What is the next step to join the Church?

[jrussotti]

My sister in law was baptized in a Christian church, Lutheran I think, but at a very young age, wanted to attend a Catholic Church. Although her family did not attend, she went weekly to the local Catholic church from a young age on. The school she attended (she is from Germany) would only allow her to attend the Christian religion classes because she was not a baptized Catholic, but as often as she could she would sneak out and attend the Catholic classes anyhow, until she was told to leave. (Not being from Germany and it was a long time ago, I don’t understand exactly how things worked back then) Anyhow, she never stopped attending the Catholic masses, she learned our faith as she would have if she was a cradle Catholic, she does receive communion, knowing fully that she is receiving Our Lord, but has never formally received any sacrament. If you ask her, she is Catholic and nothing else. What does she have to do to be formally recognized into the church? She and my brother attend regularly, send their children to Catholic schools and raise them in the faith. My brother and the children are all baptized Catholics. What should I tell her?

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Hi,

As far as she is concerned. she may consider herself a Catholic, but the Catholic Church does not. She needs to be instructed in the Catholic faith. The fact that she receives Holy Communion without going to Confession shows how little she knows. She needs to enroll in the RCIA in her parish AND she needs to stop receiving Holy Communion until she has made her formal profession of faith–which comes at the end of the RCIA (Rite o Christian Instruction for Adults). SHe is in our prayers.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.