Unable to attend RCIA

[katesmom]

I work every single Saturday & Sunday 12 hour shifts I really dislike my schedule, but its what I have to do for the time being for various reasons. My husband has the same schedule

I called my parish to inquire about RCIA & they told me while enrolled in RCIA I must attend mass every Sunday (understandable.) But because of my work schedule, I cannot attend mass with the RCIA group.

I feel that my spiritual growth has been on hold for way tooo long because of my work schedule! I deeply desire to attend RCIA & grow in my Catholic Faith, but my job is getting in the way of that. Argh!

It saddens me that I can not even take my kids to Sunday mass because Im working every single Sunday.

 

[srlucado]

I would talk with the priest and/or the actual RCIA director. Failing that, find a parish that is willing to work with you.

Our RCIA team makes reasonable accommodations for people’s work schedules; it would be a real shame to exclude someone from conversion due to their work, over which they may have no control.

Frankly, I’d think the parish would prefer one person who’s eager to participate but can’t make the meetings versus ten who just show up and go through the motions.

 

[velvetsky]

Hi there , I really feel for you, it must be a very frustrating position to be in. Does your employer know that you need to attend mass? Maybe they could move your hours to another day? Just a thought.

 

[puzzleannie]

or you can call around and try to find a parish like mine where we try to accommodate families with difficult schedules, the latest evening Mass within reasonable driving distance here is 7pm, there is a later one at Campus Ministry during the school year. We work with nurses & policemen who have particularly tough weekend schedules. a common solution for some is to duck into Mass on lunch breaks, which is possible since there are so many Catholic churches, and take RCIA classes during the week at a parish on your day off. I have off-shore oil workers and long distance truckers as well, some take on-line classes, attend Mass on the road and journal on the lectionary readings, it may take longer but eventually everyone who is serious about the sacraments makes it through. The persistance and patience are part of the process and a necessary part of your spiritual journey. The class is only a fraction of the experience.

welcome home!

 

[kage_ar]

Our parish has RCIA on Wed evenings.

Talk to your priest or find another parish.

 

[cctabb]

I agree with the others. Talk to your parish priest. My husband just came into full communion this past October. Because of his schedule meetings, classes, masses and confirmation were not done as usual.

There is a way for you if the parish you go to is willing to work with you. And if they are not willing, it probably isn’t the parish for you.

 

[fdesales]

I work every single Saturday & Sunday 12 hour shifts I really dislike my schedule, but its what I have to do for the time being for various reasons. My husband has the same schedule

I called my parish to inquire about RCIA & they told me while enrolled in RCIA I must attend mass every Sunday (understandable.) But because of my work schedule, I cannot attend mass with the RCIA group.

I feel that my spiritual growth has been on hold for way tooo long because of my work schedule! I deeply desire to attend RCIA & grow in my Catholic Faith, but my job is getting in the way of that. Argh!

It saddens me that I can not even take my kids to Sunday mass because Im working every single Sunday.

Sounds like the problem is with work, not the Church. Talk to your employer and tell them your spiritual growth is important to you and you desire to spend time with your children, and the weekends is the only time you can do this. Ask for at least some time off on Sunday. Try to switch schedules with someone. How much effort have you put into this aspect of your situation?

Regards

 

[katesmom]

I definetly need to change my work schedule ASAP! Ive asked my employer about working every other weekend & the answer was No. My coworkers will not switch schedules with me, because no one wants to work weekends.

Its time to move on & find a new job, RCIA has been put on hold for 3 years because of my work schedule!

I will pray about this! Can others please pray for me?

Thanks so much!

 

[fdesales]

I definetly need to change my work schedule ASAP! Ive asked my employer about working every other weekend & the answer was No. My coworkers will not switch schedules with me, because no one wants to work weekends.

Its time to move on & find a new job, RCIA has been put on hold for 3 years because of my work schedule!

I will pray about this! Can others please pray for me?

Thanks so much!

I commend you for your thinking and will keep you in my prayers that you follow through and are able to get some time to spend with your family and the RCIA by the end of summer (that’s whem most RCIA’s begin).

Regards

 

[manualman]

Ouch, what a work schedule!

While job hunting there is plenty you can learn on your own.

“Catholicism for Dummies” is a great intro textbook for anybody (not just Dummies), but don’t buy “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Catholicism” by mistake. Bad stuff.

Another superb series is the Didache series of texts from Midwest Theological Forum (google 'em). You might actually get a more complete and truer version of the faith from these resources than from some watered down RCIA programs (they vary highly from place to place).

 

[kabyr8]

I would definitely talk to the Pastor of the Church. If I know that someone is having difficulty attending the time of our RCIA sessions, I make every effort to either 1.Find a church where they have RCIA on a day/evening that is convenient, or 2. meet with them on a one to one basis, when they have the time. We had to change our schedule this year, because of the work conflicts of the catechumens and the candidates. It turned out well and I know that they are happy with our decision. ( It was a joint decision, the team, and all who are involved)

 

[onegreenclover]

the college that I attend has a parish that has theirs on Mondays so that students can go. Have you looked at a catholic center or a parish around a major college for this option?