Starting RCIA

[j2c99]

Thank you so much, j2c99, for the link to the article explaining centering prayer. Just another fancy phrase for transcendental meditation to which I do not subscribe. Centering prayer appears to be relatively harmless on its face, but actually seems to draw us into our own self and away from intimacy with God. No thanks, but I’ll stick with prayers of forgiveness, thanksgiving, and petition directly to my one and only Lord. I suppose some people view centering prayer as some kind of a supplement to their “regular” prayer life, but as the article pointed out, there are dangers going down that road. Thanks again for sharing the link. I should also mention that we had a priest at our parish who, as part of his Thursday evening homily (but never on the weekend) had the congregation practice deep breathing and concentration on objects, etc. Although it was not addressed directly as a the source of his transfer to a different parish, the reason for his departure was obvious to most. Additionally, there was a great article in Catholic Answers a few years ago comparing Jesus and Buddha. Very intellectual and quite interesting. However, the article concluded with the indisputable statement, “Jesus is God; Buddha is not.” As for me and my house…

You’re welcome, usemelord. I’m glad I could be of service to God and spread this around… I take for granted that others know all these things already so I usually feel embarassed to bring it up… maybe that is just satan at his tricks attacking us Catholics.

So update for my RCIA situation… I have a meeting scheduled with the head pastor at my church, after receiving an urgent call from my RCIA director after reading the print out of that article I sent her. She sounded concerned and wanted action to take place soon… So I’m very pleased that I got the courage to bring it up and not let any other young budding RCIA minds in there get swung down the wrong path.

 

[j2c99]

I’m a former Baptist and I’m looking forward to “coming home”. I’m as excited as a teenager.

William

Awesome!! Glad to hear you’re making the journey home too!! You sound very enthusiastic and I hope and pray the best for you.

 

[larsenl1]

I’m starting RCIA tomorrow night. Converting is something that I’ve been thinking about for a very long time, given that I’m only 21. I was raised Lutheran Missouri Synod. I talked to my mom about my desire to convert or, at the very least, deeply explore this faith so that I can figure out where exactly I belong. She is disappointed because of all of the things we won’t be able to share because of the difference in religion–mainly communion. I understand that. But I stopped taking communion at the LCMS church 4 or so years ago.

I’m so excited and nervous about starting classes. I can’t wait to find out what all I’ll be learning over the next few months and the process I’ll go through…and then to actually live it.

Someone, I can’t remember who at this point, mentioned feeling a peace from within. I know what you’re talking about. I get a few butterflies because I’m going through this alone. But at the same time, I feel a restfulness and sense of belonging that I’ve not felt in a long time.

To all of those who just started or are soon to start RCIA, I can’t to see where this journey takes us. It’s going to be great!

Welcome Home!!! I was baptised and confirmed Missouri Synod Lutheran, married in the ELCA. I joined the Catholic church at Easter Vigil 2007. Ask questions constantly.

God Bless

 

[John1]

Hi,

Don’t worry to much about the RCIA classes. You will get a copy of the catholic catechism and your instructor will go thru some of the basic points, kind of a FAQ summary. The RCIA classes are there to get you started, but how deep you go into the history, beliefs, and traditions of the catholic church will be up to you. If it’s done the same at every parish, the class will be loaded with long time catholics to help answer any questions that you might have. Your baptism from the Lutheran church will be accepted, as long as your have your papers, or you can get re-baptized when you officially join the Catholic church. Since there’s a lot of material to cover quickly, there’s not a lot of time to discuss questions. For example, if you would want to ask “Why does the Catholic church teach that Mary is considered a co-redemptrix along with Jesus?”, you may get the standard “this is what the Catholic church has always taught” answer. You will probably get a lot of re-enforcement and support for your decision to join the Catholic church from the long time catholics in the class, and they may even give you their personal testimonies about when they decided to “wise up” and join, or come back to the Catholic church. Surely there will be someone ther that will suggest that you read a book by Scott Hahn. Anyway, just sit back and listen, do your assigned reading, and participate in class discussions, and agree with everything your told, and you’ll do fine.

 

[jmcrae]

Well, I finally took the plunge. RCIA starts Oct 7 and I’m going to be there. I talked with the director of Christian Education today and she seemed very nice.

It won’t be like I’m starting from scratch…I’ve just finished a course called “We Believe, a Survey of the Catholic Faith” by Oscar Lukefahr. The course was free from Catholic Home Study Service. It is sponsored by the Vincentian community and the Missouri Knights of Columbus. Father Lukefahr is the director and the course was excellant.

I’m a former Baptist and I’m looking forward to “coming home”. I’m as excited as a teenager.

William

Fanstastic!

 

[jmcrae]

Rule of thumb for taking any classes, if you want to be successful: (From my brother, who is, in fact, a Rocket Scientist, working for the American government.)

“Assume your teacher knows what he or she is talking about, and respond accordingly.”

 

[ambrosegirl84]

Hi,

I started RCIA a few weeks ago, and I have to say I’ve been a bit disappointed so far.I’ll try to abbreviate my experience a little bit, but it’s been too long since I’ve posted, and a lot has happened!

There are only two of us in the class, and I’m sure it’s challenging for the instructor, since we are both from very different faith backgrounds (one of us baptized Catholic but totally unchurched otherwise, one of us a very-involved Lutheran)

The church we’re taking classes at seems to be almost trying to jump on the Protestant bandwagon. For example, all the music is contemporary and the band takes up the majority of the altar area. So, they’re considering knocking out most of the sacristy to accomodate the band, because I guess at this church most of the “pomp and circumstance” surrounding the Eucharist has been done away with (!). That kind of bothers me, as something I’ve always admired about the Catholic Church is their extreme reverence for the Eucharist.

They’ve “done away with” many of the traditional Catholic practices like the confession at the beginning of the service. The confessionals are now storage rooms and there’s a tiny room in the back that serves as a face-to-face confessional, but you don’t really have to confess specific sins, rather just say you have sinned. Has that changed in all Catholic churches?

When the priest was on vacation, there was a layman who spoke, and I gathered specifically from his sermon that he was inviting anyone who believed in Jesus to take part in communion. I’ve always been under the impression that that’s DEFINITELY not a Catholic teaching.

So anyway, this is the most liberal Catholic church I’ve ever been to, and I don’t see many differences between that and the Lutheran church, so I’m almost leaning towards the LCMS church in town. It’s not really an option to go to another Catholic church, because this one priest serves all churches within an hour radius of my closest town, and it almost seems as though it’s just a liberal diocese all-in-all.

We also joined a young couples’ group, led by two nuns. I thought it would be a good opportunity to inquire about the Catholic faith. Although the groups’ focus is marriage, we were discussing differences between Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism and how some of it has to do with considering your upbringing and finding your own faith. “Perfect!” I thought, and I brought up the fact that I’m Lutheran but struggling with making a decision about my faith. The nun basically told me that “faith is a personal thing” and maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to bring it up. (!!!)

Sorry for the long post, but I’m just feeling a bit discouraged about what I’ve seen thus far. I know most Catholic churches I’ve been to in the past aren’t like this at all, so it’s frustrating that the one in my area is different.

Anyone else having a similar experience?

 

[usemelord]

ambrosegirl84, I must say that I feel rather sorry for your dilemma. I guarantee that you are going to get a lot of responses to your post, and well you should. I came into the Catholic faith through RCIA 4 1/2 years ago at the Easter Vigil, 2005, and just turned 65 three months ago. My RCIA experience was the absolute best I could have imagined. Too bad you can’t go to another Catholic church as that appears not to be an option open to you. The church I attend is rather contemporary as far as music, but there is utter and absolute reverence during the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Personally, I like the quasi-charismatic “feel” because it gives me the sense of a celebration which is what Mass really is, a celebration of Christ’s dying and rising again, destroying our sins and giving us new life in Him. As far as the layperson giving the homily, it is my understanding that that is impermissible. However, deacons sometimes do give homilies, so what is happening at your church is definitely out of line. And, of course, if non-Catholics were invited to participate in communion, that, too, is a gross violation and surely against church doctrine. What it sounds like to me is that your church, sadly, wants to “morph” into an evangelical Protestant church. The best advice I could give you in your situation is to read, read, and read a lot of books that are informative with regard to what the true church teaches concerning the celebration of Mass as well as the history and tradition of the Church itself. Meantime, stay blessed, and “stay the course.”

 

[jmcrae]

Hi,

I started RCIA a few weeks ago, and I have to say I’ve been a bit disappointed so far.I’ll try to abbreviate my experience a little bit, but it’s been too long since I’ve posted, and a lot has happened!

There are only two of us in the class, and I’m sure it’s challenging for the instructor, since we are both from very different faith backgrounds (one of us baptized Catholic but totally unchurched otherwise, one of us a very-involved Lutheran)

That does sound challenging, even under ordinary circumstances, which yours are not.

The church we’re taking classes at seems to be almost trying to jump on the Protestant bandwagon. For example, all the music is contemporary and the band takes up the majority of the altar area. So, they’re considering knocking out most of the sacristy to accomodate the band, because I guess at this church most of the “pomp and circumstance” surrounding the Eucharist has been done away with (!). That kind of bothers me, as something I’ve always admired about the Catholic Church is their extreme reverence for the Eucharist.

While I’m familiar with the phenomenon of praise bands playing for the Youth Mass, I’ve never heard of them taking over the whole church, or knocking out the Sacristy to accommodate them. (You’re sure it’s the Sacristy - the room where the priest vests for Mass, and where the Altar servers pick up their robes and say their prayers) that is being knocked out?

They’ve “done away with” many of the traditional Catholic practices like the confession at the beginning of the service. The confessionals are now storage rooms and there’s a tiny room in the back that serves as a face-to-face confessional, but you don’t really have to confess specific sins, rather just say you have sinned. Has that changed in all Catholic churches?

Yikes. No, this isn’t the norm for most Catholic Churches. Some places are down to only one Confessional, but most places have a Confessional, at least.

When the priest was on vacation, there was a layman who spoke, and I gathered specifically from his sermon that he was inviting anyone who believed in Jesus to take part in communion. I’ve always been under the impression that that’s DEFINITELY not a Catholic teaching.

No, it certainly is not.

So anyway, this is the most liberal Catholic church I’ve ever been to, and I don’t see many differences between that and the Lutheran church, so I’m almost leaning towards the LCMS church in town. It’s not really an option to go to another Catholic church, because this one priest serves all churches within an hour radius of my closest town, and it almost seems as though it’s just a liberal diocese all-in-all.

It’s hard to know what to say. I’m almost thinking that your LCMS church is likely to be more orthodox, in a lot of ways.

We also joined a young couples’ group, led by two nuns. I thought it would be a good opportunity to inquire about the Catholic faith. Although the groups’ focus is marriage, we were discussing differences between Catholicism and Evangelical Protestantism and how some of it has to do with considering your upbringing and finding your own faith. “Perfect!” I thought, and I brought up the fact that I’m Lutheran but struggling with making a decision about my faith. The nun basically told me that “faith is a personal thing” and maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to bring it up. (!!!)

 

[Student09]

It’s not really an option to go to another Catholic church, because this one priest serves all churches within an hour radius of my closest town, and it almost seems as though it’s just a liberal diocese all-in-all.

Just wondering - have you visited the other churches, or are you assuming they’ll be the same because the same priest serves all of them? It seems at least conceivable that there might be a parish that, in spite of the priest, is slightly more orthodox than this one or at least has a normal confessional … ?

If that one priest is serving ALL the churches in the area, he must be stretched very thin.

 

[ambrosegirl84]

(You’re sure it’s the Sacristy - the room where the priest vests for Mass, and where the Altar servers pick up their robes and say their prayers) that is being knocked out?

The room that they’re thinking of (not certain as far as I know) making smaller to accomodate the band is the room where the stuff for the Eucharist is stored, like where all the special linen (?) napkins, etc., used to be. That’s why I was bothered, because I thought one of the differences between a Lutheran and a Catholic church was the reverence in preparing the Host.

However, deacons sometimes do give homilies, so what is happening at your church is definitely out of line.

I’m not sure if he was a deacon, or not. Is there a way to tell?

If that one priest is serving ALL the churches in the area, he must be stretched very thin.

Yeah…I’ve heard it said they need more like 2 or 3 priests in the parish, and I have to agree. They’re all under one parish, too. I wish I could talk to the priest more, but I’m sure considering the circumstances he is very overloaded. This is a very rural area compared to what most people on this board might be used to, so churches aren’t so big, but they’re far away.

 

[ambrosegirl84]

I should add that this last class was more informative, as there was a “veteran” instructor there. They talked more about being Catholic, vs. Christianity in general, which I thought was nice.

 

[CalCatholic]

Hi,

Don’t worry to much about the RCIA classes. You will get a copy of the catholic catechism and your instructor will go thru some of the basic points, kind of a FAQ summary. The RCIA classes are there to get you started, but how deep you go into the history, beliefs, and traditions of the catholic church will be up to you. If it’s done the same at every parish, the class will be loaded with long time catholics to help answer any questions that you might have. Your baptism from the Lutheran church will be accepted, as long as your have your papers, or you can get re-baptized when you officially join the Catholic church. Since there’s a lot of material to cover quickly, there’s not a lot of time to discuss questions. For example, if you would want to ask “Why does the Catholic church teach that Mary is considered a co-redemptrix along with Jesus?”, you may get the standard “this is what the Catholic church has always taught” answer. You will probably get a lot of re-enforcement and support for your decision to join the Catholic church from the long time catholics in the class, and they may even give you their personal testimonies about when they decided to “wise up” and join, or come back to the Catholic church. Surely there will be someone ther that will suggest that you read a book by Scott Hahn. Anyway, just sit back and listen, do your assigned reading, and participate in class discussions, and agree with everything your told, and you’ll do fine.

Well all RCIA classes are not the same, they are different in every parish. Your cynical view of all the RCIA classes in the world wide Church is showing your bias against the process. If you had a bad experience it does not mean that others will, or that other parishes would be the same. We don’t tell anyone in our parish to agree with everything that they are told. We present the beliefs of the Catholic Church, we discuss them, the history of those beliefs, through the Bible, the Catechism, Church history (incl. Church Fathers). We let the people inquiring about the Church decide if this is what they are looking for, there is no pressure. And if they decide that Catholicism is not what they are looking for, or they are not ready to make that commitment at that time, we let then know that they are always welcome back.

 

[jmcrae]

The room that they’re thinking of (not certain as far as I know) making smaller to accomodate the band is the room where the stuff for the Eucharist is stored, like where all the special linen (?) napkins, etc., used to be. That’s why I was bothered, because I thought one of the differences between a Lutheran and a Catholic church was the reverence in preparing the Host.

Yes, it sounds like that’s the Sacristy.

I’m not sure if he was a deacon, or not. Is there a way to tell?

He would have been wearing something like a priest’s robe except that his “sash” would be crossways over his body, instead of in two lines side by side down his front.

 

[ambrosegirl84]

Nope, not a deacon. Although the priest has removed his vestments by the time we’re out of church after mass, and I’ve never seen him with a collar…so maybe they have dispensed with that tradition, as well.

The LCMS church in our area seems to have held on to a lot more of the old traditions.

 

[Student09]

This is so sad that it’s hard to say anything about it. In my last R.C.I.A. class, the priest said that the people who will get the worst places in Hell will be the ones who knew the most truth and had the most responsibility to teach it to others (priests, bishops, etc), but did not do so, or perverted the truth in spite of knowing it, thus leading others into sin.

This is NOT happening to the whole of the Catholic Church, however! I have not seen anything like this in the parishes I have been to.

 

[Abby_Tanner]

I too am starting RCIA classes. I’m not sure how well I will do. I don’t care for the “in your face” type challenges when the priest says that my faith (I was raised Baptist.) believes in/or not. That is why I left the baptist church. I was tired of the bashing of other religions when they have never experienced a single mass/service…they don’t have that right to pass on misconceptions about the religion. Why is it so difficult to explain what the Catholic belief is without being so controversial about it? I’m an adult, don’t treat me like a child that is being scolded!

I married a non-practicing Catholic in a Baptist church. Who is willing to go to mass more often once I convert (he feels that I’m uncomfortable at mass). When in fact I’m quite opposite. The reason I’m interested in converting is that I’m amazed how respectful Catholics are to the church. (Us baptists just go and plop down and visit until the service starts).

My question is, how much of the mass can I participate in? I know that I cannot take communion. But am I allowed to use the holy water upon entering/leaving the church, make the signs of the cross, and kneel?

Please advise!

 

[KarenElissa]

My question is, how much of the mass can I participate in? I know that I cannot take communion. But am I allowed to use the holy water upon entering/leaving the church, make the signs of the cross, and kneel?

Please advise!

You are welcome to participate in as much as you feel comfortable with. As long as you aren’t receiving communion, which you already know, feel free to jump right in with the rest of us or sit back and learn or whatever in between. And welcome!

 

[mswood]

I have been in RCIA since August 19. So far it has been a great experience. Our class is led by one of our deacons, though one of our priest joins us regularly. We have 12 people in our class, 3 of us that still need to be baptized. I have enjoyed our class we basically do a mass each week and we discuss the readings, this helps us learn the responses for mass while teaching us the word of the lord. We have also discussed catholic teachings on a variety of subjects including Saints, Prayer, the blessed Mother etc… 2 weeks ago they presented us with Catholic bibles, next week we are receiveing Rosary and copies of the Catholic Catechism. They don’t do alot of comparing to other religions, they simply teach the church beliefs. I feel blessed to have such a wonderful RCIA experience. I am looking forward to the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming on Nov. 22.

 

[Jessica_Simone]

Hi all,

I too started RCIA this fall and am very excited about my journey. I have been raised following catholic traditions but have never received any of the sacraments so I very excited to finally come into communion with the church