Trudging the road of RCIA

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Andruschak

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Nothing new to report. As a Candidate I am still lumped in with the Catecumans. We attend the Sunday 11 AM mass together, and are dismissed after the Homily. We go to the classroom to discuss the readings. The catechism is rarely mentioned.

None of this matters to me because I do have my daily dose of catechismclass.com with daily scriptures, daily catechism, and other articles related to faith formation for adults.
 
Hang in there, brother. Things seem frustrating now; but, it’ll be Easter before you know it.
 
Nothing new to report. As a Candidate I am still lumped in with the Catecumans. We attend the Sunday 11 AM mass together, and are dismissed after the Homily. We go to the classroom to discuss the readings. The catechism is rarely mentioned.

None of this matters to me because I do have my daily dose of catechismclass.com with daily scriptures, daily catechism, and other articles related to faith formation for adults.
I had a horrible RCIA too. What is it you ask in specific so I can assist if possible?

I am going to bed now, but I ask you to be patient and I am here anytime you need it. Ask away.

Dont expect RCIA to be perfect. I trudged on in spite of it!😃

You must knock. It will be opened to you. You will find if you truly seek.

*former Protestant who almost went EO who had no Christian backround prior to----

Pm me if its too personal or tell it like it is in specific—

I am all ears!

Bless you for coming this far, and realize its going to be an adventure!:cool:
 
from Rule of St Benedict, from memory since I left it in the car and it is raining, the 12 steps to humility, which in Benedict’s mind is the foundation of all virtue: obedience to superiors, even in the face of contradiction, opposition, and unreasonableness is the hallmark of true humility, and the fast track to spiritual growth. Sad thing is your RCIA director and catechists have not gone out of their way to frustrate you, they honestly think they are presenting you the ideal in faith formation.
 
Andruschak;

When I teach, I seldom talk about the Catechism, too.

But, I am always teaching from it, even though it’s my hand-written notes that I copied out of it, most of the time, rather than reading from the book itself.

Maybe it’s the same with your Catechist.

But I’m very sorry to hear that they are still treating you as a Catechumen. I will pray for the Holy Spirit to make up for the lack, and to ensure that you receive your proper training from Him, if you can’t get it in your class.

And do follow the Rule of St. Benedict, with regard to obedience even in the face of contradiction, opposition, and unreasonableness. You will need the practice for when you actually become Catholic, since we Catholics abound in contradiction, opposition, and unreasonableness - the more practice you get in this, early on, the better prepared you will be, for the reality of the Church. 😉
 
Andruschak;

But I’m very sorry to hear that they are still treating you as a Catechumen. I will pray for the Holy Spirit to make up for the lack, and to ensure that you receive your proper training from Him, if you can’t get it in your class.
I get proper training from catechismclass.com 👍

And if I didn’t, there are numerous sites on the Internet loaded with daily prayers, catechism comments, articles, homolies, and everything else missing from the RCIA class

So I put up with RCIA, because you and everyone else tells me I must learn obediance, humility. patience, patience patience, and patience:eek:

God, grant me patience, and I want it RIGHT NOW!

But when I look at RCIA as it is, in contrast to what it should be, my heart has pity on Candidates without Internet access to make up the lack.😦
 
Update on 17 December:

Another 11 AM Mass, another dismissal, and another RCIA class discussing today’s bible readings at the Mass. The next three Sundays will not have RCIA classes, due to the Holidays. No problem:rolleyes:

I will be attending the 11 AM masses the next three weeks, of course. But this time I will stay the entire mass. I cannot take communion, obviously, but can do that Prayer Of Spiritual Communion during The Eucherist. (Learned about that in this forum:thumbsup: )
 
Update on 17 December:

Another 11 AM Mass, another dismissal, and another RCIA class discussing today’s bible readings at the Mass. The next three Sundays will not have RCIA classes, due to the Holidays. No problem:rolleyes:

I will be attending the 11 AM masses the next three weeks, of course. But this time I will stay the entire mass. I cannot take communion, obviously, but can do that Prayer Of Spiritual Communion during The Eucherist. (Learned about that in this forum:thumbsup: )
One would hope that they would take the opportunity presented with the Christmas liturgy to teach and explain even more. The Candidates and Catechumens and their families would be invited to attend Midnight Mass with the Sponsors and their families. Advent, Christmas and the Christmas season offers so many teaching moments.
 
One would hope that they would take the opportunity presented with the Christmas liturgy to teach and explain even more. The Candidates and Catechumens and their families would be invited to attend Midnight Mass with the Sponsors and their families. Advent, Christmas and the Christmas season offers so many teaching moments.
Indeed they do. Alas, this is also the season when the RCIA teachers and sponsers are very busy with their own plans, as are the Candidates and Catechumans.

So the sad reality is that RCIA is being shut down for three weeks. Don’t worry, I have my internet resources for continued studies. But it shows again what a pathetic state most RCIA is in the USA.
 
If it’s any kind of small consolation to you, I am keeping our RCIA Inquiry open over the weeks of Christmas and New Year. Although I did get some startled looks last week - we threw a Christmas party for the Inquirers, and they asked, “So, when do we come back from Christmas holidays?” Because they thought that the party was a signal that we were taking some time off.

I said, “I don’t know - when are you coming back? I’ll be here every week for you, same as usual.” 😛
 
Tonight we are holding our last class until Jan 2. It was hard enough trying to get people to attend on Halloween.

Again, I’d urge humility. As you go further into the catechumenate period the depth of the subject matter may go beyond what you’re getting. Just make the best of it, either way. Is your sponsor helping you any?

Either way, cherish this time in your spiritual life. The anticipation, the longing…You’ll make it to Easter and all this will be well worth it.
 
So the sad reality is that RCIA is being shut down for three weeks. Don’t worry, I have my internet resources for continued studies. But it shows again what a pathetic state most RCIA is in the USA.
guess I am guilty then of providing a pathetic program since I would like to spend the holidays with my children out of state, and my lead catechist would like to visit his aging father. Of course, all of our candidates and catechumens have also indicated they have holiday plans and won’t be around, but if it makes you feel better, Mea culpa.
 
guess I am guilty then of providing a pathetic program since I would like to spend the holidays with my children out of state, and my lead catechist would like to visit his aging father. Of course, all of our candidates and catechumens have also indicated they have holiday plans and won’t be around, but if it makes you feel better, Mea culpa.
Don’t forget to beat your breast when you say that:D

My holiday plans are to stay at home and work 6 or 7 days a week at the Post Office. No vacations at the Post Office in December. Not even if your birthday is 25 December, as a guy named Joshua ben Joseph found out:rolleyes:

I will be around all three sundays, attending mass on my own, not as part of a class being dismissed. Plus Christmas and New Yaer’s Eve midnight masses

I also plan to continue spoiling my three senior cats rotten:thumbsup:
 
Don’t forget to beat your breast when you say that:D

My holiday plans are to stay at home and work 6 or 7 days a week at the Post Office. No vacations at the Post Office in December. Not even if your birthday is 25 December, as a guy named Joshua ben Joseph found out:rolleyes:

I will be around all three sundays, attending mass on my own, not as part of a class being dismissed. Plus Christmas and New Yaer’s Eve midnight masses

I also plan to continue spoiling my three senior cats rotten:thumbsup:
Do you want a medal? :confused:

My RCIA Coordinator goes above and beyond the call of duty. The program has to be tailored like any other class to what might be considered the lowest common denominator. Not everyone is there for the same reason. Some people may have been touched by the light of God and renewed by his spirit and others may be there because of a spouse, significant other, etc… Most of the ‘heavy’ discussions and learning about 2000 years or more of traditions, people, places, things, events, rituals, prayers, miracles, mysteries, mystics and Trinitarian formulas happen with my sponsor. I have a spiritual director for additional guidance with prayer, centering prayer and more discussions about the great mystics. For anything that doesn’t get resolved with one of those three resources, I can seek out Secular Franciscan on volunteer day or go to a retreat. Although I have attended Catholic church for a year, I am a Catechumen and although I was a bit skeptical at first, I fully understand now. Not baptized=Catechumen.

The Catholic Church has moved to a scriptural spiritual model of a loving God since Vatican II. It doesn’t matter how much you go to Mass, it matters what’s in your heart and what you do after Mass. The fact that there are two (or three) weeks off for the holidays seems standard for most RCIA programs. The time off is apparently the best practice, not the exception. It probably allows for people to be with families or out of town without feeling like they are not fulfilling an obligation and leaving 4 or 5 people to attempt a discussion about a topic. Even on the sessions off though, I’ll still be at Mass with my sponsor. This is someone who I never met before November and frankly is someone who I would lay my life on the line for now. This is a man who brings the true meaning of Catholocism, the Eucharist and living the Mass into focus as he has guided me on my walk as a Catechumen.

I have nothing but praise for the RCIA team at my church.

Peace and All Good.
 
Already have it, properly blessed. Thank you very much:thumbsup:
Perhaps then you could take your many criticisms about the RCIA program to the church and act as a team member or coordinator. But wait, this isn’t the military or the Post office. People won’t stand for the pre Vatican II view you apparently have of the church. You can take your Western spiritual model and you’ll drive them away before you’ll win over their hearts and minds. Why don’t you seek a spiritual director? Perhaps you can get some help with your anger. The RCIA program isn’t standing between you and your faith. By your own admission, it was issues of the past. RCIA is a step that happens with or without our past history. The Church isn’t the Post Office, I’m sorry you have to work on Christmas, but that isn’t the fault of the RCIA program and doesn’t mean they shouldn’t provide time off. It’s all about tradition and ritual. Scrutiny, observation, it all sounded unusual to me, until I learned what it was and why. Heck I’m the first person to say I know more than the instructor. Except in this case. As Brian said and my sponsor almost verbatim repeated, treasure this time in your spiritual life (even the part about the anticipation of Easter was there these guys must read from the same book).

Perhaps the Baptists would take you back. 👍

Peace and All Good.
 
while dark night takes a deep breath, and maybe his meds if indicated, we will pause to reflect that the liturgies of Christmas and the octave are themselves a rich source of catechesis, and as observed, the break gives catechumens a chance to participate in the entire Mass for a change. I am sure that most of you were provided, as our members were, with some sort of guide or reflection to use at home on the readings of the season, in lieu of the usual breaking open of the Word. If not, catholicexchange.com provides not only links to the daily readings but also very good commentaries and teachings on the readings of the seasonal feasts.
 
while dark night takes a deep breath, and maybe his meds if indicated, we will pause to reflect that the liturgies of Christmas and the octave are themselves a rich source of catechesis, and as observed, the break gives catechumens a chance to participate in the entire Mass for a change. I am sure that most of you were provided, as our members were, with some sort of guide or reflection to use at home on the readings of the season, in lieu of the usual breaking open of the Word. If not, catholicexchange.com provides not only links to the daily readings but also very good commentaries and teachings on the readings of the seasonal feasts.
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Perhaps then we should raise our pill cups together in a toast for those that live in glass houses…Certainly your previous post about your so called ‘pathetic’ RCIA program ‘tounge in cheek’ or not is indicative of the fact that your meds may need adjustment :cool:
 
guess I am guilty then of providing a pathetic program since I would like to spend the holidays with my children out of state, and my lead catechist would like to visit his aging father. Of course, all of our candidates and catechumens have also indicated they have holiday plans and won’t be around, but if it makes you feel better, Mea culpa.
Hopefully you aren’t running the entire RCIA all by yourself. Isn’t there a college student who can fill in for you while you’re away?
 
Hopefully you aren’t running the entire RCIA all by yourself. Isn’t there a college student who can fill in for you while you’re away?
Yeah, and maybe she could also find some replacement Candidates and Catechumans and Sponsors to fill in as well to replace all those that have travel plans.

:rolleyes:
 
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