Want to be accepted into the Church, avoidant of over-long and over-simplistic RCIA programs

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MJDorry

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Hey,

I’ve been essentially a Catholic-to-be for a almost a year now, with a few bumps in the road. At various points, I’ve come to the thought that I should finally join the Church officially, if only to receive Communion. Unfortunately, I don’t like to ‘commit’ to anything and I’m neurotic about having undertake anything that takes any considerable length of time, especially if it’s arbitrarily defined. This is why I have yet to join an RCIA program. They seem unnecessarily long, especially since I have a Catechism which I can easily go through quickly. And to top it off, I’ve heard from numerous people how they can often muddy someone’s understanding of Catholic teaching rather than enhance or clarify it. The last I spoke to a priest from ‘my’ parish, he told me the local program took from one to two years. I just want to get in already. I’m decent on the professions of the the Faith, I understand the sacrament etc… I don’t want to have to trog (Is that a word) my way through RCIA for a whole year or two, I just want to rocket through. Are there any much shorter and more ‘educational’ means to entering the Church.
 
Catholicism has a lot to it. Much more than can be covered in RCIA or any faith formation program, for that matter. Further, it’s not something that should be rushed into as an adult. There are A LOT of responsibilities and requirements on your part that you must maintain for the rest of your life. Simply wanting to become Catholic so you can receive communion is a very solid reason for making a life changing commitment. There is no fast paced means of becoming Catholic, save for immediate danger of death and an emergency baptism/confession.
 
You mean you want to join on ‘your terms’ rather than the way the Church wants you to join ?

You just want to join ‘the club’ to get the special cookie ?

Come on - there’s more to joining the Church than saying I’ve read some books - I know everything that’s needed .
 
The_Idiot said:
You mean you want to join on ‘your terms’ rather than the way the Church wants you to join ?

You just want to join ‘the club’ to get the special cookie ?

Come on - there’s more to joining the Church than saying I’ve read some books - I know everything that’s needed .
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Please don’t refer to our Lord a “the special cookie”. I find that highly offensive.
 
I can understand your feeling and your frustration. I think it’s actually a fairly common feeling for many people. All I can offer is one thought: regardless of the commitment, time, or sacrifice, if it is the only way to the Lord, than we must humbly submit to HIS will."

I think about it this way…think about everything that Mary endured and yet she constantly said “yes” to the Lord. Surely we can submit to a year or two of classes. If nothing else, it aids in our quest of humility.

I can almost guarantee you will learn new things, I can almost guarantee if you take it seriously you will grow closer to the Lord, and I can almost guarantee that afterwards you will say it was worth it. 😃
 
Hi! I can relate to the thought of it being “frustrating” as I have been feeling the call to become Catholic for about a year and a half. I went to Mass last weekend and I looked as the Priest consecrated the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ and wanted to take part so badly. I also INITIALLY thought that going through RCIA would take so long and I don’t want to wait, etc.

BUT, as I’ve been in the process, I have purchased A LOT of books on the Catholic faith and have learned much more which is so enlightening. I have also learned A LOT in the class meetings. I love Mass and have made FRIENDS FOR LIFE going through the journey home. I hate to tell you to be patient, but be patient and know you’re not alone.

God bless you! I hope you don’t give up and get discouraged. I find it helpful to go to Mass each weekend (requirement of our RCIA) and go to the chapel and sit there. Just sit there and listen to Him speak to you. Good luck! 👍
 
My wife and I were not excited about the length of the RCIA program going into it either. However, we quickly realized that there is more to it than the catechism. By the time we were done with RCIA, we had made life long friends, were well integrated into our parish community, had really amazing sponsors, and will stay Catholic from now on.

You are undertaking a process of discernment which may lead to coming into communion with the Catholic Church, in particular your local parish. People who do not integrate into the parish tend to drift away.
 
MJDorry said:
Hey,

I’ve been essentially a Catholic-to-be for a almost a year now, with a few bumps in the road. At various points, I’ve come to the thought that I should finally join the Church officially, if only to receive Communion. Unfortunately, I don’t like to ‘commit’ to anything and I’m neurotic about having undertake anything that takes any considerable length of time, especially if it’s arbitrarily defined. This is why I have yet to join an RCIA program. They seem unnecessarily long, especially since I have a Catechism which I can easily go through quickly. And to top it off, I’ve heard from numerous people how they can often muddy someone’s understanding of Catholic teaching rather than enhance or clarify it. The last I spoke to a priest from ‘my’ parish, he told me the local program took from one to two years. I just want to get in already. I’m decent on the professions of the the Faith, I understand the sacrament etc… I don’t want to have to trog (Is that a word) my way through RCIA for a whole year or two, I just want to rocket through. Are there any much shorter and more ‘educational’ means to entering the Church.
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Dude it would take YEARS to join the Faith before Vaticano II…be thankful most RCIA lasts roughly one Liturgical Year. :rolleyes:

You sound like you just don’t want to make the commitment of joining the Faith and all you want is just the Church and get the free T-shirt without making any work.

Just join RCIA and try it bud, if you don’t feel ready, you don’t have to continue. 👍
 
I can relate. My RCIA program as a process was decent and the facilitators were quite orthodox, but the catechetical program was virtually nonexistent. So while it wasn’t bad, it wasn’t good, either. My advice is go ahead and do it. You seem to have your wits about you. If you find that you really are being fed heterodoxy once you start, then try another parish.
 
I sort of felt the same way as you did 11 years ago, before I entered the Church. I’d already done a ton of theological reading, I’d already discerned that God was calling me to enter the Church… so why should I have to wait?

When I started RCIA, I confess that I initially went with a sense of wanting to “get it over with” to join the Church. Not the greatest attitude… But I learned so much about the faith during RCIA, and I met such great people. I learned more about the liturgical year and enriched my faith by observing close to an entire liturgical year before finally partaking of the sacraments. I learned about so many of the practices and devotions that are not mandated by the Church, but can truly enrich one’s faith life. I learned from parishioners about which devotions they feel especially called to, and why. In short, I learned how to truly be a Catholic.

I know you want to join the Church and receive the Blessed Sacrament now. This is a great desire to have! Take a deep breath, be patient, and go through the formation process. You’ll probably learn a lot in RCIA.
 
Really?

Whether you mean it or not, you are coming off as quite flippant, disrespectful, hesitant about commitment, someone who wants to do it his way, and now wants the priest to “fast-track” the sacraments of initiation. For most priests, this would be an immediate warning sign that you need to** slow down**, get over thinking that you are above “simplistic” RCIA programs ** and learn** that conversion is a life-long process.

Conversion in Catholicism is an individual and communal step in faith.
 
MJDorry said:
Hey,

I’ve been essentially a Catholic-to-be for a almost a year now, with a few bumps in the road. At various points, I’ve come to the thought that I should finally join the Church officially, if only to receive Communion. Unfortunately, I don’t like to ‘commit’ to anything and I’m neurotic about having undertake anything that takes any considerable length of time, especially if it’s arbitrarily defined. This is why I have yet to join an RCIA program. They seem unnecessarily long, especially since I have a Catechism which I can easily go through quickly. And to top it off, I’ve heard from numerous people how they can often muddy someone’s understanding of Catholic teaching rather than enhance or clarify it. The last I spoke to a priest from ‘my’ parish, he told me the local program took from one to two years. I just want to get in already. I’m decent on the professions of the the Faith, I understand the sacrament etc… I don’t want to have to trog (Is that a word) my way through RCIA for a whole year or two, I just want to rocket through. Are there any much shorter and more ‘educational’ means to entering the Church.
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I understand exactly what you are saying. I said the same thing when I went thru RCIA.

Going thru RCIA taught me humility, patience. Those are virtues of someone striving to be an authentic disciple of Our Lord.

Go thru RCIA and take the opportunity to exercise those virtues. It will bless your life as you strive to be a disciple.

God Bless. 🙂
 
MJDorry said:
I just want to get in already. I’m decent on the professions of the the Faith, I understand the sacrament etc… I don’t want to have to trog (Is that a word) my way through RCIA for a whole year or two, I just want to rocket through.
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Well well, the first thing that a good Catholic should profess is obedience to Holy Church 😃

Consider our Profession of Faith for greater understanding of this.

I also recommend the following readings:

Adult Catechesis in the Christian Community

On Becoming a Christian

Nobody is prepared enough to receive the Christian Initiation. Nobody. Two years are truly not enough time to begin grasping the meaning of these great Sacraments. So please be patient. You may begin learning more on your own on the Church, particularly by reading the Catechism, attending Holy Mass devoutly and performing an Act of Spiritual Communion instead of receiving the Holy Eucharist.

You may also want to read some good book of Catholic apologetic, for we are never like today called to evangelize, not only to the billions who do not know about Christ and His Church enough, but especially to our fellow Catholics who “do not practice” the faith.

If I may suggest a meditation that may help: Christ chose to live a regular life for over 30 years before beginning His public ministry.
 
You should talk to your priest. Maybe he will interview you and determine if you are ready to recieve the sacraments. However, you probably will still have to wait until Easter, even if you aren’t taking the classes.
 
Deo_Gratias42 said:
Please don’t refer to our Lord a “the special cookie”. I find that highly offensive.
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Oh I understand you do find this offensive - so do I and it was me who said it ] but

the OP said
At various points, I’ve come to the thought that I should finally join the Church officially, if only to receive Communion. Unfortunately, I don’t like to ‘commit’ to anything and I’m neurotic about having undertake anything that takes any considerable length of time, especially if it’s arbitrarily defined.
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At various points, I’ve come to the thought that I should finally join the Church officially, if only to receive Communion
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He wants to join the Church just to receive the Body and Blood of Our Lord and Saviour ?? Not a word about believing anything
Unfortunately, I don’t like to ‘commit’ to anything
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Excuse me - and he wants to join the Church ?
 
While RCIA will teach you about the Catholic faith, its main purpose is to discern a true conversion. Its not about what you know.
 
Allegra said:
You should talk to your priest. Maybe he will interview you and determine if you are ready to recieve the sacraments. However, you probably will still have to wait until Easter, even if you aren’t taking the classes.
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I agree, talk to your pastor.

However, I disagree with others who contend the process should take XXX amount of time.

Everyone’s journey is different.

When I entered the Church, I began RCIA classes the week after Thanksgiving, and received my sacraments the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. And I know of one man who it took FOUR YEARS!

But, I caution the OP, that entering the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Holy Eucharist, and Confirmation does not mark the end of our Journey of Faith, but rather only the end of the beginning.

Catholics - all of us - whether born into the faith, or joining the faith later, are converts. And, conversion, being the rejection of sin and the turning to (for the first time, or again), is a never ending process!

Peace.
 
I’ve read a few of the other replies, and decided to stop. While I agree with many of the others, let’s suffice it to say that I think some time and prayer on your side might be helpful. While the “commitment” for RCIA is just a year or two for once a week, you are making a commitment to the Church for life. Consider that before you move forward.

I’ll pray that the Holy Spirit may send the gift of patience onto you. . .
 
Why don’t you make an appointment and talk to the priest. Explain your situation and see what he says.
I will pray for you
🙂

:signofcross::signofcross::signofcross:
 
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