Teenager at RCIA

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mathematoons

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I’m going through RCIA, even though I already know most of that stuff. I converted at Advent last year (and by then it was too late to get into RCIA) and read everything I could get my hands on, and, as a result, people are impressed by how much I know. I’m trying not to show off too much at RCIA, but there’s a 16-year-old boy who isn’t sure if he wants to be Catholic–he received First Communion but isn’t really into the faith, i.e. he’s only there because if he decides to get married someday, he wants it to be in a Catholic church.

This seems like a really good evangelization opportunity. Any advice as to how I can succeed at it? I want him to experience the joy I experience from being a practicing Catholic.
 
mathematoons said:
I’m going through RCIA, even though I already know most of that stuff. I converted at Advent last year (and by then it was too late to get into RCIA) and read everything I could get my hands on, and, as a result, people are impressed by how much I know. I’m trying not to show off too much at RCIA, but there’s a 16-year-old boy who isn’t sure if he wants to be Catholic–he received First Communion but isn’t really into the faith, i.e. he’s only there because if he decides to get married someday, he wants it to be in a Catholic church.

This seems like a really good evangelization opportunity. Any advice as to how I can succeed at it? I want him to experience the joy I experience from being a practicing Catholic.
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Start asking him simple questions. But don’t be obvious. Like say where did the bible come from?

Then take small readings from the bible, get a Catholic Study bible so you can be accurate on the interpretations. Then say like for instance what was todays reading about really?

Then when he tells you what he thinks. say well this is what the Church teaches, things like that,

Challenge him, and say you pick the next thing and lets see how close we can get to the true meaning.
 
Be his friend. Don’t preach to him, but allow him to see the joy your faith brings to you. Invite him to join you in parish activities. Do you have a youth group the two of you could go to? Or perhaps your parish has a food pantry where the two of you could participate. It’s often much easier to go with someone you know who can help you get connected.
 
mathematoons said:
I’m going through RCIA, even though I already know most of that stuff. I converted at Advent last year (and by then it was too late to get into RCIA) and read everything I could get my hands on, and, as a result, people are impressed by how much I know. I’m trying not to show off too much at RCIA, but there’s a 16-year-old boy who isn’t sure if he wants to be Catholic–he received First Communion but isn’t really into the faith, i.e. he’s only there because if he decides to get married someday, he wants it to be in a Catholic church.

This seems like a really good evangelization opportunity. Any advice as to how I can succeed at it? I want him to experience the joy I experience from being a practicing Catholic.
Click to expand...
When my youngest two were in high school, I made sure that they had opportunities to experience their Catholic faith in events with their peers that’s more than just CCD/RCIA. Steubenville was their magical moment of experiencing Christ with 3000 other youth. I’ve seen the same thing at the LA Religious Education Congress where there was 15,000 other youths attending or even our local Diocean Congress that had 2000 youths. Of course World Youth Day in Madrid was pretty cool with 1.5 million other young adults attending was pretty awesome. The testimonies kids gave after events such as these was definitely inspiring. Kids embraced their faith because they knew they had a larger support group than they realized. IMO, it’s hard to replicate that in a CCD/RCIA setting even though I try to accomplish that in my 6th grade CCD class every Sunday and in my weekly assignments that I perform in my Legion of Mary duties.

Good Luck
 
SuscipeMeDomine said:
Be his friend. Don’t preach to him, but allow him to see the joy your faith brings to you. Invite him to join you in parish activities. Do you have a youth group the two of you could go to? Or perhaps your parish has a food pantry where the two of you could participate. It’s often much easier to go with someone you know who can help you get connected.
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Agreed (:
 
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