Trouble Scheduling/Starting RCIA

  • Thread starter Thread starter OnAJourney
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
O

OnAJourney

Guest
I’ve been trying to get myself started with RCIA and I’ve been having some issues. Due to my demanding job I’m unable to keep to an appointment with one of the two Churches I’ve looked at. And I feel like I’m stuck because I’m unsure if they can work with me on the scheduling, they seem very set with their scheduled times and I just can’t go and meet with them about starting RCIA at their hours.

I also have the issue of waiting until like September to start. I understand that RCIA in itself is an important commitment, but I feel like it would be very hard to wait that long to start. Not to mention I’m planning on moving around this December or January next year.

I’d appreciate any advice, thank you.
 
Ask about private instruction.

As a trained catechist, and RCIA instructor, I have availed myself to work with those, including military personnel, to work with them around their schedules.

See your parish RCIA director and Pastor.

Good Luck!
 
The Church I’m looking to attend and receive RCIA from is a smaller parish, so I’m unsure of whether they’d be able to do private instruction. Although, I think due to my learning disability private instruction would also be a big help
 
If I were able to do private instruction do you think I’d still have to wait until they take on new Catachumen?
 
OnAJourney said:
If I were able to do private instruction do you think I’d still have to wait until they take on new Catachumen?
Click to expand...
These are questions you have to ask the parish priest. Call them and explain the situation. They want you to be Catholic. They will work something out with you.

Welcome home. 🙂
 
Are you already baptized or not? There’s more flexibility for someone who is already baptized, though it will still depend on the pastor of the parish.

Will your life become somewhat simpler when you move in less than a year? Perhaps that will influence your decision as well.
 
I’m unsure of whether my life will become less busy after I move. I’m pretty sure that I’m going to have a lot of stuff that keeps me busy
 
It’s worth talking to your parish priest, it may be that they can organise it so you can do it when you’re available, on a one on one basis.

When I first enquired about RCIA I was the only one, and we did it just me and the priest for a while until someone else became interested and then it was still the priest but 2 of us, I hadn’t been baptised either.
 
I would encourage you to schedule a meeting with the pastor of one of those parishes as soon as possible. It is up to him how all of this is handled.

I am in charge of RCIA at my parish. And—as a personality trait—I have a hard time telling people “No.” So I generally want to do everything I possibly can to accommodate people and help them come into the Church.

Nevertheless, there are limits. Priests and RCIA directors cannot be everywhere all the time. They have other responsibilities as well. Making some accommodations here and there is one thing. But making accommodations for everyone all the time is simply not possible. There are 21 people in RCIA at my parish. If I had to meet with each of them for individual instruction, I would never get anything else done. And I love RCIA, and I love being able to meet with people one-on-one. But it just wouldn’t be feasible.

I don’t want to discourage you from seeking accommodations if that is what you really need. But then, sometimes we also need to make sacrifices for the things that are most important to us.

Ultimately, though, none of us can really predict how your pastor will want to handle it. A lot depends on the particulars, which we don’t know. You will need to meet with him, share with him where you are at, and see how he wants to handle it.
 
I just wish it wasn’t as difficult with my job. I don’t want act entitled about it, but their schedule times are just very inconvenient for me
 
I am in a small mission church of a small parish in a mission Diocese in rural Western Colorado. It doesn’t get much smaller than us. Our entire parish including our mission church has less than 600 parishioners. We would make time for private instruction. I would hope that my fellow RCIA Catechists would help you come into the church, no matter what it takes. There is no set time frame for catechesis, there is a set time for rites and entrance into the church for the unbaptized. If you can make time for Sunday masses and for Easter Vigil (if necessary, take a vacation day on those dates), then your catechesis during your catechumenate can be as long or as short as needed. The point of catechesis is not a time frame but a process of formation. It’s the first step to conversion. The pastor generally determines your readiness via interview. I would contact the pastor of the church you’re looking to attend and let him know your situation. Don’t be discouraged if you hear that you need to make time for God, sometimes that’s a test to see where you’re at spiritually. I would recommend being prepared to take scheduled time off for the rites.
 
Hey, I understand. We’ve got a few large hospitals nearby, so we get a lot of nurses and medical staff in RCIA, and their schedules are all over the map. Some of it is within their power to request certain hours off for RCIA classes, but not always.

Definitely speak with the priest. Be upfront and as honest as you can, and see what he says.
 
I just worry about taking time off. I started this job just before Christmas and as the new hire I don’t really get much in the way of days I can take off. But I suppose if I explain the situation the Pastor would be understanding of where I’m coming from.
 
Since the Easter Vigil (when adults are normally baptized) j is fast approaching, it seems unlikely you would be ready this year. And next year you will be living somewhere else. Do you know where you will be moving? Perhaps it would make sense to contact the pastor at that parish and begin preparing the way for RCIA there.
 
I have a general idea of where I’m moving to. I’m fairly confident that I’ll move by later this year or at the very beginning of next year. But I may not reach my goal of leaving by later this year. Either way I’m in a really awkward place. I understand that I wouldn’t be ready for baptism this year, and I would be willing to wait. It’s just the actual process of starting RCIA where I’m totally lost.
 
If things are that up in the air, I’d still start by setting up a meeting with the priest in your area. Even if you wait until September to start RCIA, and even if you move in December or next January, you will at least be able to sit down with the new pastor and say that you were half way through RCIA when you moved. Otherwise, you may wind up waiting two years to come into the Church rather than one.
 
Joe_5859 said:
Even if you wait until September to start RCIA, and even if you move in December or next January, you will at least be able to sit down with the new pastor and say that you were half way through RCIA when you moved
Click to expand...
That’s what I was going to suggest. That way, your current pastor could write a letter to your new pastor, appraising him of the situation and of the extent of your preparation for reception of the sacraments…
 
Update on the situation with RCIA, I’ve found a parish that is currently starting up RCIA and I’ve only missed one meeting. My first RCIA meeting will be this Wednesday
 
I found a large parish that is just starting up RCIA right now, and will go through to November. I’m scheduled to go to my first meeting this Wednesday
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top