Skipping RCIA, straight to the sacraments?

[Usagi]

RCIA is not an absolute requirement if you have obtained instruction in some other way, but your individual parish may still insist you go through the program. You should present your situation to your pastor, but if he still wants you to enter via the RCIA process, consider it practice in patience and obedience.

I had also done years of reading and research before attending RCIA, but I still got rather a lot out of the program. The RCIA program for which I am presently a catechist tries to focus at least as much on spiritual progress as on imparting of facts, so I hope that even a very knowledgeable candidate would still find it worthwhile.

Usagi

 

[waterbrook]

I agree with the majority of posters here…RCIA is primarily about relationships: relationship with God, the church and the local church community. Relationships can always grow in strength and depth and it takes time for authentic relationships to develop, there is a sense that you can never ‘arrive’, you are always journeying. I studied religion at both degree and post graduate level in a catholic college, I have had 4 attempts at RCIA but never felt it right to actually convert. what I did find though was that I was thanked by at least one person who completed their journey by being received into full communion for asking the questions she didnt have the words to ask herself. As a professional REligious Ed teacher in the anglican church and as someone who had been pert of catholic communities for many years I was very able to identify common questions to be asked and to ask them when the group seemed to need them to be asked. I know alot of catholic theology and practice but attending was not a waste of time for me, even though I did not choose to convert then.

 

[Colt]

Sometimes I am worried about those who are so intent on receiving Holy Communion that they ignore the greater gift that is already open to them. That of being present when Jesus Christ is offered to His Father for our sins. It seems like they feel they have been cheated because they cannot partake of Holy Communion.

We attend the Mass primarily to be physically present at Calvary. To be flooded with the grace that flows from the Crucifixion. If a catechumen feels like they are not being nourished enough during RCIA I would personally advise them to attend an additional Mass anytime they can. They might also think about spending time in silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

 

[thistle]

So I made the decision to become a Catholic about six months and started RCIA (I think) around three months ago. I did all my homework before even starting RCIA, and the breadth/shallowness of the RCIA course is not really adding anything to it. Our instructor sometimes refers to RCIA as part of a “faith journey” (i.e., it’s constituted for the benefit of people still unsure whether or not they want to be a Catholic). But it’s not a journey for me. My journey’s over. I’m already at my destination.

Does anyone know if there is protocol in place for people like me to skip over RCIA and proceed straight to the sacraments? (I need all of them, baptism included). Any precedent for this kind of thing? If I bring it up to my deacon or priest, will I be received favorably or looked at as an upstart? I positively hunger for the sacraments, and want so much to have a fuller life in the Church, but I feel like I’m being held up, basically, by red tape. Any advice/personal stories/whatever would be much appreciated here.

Forgive me but it seems like you have an attitude problem and would be better served to show some humility and do what is required rather than what you want.

 

[smh1978]

So I made the decision to become a Catholic about six months and started RCIA (I think) around three months ago. I did all my homework before even starting RCIA, and the breadth/shallowness of the RCIA course is not really adding anything to it. Our instructor sometimes refers to RCIA as part of a “faith journey” (i.e., it’s constituted for the benefit of people still unsure whether or not they want to be a Catholic). But it’s not a journey for me. My journey’s over. I’m already at my destination.

Does anyone know if there is protocol in place for people like me to skip over RCIA and proceed straight to the sacraments? (I need all of them, baptism included). Any precedent for this kind of thing? If I bring it up to my deacon or priest, will I be received favorably or looked at as an upstart? I positively hunger for the sacraments, and want so much to have a fuller life in the Church, but I feel like I’m being held up, basically, by red tape. Any advice/personal stories/whatever would be much appreciated here.

Since you are not yet baptized, my situation differs from yours, but I wanted to still say I know how you feel. I was baptized and raised as a Lutheran and married a cradle Catholic, and had been attending Mass with her for a number of years before I finally allowed the leading of the Holy Spirit to nudge me into considering the Catholic faith. By the time I met with my parish priest to discuss being received into the Church, I had done loads of reading on my own and felt ready to be received into full communion, but I wanted to be obedient to the guidance of the priest and the parish director of faith formation… so I started attending RCIA class.

I stuck with it for a while, but it was really not of any help to me. It would be one thing if they were simply teaching concepts I already understood–but the deacon who was leading the class would take most of the time to discuss aspects of his personal life and political opinions before quickly reviewing the relevant material in the last 10 minutes. I eventually stopped going, and for several months just attended Mass with my wife as a non-Catholic and received Communion (when I first met with the priest prior to starting RCIA I told him one reason I wanted to be received as soon as possible was so that I could receive the Eucharist; he told me as long as I believed in the Real Presence it was OK for me to receive. I knew he was wrong, but did it anyway, and have since brought it up in Confession).

As my son was getting older and starting to understand some basic concepts about church, the original reason for my wanting to convert (unifying in faith with my wife in order to give our children the best possible foundation) came back into focus, and I found Jimmy Akin’s article “How to Become Catholic”. This was the relevant portion to me:

For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such (NSC 3). As a result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens, such as the scrutinies. Even “[t]he rites of presentation of the creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for those who have received no Christian instruction and formation” (NSC 31).

For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have lived as Christians the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states: “Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate” (NSC 31). For this reason they should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens do.

The timing of their reception into the Church is also different. The U.S. Conference of Bishops states: "It is preferable that reception into full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism, possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of baptism celebrated in another Church or ecclesial community . . . " (NSC 33).

Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, "[t]he reception of candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . . " (NSC 32).

It is therefore important for Christians coming into the Catholic Church to coordinate carefully with their local pastor and/or bishop concerning the amount of Catholic instruction they need and the exact timing of their reception into the Church.

I took this to mean that it really wasn’t appropriate for me to be sent to RCIA classes anyway, as a baptized Christian who had already been living a Christian life. I brought this to the attention of the parish director of faith formation, who agreed; after a short discussion about the Catholic faith wherein she verified I was sufficiently catechized, she scheduled me for the Rite of Reception at Sunday Mass a couple of weeks later.

 

[puzzleannie]

I took this to mean that it really wasn’t appropriate for me to be sent to RCIA classes anyway, as a baptized Christian who had already been living a Christian life. I brought this to the attention of the parish director of faith formation, who agreed; after a short discussion about the Catholic faith wherein she verified I was sufficiently catechized, she scheduled me for the Rite of Reception at Sunday Mass a couple of weeks later.

this is the correct procedure, to ask for a personal interview with the pastor or the person he delegates to supervise your preparation, to discuss your own journey of faith, your needs, your disposition and the timing of rites and sacraments for you.

welcome home

I will only add from my own experience, that there have been several times the pastor decided that an individual was sufficiently prepared for full reception after a very abbreviated preparation, and in each case I have been able to track, the person is no longer an active Catholic after 3 years. The reasons in each case are that they did not feel welcome or part of the community–which is one thing RCIA is designed to facilitate.

 

[nickybr38]

I was where you are. My RCIA was so shallow and pointless, every week I struggled to go. At one point I was desperately ill and I was THANKFUL that I was too sick to attend. It was a relief, really, to be at home fighting a fever instead of in that class being bored out of my mind by talk of journaling and very BASIC explanations of God.

But I stuck it out and I think you should too. This is why:

1. It will show that you REALLY want this. Anything worth having is worth suffering for and WAITING for.
2. As much as you’re hating the experience you are meeting members of your congregation and through RCIA you will form friendships that you will not have the opportunity to form if you skip the common rite.
3. This is a great exercise in patience and humility. As much as you think you know it is good to try and learn, even when someone is speaking about things as easy as 1+1 = 3.

Anyway. I hated my RCIA experience and I would never, ever, ever, EVER go back BUT I think there were some good things in it (mainly that it taught me a great deal about patience).

Good luck. Don’t forget to ask God what HE wants you to do.

 

[nickybr38]

Forgive me but it seems like you have an attitude problem and would be better served to show some humility and do what is required rather than what you want.

Forgive me, but there are some desperately bad RCIA classes out there. Until you’ve had to sit through four hours of talk about journaling you might not want to judge.

 

[nickybr38]

I have known so many people who skipped RCIA because they knew all of the theology, but then left the Church within a year because they didn’t know how to go to Confession - they were too embarrassed to go back to RCIA and ask for instruction on how to go to Confession.

I’m all over this thread. Haha.

I went through RCIA from start to finish (missed one lesson) and they didn’t properly teach us about any of the Sacraments, including Confession. So going to RCIA is no guarantee of anything.

 

[thistle]

Forgive me, but** there are some desperately bad RCIA classes out there.** Until you’ve had to sit through four hours of talk about journaling you might not want to judge.

I went through the RCIA program.

 

[nickybr38]

I went through the RCIA program.

And did they make you sit through four hours of talk about journaling? Or tell you that there is no such thing as angels? Or spend an entire class just explaining who Matthew was? Or neglect to teach you ANYTHING about the sacraments (except a very brief blurb that took one fourth the time that the explanation of journaling took)?

 

[bearer]

It is possible to receive the Sacraments without first participating in RCIA, but that is a rare occurance and dependent on your pastor or the the priest administering them.

My wife, who was baptized as an infant, gave her first Confession and received First Communion by a priest who counseled and instructed her one-on-one, and that was because of a request of her father, who is dying of cancer and is not expected to live more than another month or two. She has been instructed to complete RCIA before being confirmed next year.

If you haven’t yet been baptized, that does seem to complicate things. While Christ commanded us to receive His sacraments, it is crucial to be educated and understand them and their significance, especially for an adult like you.

If you were to die before receiving a traditional Baptism, would receive a Baptism of desire.

God bless you, and may He help you find a more fulfilling RCIA program!

 

[thistle]

And did they make you sit through four hours of talk about journaling? Or tell you that there is no such thing as angels? Or spend an entire class just explaining who Matthew was? Or neglect to teach you ANYTHING about the sacraments (except a very brief blurb that took one fourth the time that the explanation of journaling took)?

I do not believe any RCIA program (including yours)would not take you through the Sacraments.

 

[nickybr38]

I do not believe any RCIA program (including yours)would not take you through the Sacraments.

You think wrongly.

 

[jmcrae]

I’m all over this thread. Haha.

I went through RCIA from start to finish (missed one lesson) and they didn’t properly teach us about any of the Sacraments, including Confession. So going to RCIA is no guarantee of anything.

I went to several RCIAs in my 17 year journey, and while not every RCIA was totally explicit with breaking things down into detail, every one of them had a section on the Sacraments, and every one of them had a Church tour, with the Confessional or Reconciliation Room as part of the tour, with the opportunity to ask questions about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Granted, there were some where they didn’t explicitly say, “Now is the time for you to ask any questions you may have about the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” but the opportunity was always there to learn about it.

Keep in mind, too, this is adult education - you aren’t going to be spoon-fed everything - but the opportunity is always there to discuss the subject and ask questions.

 

[puzzleannie]

Forgive me, but there are some desperately bad RCIA classes out there. Until you’ve had to sit through four hours of talk about journaling you might not want to judge.

that may be true but the solution is first to talk to the pastor about being better served, to seek out another parish whose process is more conducive to fostering conversion. It is not to skip RCIA altogether. There is nothing wrong with RCIA and the rites, don’t confuse inadquate catechsis with the RCIA itself.

 

[powerlinemom]

I was baptized Catholic as a baby, but never went through First Communion or Confirmation because I was raised in the Methodist church. I’d been doing Catholic Home Study courses and had made my way through several books by the time we met with our priest to have our marriage convalidated (my husband is a cradle catholic).

At that time I really felt like you do - that I shouldn’t have to sit through a bunch of classes because I already knew everything they were going to be talking about. But at one of our meetings with our priest, he said something very wise. He said the RCIA period is about formation, not just information. I didn’t truly understand what he meant at the time, and came away kind of annoyed about the whole thing.

The spring before I was to start RCIA, we found out I was pregnant with our third son. He was due in December which was right in the middle of the RCIA program. By this point I really wanted to be able to get out of having to go to those darn classes every week, especially since I was going to be hugely pregnant that fall and winter!

Well, it turns out our priest was right. Granted, I didn’t learn a lot of new information by going to the classes, but I did learn a lot about patience, about anticipation, and about obedience. RCIA is kind of like Advent and Lent in a way - you have a period of denial and waiting before you get to the joyous event of being able to receive all the sacraments. I can definitely say that it made my first communion so much more special because I’d been anticipating it for so long.

So even if it seems miserable sitting through boring classes, try to see the bigger picture if you can. If the class material is boring, seek out things to study on your own. Learn to pray the Rosary (this was a big one for me!). See if there is a Bible study class you can join. All of these things will help you while you wait for the Easter Vigil.

 

[nickybr38]

I went to several RCIAs in my 17 year journey, and while not every RCIA was totally explicit with breaking things down into detail, every one of them had a section on the Sacraments, and every one of them had a Church tour, with the Confessional or Reconciliation Room as part of the tour, with the opportunity to ask questions about the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Granted, there were some where they didn’t explicitly say, “Now is the time for you to ask any questions you may have about the Sacrament of Reconciliation,” but the opportunity was always there to learn about it.

Keep in mind, too, this is adult education - you aren’t going to be spoon-fed everything - but the opportunity is always there to discuss the subject and ask questions.

You guys just refuse to believe there is an RCIA where they didn’t teach about the Sacraments! Haha. I’m really amazed at this. But your confidence is admirable.

We were given a tour of the church building. We were told about the Sacrament of Holy Orders. They very BRIEFLY glossed over Confession (but only because I had to go to Confession and I asked directly what to do - they never explained what it was FOR, just how to do it) and that’s it. Our RCIA classes consisted of reading the Scripture of the week (what would be read at Mass) and discussing what it meant - for two hours… literally. They would stop every sentence and examine what we felt about every single word before moving to the next sentence. That was IT. That was our class.

This could have something to do with geographics. I live in a very small, rural area. There are very few people willing to conduct RCIA classes and those who do volunteer are very clearly underqualified but in these circumstances they do what they can.

Anyway, I do think the OP will have to sit through RCIA because he hasn’t been baptized and as I said it IS good because you do meet members of your parish and it helps to build a sense of community.

Will it teach you anything about the Catholic Church? Maybe… if you’re lucky.

 

[nickybr38]

I was baptized Catholic as a baby, but never went through First Communion or Confirmation because I was raised in the Methodist church. I’d been doing Catholic Home Study courses and had made my way through several books by the time we met with our priest to have our marriage convalidated (my husband is a cradle catholic).

At that time I really felt like you do - that I shouldn’t have to sit through a bunch of classes because I already knew everything they were going to be talking about. But at one of our meetings with our priest, he said something very wise. He said the RCIA period is about formation, not just information. I didn’t truly understand what he meant at the time, and came away kind of annoyed about the whole thing.

The spring before I was to start RCIA, we found out I was pregnant with our third son. He was due in December which was right in the middle of the RCIA program. By this point I really wanted to be able to get out of having to go to those darn classes every week, especially since I was going to be hugely pregnant that fall and winter!

Well, it turns out our priest was right. Granted, I didn’t learn a lot of new information by going to the classes, but I did learn a lot about patience, about anticipation, and about obedience. RCIA is kind of like Advent and Lent in a way - you have a period of denial and waiting before you get to the joyous event of being able to receive all the sacraments. I can definitely say that it made my first communion so much more special because I’d been anticipating it for so long.

So even if it seems miserable sitting through boring classes, try to see the bigger picture if you can. If the class material is boring, seek out things to study on your own. Learn to pray the Rosary (this was a big one for me!). See if there is a Bible study class you can join. All of these things will help you while you wait for the Easter Vigil.

I agree. You need to take a pro-active stance when it comes to learning. No matter how much you think you know, continue to study on your own outside the class as well as in the class (if you’re lucky).

 

[puzzleannie]

sorry I had a comment earlier but could not find the thread because I am looking on evangelization, don’t know why all the RCIA threads are showing up on this forum all of a sudden.

I would like to relate a conversation (actually a dressing down I received) between a staff member and myself, to the effect that we are not doing enough to teach confession in RCIA. Apparently this person is working with some people who recently were received and complained they had received no instruction in confession or the other sacraments.

I asked them to arrange a meeting so we could remedy deficiencies.

The parties in question had very spotty attendance, were from basically Catholic families, but baptized in another denomination, who claimed to have a solid knowledge of Christianity and merely needed minimal instruction to prepare for confirmation and full reception. In their initial interviews they showed lack of understanding for very key doctrines and practices and we recommended full one year preparation at least, because of errors they had picke up in their former denomination.

They attended only about half the classes, did not do any of the remedial work, on-line learning, reading, journalling or suggested ways to make up for that content. They seldom attended Mass with the group, arriving late for class consistently. They missed the 4 prep classes for confession, and the make-up sessions, and the scheduled penance service.

They went over my head to the deacon of a neighborhing parish and convinced him they should be received without further instruction, which they were last Easter. They did not attend any mystagogia or participate in any of the parish life events, here or over there, to which they were invited.

They came to my attention because they now want to bypass marriage prep, and were amazed when the deacon’s approach to their situation included a recommendation for confession. Hence the loud (in front of other parishioners) denunciation of our “defective” RCIA program.

It is for cases like this that I strongly recommend giving full time and weight to the RCIA process as it is designed and avoid short-cutting, and why I take with an enormous grain of salt, criticism of anyone else’s RCIA program.