. Many parishes offer programs or assistance for people who want to return to the Church. Assuming that you’ve made your First Confession and First Communion, all you MUST do is go to confession. However, I recommend connecting with someone in your parish so you don’t have to do it all alone.

 

[MORAANA54]

I had my First Communion as a child and was Confirmed at the age of 10 or 11; my Confirmation name is Bernadette. The only Catholic Church in my area is quite a way from my home and I am unable to drive.

 

[jpm1977]

If you call the parish, I am sure they can arrange a car pool or van or something so you could begin to attend Mass. If you return to the Church, you will be expected to attend Mass every Sunday if you’re physically able, so you should plan on figuring out a way to get to your parish. If you’re physically unable to get there due to sickness or something, there are people who will administer communion in your home, but if you’re healthy, you should plan on going to Mass.

Returning to the Church should mean joining the community of a parish, and it will pay huge dividends for you to do so. I would call your parish, explain your situation and I would bet they could find someone in your neighborhood who would be happy to give you a ride on Sunday!