Those of you who have been through R.C.I.A...,

  • Thread starter Thread starter Malia_Belen
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

Malia_Belen

Guest
What was it like? Do you remember your first day? Was there anything particularly difficult about R.C.I.A.? What did you need for the class? Did you need to buy it or does the church provide it?

Thanks for reading : )
 
What you will need and what the parish will provide probably varies with each parish. Ours gave us Rosaries, catechisms, Bibles, even notebooks!

We had to bring our own pens, though. 😃
 
Sailor_Kenshin said:
What you will need and what the parish will provide probably varies with each parish. Ours gave us Rosaries, catechisms, Bibles, even notebooks!

We had to bring our own pens, though. 😃
Click to expand...
Same here!

I felt like the first several “sessions” went over material I already knew very well, but it makes sense that that would be the case. I was protestant and studied the Catholic faith for quite some time before “taking the plunge.”
 
Malia_Belen said:
What was it like? Do you remember your first day? Was there anything particularly difficult about R.C.I.A.? What did you need for the class? Did you need to buy it or does the church provide it?

Thanks for reading : )
Click to expand...
I was in the first RCIA class run by the Redemptorist priests in Singapore at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church. Normally RCIA would be done in parish churches which up to then in Singapore was the case. In a class of 40 two of us there were Methodists while the other 38 were non-Christians so when at the following Easter they were baptised we two went through a simpler formal acceptance ceremony into the Catholic Church as we were already baptised. As far as I can remember (1991) there were no drop-outs from our program.
All I needed to bring was a Bible. All other material was provided to the group free of charge.
RCIA was really good. My wife is a cradle Catholic and I used to discuss what I had learned and she also went through the material. She found out how little she actually knew. I think that applies to many cradle Catholics so my being in RCIA actually benefitted her as well.
It additionally helped me being schooled by Redemptorists as I gained a good understanding of Mary and where she fits in. As a Protestant I really didn’t understand about Mary.

And if my memory serves me well around 500 people became Catholics in Singapore that year. I was the only foreigner.
 
I spent a few years on the RCIA team and want to reasure you that all is well. The first night of class is very similar to the first day of school. It is usually more of a get aquainted meeting; the team members will introduce themselves and the director will ask questions and you will fill out forms, all designed to get a notion on where everyone is on their current faith journey. Feel free to ask any team member any questions or concerns you may have (most have already been through RCIA and will understand your point of view). In my parish, all the books and handouts were provide to the class, free, but your situation may be different, you can call the parish office before you go and ask. The atomosphere is one of joy, hope and enthusium. Welcome Home!! :dancing:
 
I’m in it right now.

Free snacks, binders, pens… our teacher gives us a free Catholic book every day (draws a name from the bowl) and about 15 pages of handouts to read for homework every day. I love it! 😃

She’s a wonderful teacher; we read an OT, do a Psalm, read the NT, then she goes over 3-5 parts of the faith, then is a special topic, and then she answers our questions.

However, I’ve heard that some RCIA classes are bad, taught by poorly catechized people. So much depends on the teacher of the class, I hope you get a great teacher like I do.

I hope you find truth and love in Catholicism like I have
 
I loved RCIA. (2007)

It was awesome!

We had guest speakers… nuns, the Bishop ect…(the Bishop actually did a special mass for only us… we all got blessings… it was so moving and a memory I will always treasure.)
We learned alot… asked a bunch of questions… it was so awesome.
We were given a book to follow along with, Catholic bible and a ton of misc stuff.

Nice parish women made us breakfast every sunday. 🙂
The Parish clapped for us when we left mass. (to which the Priest told us… enjoy it while it lasts…hehe) 😃

Besides learning alot about being a Catholic, I have such an admiration for our Priests… the kindest, most loving people on earth…One of the biggest blessings I recieved from RCIA.

RCIA made me want to keep learning all I can about being a Catholic.

I loved every single minute of it.
 
Malia_Belen said:
What was it like? Do you remember your first day? Was there anything particularly difficult about R.C.I.A.? What did you need for the class? Did you need to buy it or does the church provide it?

Thanks for reading : )
Click to expand...
Mostly it was one huge bore. I was lumped in with the catechumans, as if I knew nothing about Christianity and the Bible. There was a total lack of flexability in the program.:yawn:

When it came to knowledge of the Bible, I knew more then all the facilitators combined. As a teenager, I had studied on becoming a Lutheran Minister. While this did not work out, obviously, I still have been around the block a few times and really really did not have to be taught on how to reinvent the wheel. 🤷

Oh yes, and I answered all the questions on the catechism 100% correctly.:rolleyes:
 
I came into the Church Easter Vigil 2007. I greatly enjoyed my RCIA experience, after a somewhat shaky start, so much so that I am now a leader and teach some of the sessions. Last year I went just to learn more about the Faith. Every group is different and participants have very diverse backgrounds.

Like everything else, the more you put into it, the more you will get out of it. I suggest a notebook to write down questions that come to mind - about scripture, Church teachings, the Priest’s homily, etc., and don’t hesitate to ask them!

You should have an NAB Bible. I would also suggest a copy of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The Church may have a used Bible they would give you. That’s how I got my first NAB Bible. Paperback copies of the Catechism are fairly inexpensive - under $10. A lot of churches have libraries where you may borrow reference materials. There is often free literature in the back of the church - with prayers, information on Saints and the Sacraments.

RCIA begins with a period of Inquiry when you can come to learn without making a commitment to enter the Church. Even if you aren’t sure, it is a great opportunity to share and learn. You learn about yourself, too.

I remember my first day. I remember counting down until I could receive Communion for the first time at Easter Vigil!! I especially remember Easter Vigil. What a beautiful, awesome Mass!!!

I actually hated to see it end. I guess that’s why I am still there. I feel I am supposed to be there. I’m not sure who learns more - the catechumens or me!

I recommend it highly. Pray about it. Keep asking questions.
 
Anything that was needed for us was supplied (Bible, workbooks etc., We were not given a rosary however)

I too was more versed in the Bible then the catechists were because of my prior religious background.

The only thing that was difficult for me personally was my own baggage from said prior religious background; lost of doubt and concerns about being duped, about patriarchal heirarchies etc.

The team was great. Esp the head of the team who happened to be our parish’s professional pastoral assistant.

I had alot of deeper questions that the main group really werent equiped to handle. She, however because of her educational background, was able to help me, answer my questions, or provide me resources.

For me, from inquirer’s stage thru pre-cat, cat and on to the Easter Vigil took 15 months. There was wisdom in that. There were 3 of us going thru at the time.

It is fair to say however, that I also did A LOT of my own research apart from the group…Some of EWTN’s programs were invaluable research tools when it came to many of the “nuts and bolts” of the faith.
 
BVM_1221 said:
Mostly it was one huge bore. I was lumped in with the catechumans, as if I knew nothing about Christianity and the Bible. There was a total lack of flexability in the program.:yawn:

When it came to knowledge of the Bible, I knew more then all the facilitators combined. As a teenager, I had studied on becoming a Lutheran Minister. While this did not work out, obviously, I still have been around the block a few times and really really did not have to be taught on how to reinvent the wheel. 🤷

Oh yes, and I answered all the questions on the catechism 100% correctly.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...
I’m sorry you feel that way about your RCIA experience. I also had an extensive Bible background and was in a well-educated group. We asked challenging questions. Our priest led most of the sessions, and we went into greater depth, I think, than most groups do. Our meetings were stimulating and very interesting.

BUT, the group this year has very, very little Bible knowledge. I can easily see where either of us would be bored. (It would be like a math whiz taking trigonometry with a class full of people who don’t know algebra, and the teacher has to review the basics - for a LONG time.).The other leaders keep reminding me to ‘tone it down’ because of the limited background knowledge these participants have.

I have also learned that different churches have different approaches to RCIA. - also something worth investigating. Ask questions!

Didn’t you at least feel excited as Easter Vigil approached?
 
I came in at the Easter Vigil of 1995. Our whole family of six received a total of 14 Sacraments in that weekend. Two first Confessions. Four baptisms. Four First Holy Communions. Two Confirmations. I am missing two somewhere. Maybe the two older kids were confirmed. Yes. Four Confirmations.

I think RCIA’s vary. Some are better. Some are worse. The main thing is to become fully united with the Church. God bless you in your journey. These can be very precious days Maria. Whatever the quality of the teaching, don’t be nervous about RCIA. Just be there.

Merry Christmas too!

Rory
 
Thanks everyone for your replies. I haven’t started R.C.I.A. yet mostly because it’s the middle of the year and I’m nervous about being the newbie in a group whose already known each other for half the year plus I hear that some programs don’t allow new people after the mid-way point. However, I am considering being in the 2010/11 group and I’m really excited about the prospect even though I don’t know if I’ll join…I’m protestant and I find myself with issues concerning Mary, the Saints etc…you know the usual Protestant difficulties in understanding the Catholic Church.

There are a few Catholic Churches here…how did you choose which church? Also, this probably sounds like a newbie question but are there grades or something in R.C.I.A…how do they figure out whether or not you’re can join the Catholic Church?
 
no grades.

I started late… about a month late… I made up the lessons with the Priest.

I dont know if thats normal… I was lucky… great parish.
 
Malia_Belen said:
There are a few Catholic Churches here…how did you choose which church? Also, this probably sounds like a newbie question but are there grades or something in R.C.I.A…how do they figure out whether or not you’re can join the Catholic Church?
Click to expand...
Malia,
As far as figuring out which church, I spent some time beforehand doing some research and found out that unlike in the old days, you can go to whatever Catholic church you want to and aren’t bound to attend your nearest one. So my husband and I visited all the ones within a reasonable drive, and then picked the one we felt most comfortable with to investigate further. Both of us wound up going through RCIA at this parish.
 
Not all RCIA programs are equal. I was in one taught by lay people who treated it more like a sharing group. The next year I went through RCIA taught by the parish priest. Pretty much everything was provided. We used the Catechism as the backbone around which the program followed.

Finding the right program is important, but as long as one has a Catechism in hand, he can always take charge of the making sure he is properly taught.
 
i just joined our RCIA i am coming in a month late…but im also episcopalian…so i guess that made a difference or not…

but im really really enjoying my class…my 9 year old daughter is also going through RCIA
 
I went through RCIA in 99/00 (Easter Vigil 2000) and in some regards I found it lacking, but it was a good experience overall. I started two months late and met with the nun who was heading up the program one on one for an hour or so each week to be brought up to speed. (I had a required class for my college major at the same time as the RCIA class in the Fall.) So I really didn’t meet with the class more than a few times before mid-December except at Mass. They gave us a bible, which we didn’t use in the class. For the most part, we stuck to using and discussing these bulletin sized booklets on whatever the topic of the week was. They had some CCC and scriptural references but they didn’t delve too deeply into the subject matter. I found myself going to EWTN.com frequently to get more information after the class. The RCIA team was made up of a lay person (who was pretty much on top of things), a nun (who led most of the discussions) and a priest (who typically seemed like he could care less and who’s main focus appeared to be irritating the nun and having a good time). Our program had us attend Mass together and each week we were dismissed after the Liturgy of the Word and then we went into the chapel to discuss the readings from Mass. The main focus during those discussions was the Mass, where in the weekday RCIA class we were looking at other topics in Catholicism. So I don’t think the program was bad, but it didn’t have enough meat on it for me.
 
I would like to remind the OP to keep an open mind about the people one goes through the RCIA with. This thread shows the variety of knowledge, education and spiritual experience that each person brings to the the class. There is plenty for all to learn. I had already had a BA in Christianity and two years in seminary and I felt woefully lacking in many areas. There was plenty to learn.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top