Should I be attending RCIA to get confirmed?

[LAMF]

I was baptized and received First Communion as a child. I have recently returned to the Church after many years away and am seeking confirmation. I attended my first RCIA class tonight and was told by the instructor that I would have to go through the entire year before I could be confirmed. My understanding of RCIA is that it is intended for the non-baptized, so is this the appropriate path towards confirmation for a baptized Catholic? Note that I am attending out of obedience to the Church and a desire to be in full communion.

 

[Michelle_Arnold]

You are correct that the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is intended for unbaptized persons. For practical reasons though, many parishes include in their program baptized Christian adults (both Catholic and non-Catholic) who are seeking confirmation and/or reception into the Church, especially considering that they are usually as much in need of basic catechesis in the Catholic faith as the unbaptized non-Christians. Since you have been away from the Church for many years, I assume that is one reason why you were told that you need a year’s worth of instruction in the faith before confirmation. Unlike the unbaptized and the non-Catholic Christians in your class though, you can and should regularly be receiving the sacraments of confession and the Eucharist while attending RCIA.