What is your experience with RCIA?

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I know you wanted to hear from other “Cradle Catholics,” but I thought I’d weigh in from a convert’s perspective.

I went through RCIA in 1999-2000, and it was a great experience. I think the quality of the RCIA program is directly related to the quality of the clergy in the parish. The less orthodox/more liberal parishes will probably have bad RCIA programs.

I was fortunate to have two great priests as instructors. The pastor of our parish made the RCIA program one of his highest priorities. One of the sisters that helped out with the program called him “Mr. RCIA” because he was so dedicated to the program. The other priest who was the Parochial Vicar of the parish at the time was none other than Fr. John Trigillio. He is now a host on EWTN’s “Web of Faith” and co-author of the book “Catholicism for Dummies.” Both priests were extremely knowledgable and stuck to the orthodoxy of the Church. They were very clear about what the RCIA program was, and what a commitment it was to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation.

I knew the program was good, because every week, I would come home from class and teach my Cradle-Catholic wife things about the Church that she didn’t know herself.

My advice for anyone interested in RCIA would be to scout around the diocese for a very good orthodox parish. I’m sure people on this forum would be happy to suggest parishes in their own area that have good programs.

If you are in the Harrisburg, PA diocese, check out the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish, in Middletown, PA. Fr. Louis Ogden is the pastor, and his dedication to RCIA is top-notch.
 
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yinekka:
A friend of mine was asked to be a sponsor and he said that the teacher wasn’t teaching authentic Catholic Doctrine.

I can’t understand 1. Why the bishops allowed this situation to develop in the first place.
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                        2.  Why people who are employed or volunteer to teach RCIA don't have to sign an agreement that they will teach the authentic Faith.

                         3.  There should be a set syllabus.

                          4.  Maybe the above will result in no RCIA but why have dissidents producing dissidents to undermine Church teachings and the Hierarchy?

                           5.  If I have figured this out why haven't the bishops???????????? :confused:  :banghead:
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There are several reasons why an RCIA teacher would be teaching heresy. At best, she may not know what real Catholic doctrine is. At worst, she may have an anti-Church agenda.
It is up to the pastor to monitor the content and progress of his parish’s RCIA program. If he is not doing so, he should be gently reminded to do it or to appoint someone to do it for him.
Paul
 
I started as a sponsor a few years ago at my parish and then joined on as a team member because much of what was taught by some of the other team members was inconsisent with Catholic Church teaching. (i.e. someday the church will see the light and ordain women, marry gays etc…) That’s where I first heard the expression “the spirit of Vatican II”. There was a HEAVY emphasis on social justice. They do not believe in using the Catechism which they say the candidates would not understand and may scare them away.
Change is coming but very slowly. People are very set in their ways. Our priest is a good man but stays far away from controversy. We have a fairly large parish and he’s very busy so I can’t blame him for not actively taking part of the RCIA process.
Being that our team is made up of individuals who have no formal religious training we must rely on a pre-designed program and the only ones I have been able to find are very wishy-washy so I cannot recommed something different.
The saddest part of our RCIA program is the number of people that go through it that I never see in the pews. I would guess that less than 10% continue going to church. Personally I would rather have one “on-fire” Catholic than 100 “cafetreia” Catholics finish our program but I can’t seem to convince the rest of the team. We struggle on… :gopray2:
 
Only good if the Priest gives the class…

Mistake one… thinking Laity can handle this one…
 
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PaulDupre:
There are several reasons why an RCIA teacher would be teaching heresy. At best, she may not know what real Catholic doctrine is. At worst, she may have an anti-Church agenda.
It is up to the pastor to monitor the content and progress of his parish’s RCIA program. If he is not doing so, he should be gently reminded to do it or to appoint someone to do it for him.
Paul
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I absolutely agree with you. I have taught in the RCIA in my parish and it was a pretty sad program. Not all of us were on the same page… All were lumped in together and you really couldn’t get across the important stuff. I suggested that we have an Adult Ed Program when the ‘powers that be’ asked what was needed in our Parish…it was shot down no interest:( …
 
space ghost:
Only good if the Priest gives the class…

Mistake one… thinking Laity can handle this one…
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Actually, I’ll disagree. An inspired, enthusiastic, knowledgable lay person is preferable to an uninterested or pre-occupied priest. The lay should be overseen by the religious, but I had a great (and orthodox) experience from a layperson-led RCIA course.

Again, it all goes back to what the student and the teacher put into their time together!
 
I am a cradle catholic, went thru catechism classes until I got to attend Cathilic Grade School in 7th grade continued Catholic education until Junior in HS. Decided to find myself (this was in the 60’s). Came back in the mid 80s. I went to the inquiry classes to find about the church post Vat II. Continued through the whole RCIA classes because I was like a sponge. I have been on the team several times, I have been a sponsor several times. The RCIA process is great or luke warm (or worse) depending on the Priest in the Parish - his involvement or non involvement and the leader. Although I have to say sometimes a good team member can offset even a poor leader. Our diocease has a good lay program to teach the teachers. There is a strong influence of the Invironment and Art in Catholic Worship that was issued by Catholic Bishops but not sanctioned by Rome (I asked and Apologist about this - Peggy refered me to *Mass Confusion *which I bought and have devoured. So, one needs to be careful, however, the Catechism was and should be used so the true answers are there. All in all it is a start in teaching non Catholics what we believe and getting them on the road to conversion.

What IS missing is a similiar program to teach PRACTICING Catholics what they should believe so they won’t be PRACTICING any longer but truly living out their faith. There’s an ideahttp://forums.catholic-questions.org/images/icons/icon3.gif
blessings
 
DaveBj said:
😦

I am hoping that, with all the reading I have been doing, I will be able to “CLEP out” of RCIA.

DaveBj
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Ha-ha . . . CLEP out . . . that’s a good one! :rotfl: You could look at it as a time to grow in patience and be an asset to the group, to support and spur on someone who isn’t as motivated as you are to know your profession. Perhaps you’ll learn something that will surprise you?
 
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Gertrude:
Ha-ha . . . CLEP out . . . that’s a good one! :rotfl: You could look at it as a time to grow in patience and be an asset to the group, to support and spur on someone who isn’t as motivated as you are to know your profession. Perhaps you’ll learn something that will surprise you?
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Actually, I had to look “CLEP” up to make sure it was the right acronym:D

I will present my case to Father Kevin and abide by whatever he decides, counting it as a learning/contributing process. If it turns out that the RCIA program is out in left field (or maybe has left the ball park), I may make another decision at that time. But how bad can it be; after all, this is the diocese that includes Mother Angelica’s operation.

DaveBj
 
Boy you said it, sometimes I think they should just turn on the catholic news radio and we would learn more and more about our religion from that. I am sorry to say that my program did not teach me very much, do you know I was a cradle catholic and knew nothing of my beautiful religion until I saw a bumper sticker on an old beat up truck and it only got my attention cuz it was the only OLD beat up truck parked among many brand new cars and I was outside smoking a cig. on a break and couldn’t take my attention off this sticker and started to listen to the show and got hooked so much that I was listening all day at work everyday for eight hours on my head phones. I could not believe how much I did not know, I never knew Jesus came back and threw the net over the boat and filled it with fish and asked Peter have you caught anything today, I never even knew Thomas put his hand in Jesus side to see the wound, can you believe that I just found out all of this, was I dead in the pew when I did go to church??
Yes, I did not know my religion at all and the RICA program
really needs to follow some kind of program starting when
Jesus was in the temple at twelve and go from there, I find this
from alot of catholics they really really fall in love with thier
religion when they get to know it, and may the Lord have mercy
on me for being ignorate. Then I saw the Passion of the Christ
and a day has not gone by that I don’t think of Jesus and how
he suffered and how unworthy I have been and how I want to
live right with the grace of God and follow Jesus the Lord !!!
I have had many friends that say as long as you believe Jesus
is your Lord and personal saviour you will be saved, but that
always seemed to simple and just not right with me deep inside
my gut, when I was younger in my twenties it was sooo easy
to get caught up in the way of the times, and now I am sorry for
it, but I agree with you if these programs were in better form, maybe people would be back with the church in the grace of
God alot sooner. Then again maybe I should have been in the
class with the first graders? I dunno know, God Bless You.
 
I just finished my RCIA program this year and was received this Easter Vigil. From what I have heard, the RCIA program is about the only way to enter the church,HOW SAD. 😦

I need to say though, that I have made wonderful friends through the RCIA and have come in contact with many others from the parish that I might not have ever met, due to the different mass times we attend. That being said, I found the program very much lacking in teaching of the faith. Major doctrines where just briefly touched on, and some not at all. We were giving a bible and the catachism, I felt like I was on my own, kinda like given the text books and then having to understand on my own what they say.

We have a wonderful priest, but he only showed up at ONE meeting and then for only 15 minutes. How sad, he has so much knowledge and faith, what a shame he chose not to share it with us.

Most of what I know about the faith is self taught. I have done extensive reading and asking loads of questions, if not for my own independent study, I would not have been ready to enter the church.

In terms of making friends, the RCIA program is great, in learning the faith, it falls way short.
 
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DaveBj:
I will present my case to Father Kevin and abide by whatever he decides, counting it as a learning/contributing process. If it turns out that the RCIA program is out in left field (or maybe has left the ball park), I may make another decision at that time. But how bad can it be; after all, this is the diocese that includes Mother Angelica’s operation.
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My wife and I met with Fr. Kevin yesterday. She ratted me out as a “Bible scholar” and would-be Greek/Hebrew student for my 28 years as a Pentecostal/SoBap, and he asked me to go ahead and take the RCIA classes as one who could contribute the kind of scriptural backing for Catholic teachings that a cradle Catholic would miss. So I will do that. If the program is non-orthodox, you can be sure you will be hearing about it on these forums :whistle:

My wife made her first-time-in-a-long-time confession yesterday, and now she is back in full fellowship with the Church 👍

Fr. Kevin wanted some paper proof that I had been baptized, and I was thinking I was going to have to start sending inquiries to see where records go when rural Lutheran churches in NoDak are closed. However, and coincidentially (if there are such things as coincidences), my bro and sis-in-law were visiting yesterday from Illinois, and she said, “Oh, we have your baptismal certificate in all those papers we inherited from your mom and dad.” So she’s going to send it to me when they get back.

DaveBj
 
It has been a while since I went through RCIA. My parents sent me to Catholic school and one particular nun taught us very well. This was pre-VII.

It was a number of years before I felt ready to join the Church. Everyone coming in to the church in this particular parish was required to take RCIA, whether they were baptized Christians or not.

The course was mostly feel good stuff, very watered down, supposedly to make the Church attractive to protestants. The beauty and richness of the faith I had learned under my dear nun teacher was pretty much ignored.

Most reprehensible was teaching that artificial contraception was OK if your conscience said so. And even worse was refusing to teach us how to go to confession. I know, because I asked. We were told that it wasn’t necessary for us to go because it was almost impossible to commit a mortal sin.

The rest was downhill from there, till a number of years later we moved. I joined a new parish, learned that I had been falsely taught, made an appointment with the priest and made a confession of a lifetime of sins.

To those involved in teaching RCIA, I would say please don’t water Catholicism down, and don’t be ashamed to teach the fullness of the faith. Protestants are not looking for another protestant church. If they do have problems with what the Church teaches perhaps they are not ready to convert.
 
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