When does a person become a practicing Catholic?

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My wife and I are having a discussion about when our baby will be a practicing Catholic/Christian.

I am somewhat convinced that once they understand what they believe and have faith in God they become a practicing Catholic/Christian, while all along the way they were being ‘raised’ to be Catholic.

She believes that our 4 month old baptized daughter is a Catholic right now.

For example, when I converted to Catholicism I went through a process of understanding what the Church believes. When I was going through RCIA and getting prepared for confirmation I was in agreeance with what the Catholic Church teaches but I was not yet confirmed. It made sense to me that I was not yet Catholic though I thought like one.

I’m okay with being wrong, but does anyone have an official or insightfully unofficial answer to this?
 
I don’t have an official answer, but I would think that a child can not be called “practicing” based on his/her actions. At a child’s baptism, it is the parents who take on the responsibility to raise that child Catholic. It is up to them to help make them practicing Catholics when they are adults.
 
“Practicing” is a rather meaningless term, I think (although I have been known to tell people I am a “Practicing Catholic” – and I’m going to keep “practicing” until I get it “perfect”! 😃 ). What does it even mean? If I go to Mass on Sunday but never confession, am I “practicing”? If I go to Mass on Sunday and Confession once a month, but treat my neighbor with disdain, am I “practicing”? And who decides?

In any case, your child, if she is baptized, is indeed Catholic. She will be growing in the faith as she says her little prayers, learns to make the sign of the cross, attends Mass with you, makes little sacrifices during Lent, lights candles during Advent, and eventually is more formally trained and proceeds through the sacraments of initiation as she reaches the “age of reason” (typically, about 7 years).
 
I think it means to strive to follow the teachings of the Catholic Church. To put those teachings into daily ‘practice.’ Not just be 'hearers of the Word, but doers also. ’ Like the poster above me, we are all works in progress…so, I think it is really about striving to follow the teachings, and not leave certain ones out, because they can be difficult to follow, than others.😉
 
When we read the CCC and Scripture, we see that Baptism is the mark - it makes a Christian a Christian. So, your child became Catholic the minute she was baptized. She will practice until she gets it perfect - the day she enters heaven!

1272 Incorporated into Christ by Baptism, the person baptized is configured to Christ. Baptism seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ. No sin can erase this mark, even if sin prevents Baptism from bearing the fruits of salvation. Given once for all, Baptism cannot be repeated.
 
I am still having some trouble with this. I do believe a baby can be part of God’s family and their original sin is erased in the sacrament of Baptism. I also believe that they are everything else you guys said about Baptism.

But, I have a hard time calling her a Catholic, in the sense that having faith is a choice and as of now my daughter is just learning to roll over, much less learning what faith or God is.

My dispute is with a family member who calls her a “good Catholic”. I would never want to take anything away from my daughter that God has given her, but it seems to me to be either good or bad you need to be able to make decisions and in order to be able to make decisions you need to have some sort of understanding of what you are doing.

This has exploded a little bit within the family because this person is appalled that I would not called my daughter a “good Catholic”.

I acknowledge that she is “Catholic” in the sense that she is being raised in a Catholic family, and I acknowledge that she is “good” because new life is a miracle of God. But, to say she is a “good Catholic” seems to be overstating it.

I pray that my daughter will be the best Catholic she can be and pleases God in everything she does (though I don’t know how happy God is that she always screams at us :D) but it seems to me that insisting that she is a Catholic is simply putting to much emphasis on a title. Yes, we will raise her to be Catholic and Yes, she is baptized so she is a part of God’s family but to say she is Catholic seems like it is applying a choice to her that she has not made or learned of.
 
But, I have a hard time calling her a Catholic, in the sense that having faith is a choice and as of now my daughter is just learning to roll over, much less learning what faith or God is.
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You can be a practicing Catholic without faith. (you might have other problems but could still be a practicing Catholic. :)) You cannot be a Catholic without grace. Your daughter has already received all the grace necessary to be a Catholic and a good one too.

“Practicing” applies to actions and those are based on what a person is able to do and what is appropriate. When your daughter starts saying her prayers, and learning about God, she will be practicing according to her age even if she cannot be said to have faith yet. She will continue to grow in faith and practice.

For children brought up in a good Catholic home, faith, if it can be considered a choice, is at first an imperceptible one. Most Catholics I know can never tell you when they first believed in Jesus, for example, because it just always was that way. There are some concrete faith choices that Catholics make, such as choosing to be Confirmed, but not all of the faith is conscious choice.
 
I am still a practicing Catholic. I would like to become a expert in being one at some point.

“How do you get to Carnegie Hall?..Practice.”😉
 
I see you live in Alabama, so I would ask of your baby daughter, “Is she an American?” If the answer is “yes,” then she is an American by virtue of her birth here and/or her parents’ nationality, and it is not something she decides as she gets older and learns what it means to be an American.

And, as she is American by virtue of her birth, so is she Catholic by virtue of her baptism.

At least, that would be my analogy of the moment. 😉
 
I understand what you all are saying about Baptism. But regarding this I have an interesting thought. I don’t know if the being american analogy really applies here. Being a nationality is not a choice ever, you either are or you are not, you can’t change it if you wanted to.

I was baptized as a baby in an episcopal church, I grew up Lutheran from year 5 on. I made the choice to convert to Catholicism at about 23. When going through RCIA I was called a candidate and then a catechumen, both while being baptized, I was never called a Catholic.

From what I was told my baptism was just as valid as a Catholic baptism but yet it did not make me Catholic, and no one ever tried to tell me I was throughout RCIA. The Catholic Church accepts all Baptisms that are made in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, unless the Church has a skewed view of the trinity, such as the Mormon Church. Does this mean I could have been called a Catholic ever since I was a baby even though I never converted to Catholicism until I was 23 years old? If I was indeed a Catholic because I was baptized then I think it is only appropriate to call every single validly baptized person in this world a “good Catholic”.

Only once I was confirmed (made a choice to commit to my faith) did it seem appropriate for me to be called Catholic.

I am not saying that a child cannot be called Catholic until they are confirmed if they are raised in a Catholic family, because I do think there is a difference between being raised in a Catholic home and going through RCIA.

What do you all think?
 
I think it would be FAR better if we in the Latin Church did it the Eastern way - not waiting on FHC and Confirmation - to eliminate confusion 🙂

By having your daughter Baptized in the Catholic Church, you made promises on her behalf, and you bound her to be a Catholic. She will be a Catholic for her entire life because of what you did that day. She may (pray God she does not) want to stop practicing her Faith at some point, she could even go join another religion. Her soul will still be marked for all eternity as a Christian, as part of the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.
 
Once a person receives the Sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic Church… they ARE a Catholic, yes. The word “practicing” simply means, that they participate in the Mass and Sacraments. So… in a way, you are BOTH correct.

This kind of reminds me of how some people will say… “I used to be Catholic.” I know it’s not quite the same thing, but it’s related to the topic.

If they have the misfortune to make this statement to me… :o I always correct them… and say… “You are STILL a Catholic. Just because you aren’t practicing the faith… doesn’t erase the mark of Christ that your soul received at Baptism.” I usually receive a blank stare as the reply. :rolleyes:

I’m not ridiculing people who think this way. But there are some, who don’t seem to understand… that “ONCE a Catholic. ALWAYS a Catholic”.

Hope this helps. God bless.
 
no one has a response to my thing about baptism being the same in any church that recognizes the Trinity, thus baptism does induct you into the family of God, wipes away original sin, and births you to a new life but does not make you a practicing Catholic (i.e. attempting to be Catholic)?

The CC believes baptism in a baptist, methodist, presbyterian, lutheran, etc. is a valid baptism, are these people not Catholic then even though they would never participate in the Sacraments of the Church or definitely would not call themselves Catholic?
 
cascherman said:
no one has a response to my thing about baptism being the same in any church that recognizes the Trinity, thus baptism does induct you into the family of God, wipes away original sin, and births you to a new life but does not make you a practicing Catholic (i.e. attempting to be Catholic)?

The CC believes baptism in a baptist, methodist, presbyterian, lutheran, etc. is a valid baptism, are these people not Catholic then even though they would never participate in the Sacraments of the Church or definitely would not call themselves Catholic?
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Here are a couple of quotes from the Catechism that might help. I put the part of the baptism in other churches first, since you asked about it.

"The sacramental bond of the unity of Christians
1271 Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church: **"For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. **Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church."80 "Baptism therefore constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn.“81
An indelible spiritual mark . . .”

Other part of the Catechism addressing being Catholic:

"Incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ
1267 Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore . . . we are members one of another."71 Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."72
1268 The baptized have become “living stones” to be "built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood."73 By Baptism they share in the priesthood of Christ, in his prophetic and royal mission. They are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that [they] may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called [them] out of darkness into his marvelous light.“74 Baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers.
1269 Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us.75 From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to “obey and submit” to the Church’s leaders,76 holding them in respect and affection.77 Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church.78
1270 “Reborn as sons of God, [the baptized] must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church” and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God.79”

I too would say your daughter is a good Catholic. She is part of the Catholic Church, and has a beautiful clean soul.
 
lifeisbeautiful said:
Here are a couple of quotes from the Catechism that might help. I put the part of the baptism in other churches first, since you asked about it.

"The sacramental bond of the unity of Christians
1271 Baptism constitutes the foundation of communion among all Christians, including those who are not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church: **"For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. **Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church."80 "Baptism therefore constitutes the sacramental bond of unity existing among all who through it are reborn.“81
An indelible spiritual mark . . .”

Other part of the Catechism addressing being Catholic:

"Incorporated into the Church, the Body of Christ
1267 Baptism makes us members of the Body of Christ: "Therefore . . . we are members one of another."71 Baptism incorporates us into the Church. From the baptismal fonts is born the one People of God of the New Covenant, which transcends all the natural or human limits of nations, cultures, races, and sexes: "For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body."72
1268 The baptized have become “living stones” to be "built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood."73 By Baptism they share in the priesthood of Christ, in his prophetic and royal mission. They are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that [they] may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called [them] out of darkness into his marvelous light.“74 Baptism gives a share in the common priesthood of all believers.
1269 Having become a member of the Church, the person baptized belongs no longer to himself, but to him who died and rose for us.75 From now on, he is called to be subject to others, to serve them in the communion of the Church, and to “obey and submit” to the Church’s leaders,76 holding them in respect and affection.77 Just as Baptism is the source of responsibilities and duties, the baptized person also enjoys rights within the Church: to receive the sacraments, to be nourished with the Word of God and to be sustained by the other spiritual helps of the Church.78
1270 “Reborn as sons of God, [the baptized] must profess before men the faith they have received from God through the Church” and participate in the apostolic and missionary activity of the People of God.79”

I too would say your daughter is a good Catholic. She is part of the Catholic Church, and has a beautiful clean soul.
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Thank you for a great answer. Just what I was looking for. I must follow the truth wherever it leads me even if I have to be humbled in doing so.
 
But, we must come to the conclusion though that every baptized christian is a Catholic, and a good one, whether they say they are or not. Especially due to the fact that every Catholic isn’t TRULY Catholic in it’s fullness.
 
cascherman said:
But, we must come to the conclusion though that every baptized christian is a Catholic, and a good one, whether they say they are or not. Especially due to the fact that every Catholic isn’t TRULY Catholic in it’s fullness.
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The Baptism must be proper, valid in form, matter and intent.

To say “a Catholic, and a good one” is not what the Church teaches. The term is “imperfect communion.”

Those Catholics who make public profession of Faith, have not separated themselves from the Church by mortal sin, those are in perfect communion.

Re read that CCC section:

**“For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. **Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.”
 
kage_ar said:
The Baptism must be proper, valid in form, matter and intent.

To say “a Catholic, and a good one” is not what the Church teaches. The term is “imperfect communion.”

Those Catholics who make public profession of Faith, have not separated themselves from the Church by mortal sin, those are in perfect communion.

Re read that CCC section:

**“For men who believe in Christ and have been properly baptized are put in some, though imperfect, communion with the Catholic Church. **Justified by faith in Baptism, [they] are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.”
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Okay, what is the difference between a baptized baby who is being raised in a protestant home and a baptized baby who is being raised in a Catholic home. Both babies have no knowledge of God or of faith, but both are baptized, are they both at an equal place in their religious lives (i.e. one no more ‘Catholic’ then the other)?
 
cascherman said:
Okay, what is the difference between a baptized baby who is being raised in a protestant home and a baptized baby who is being raised in a Catholic home. Both babies have no knowledge of God or of faith, but both are baptized, are they both at an equal place in their religious lives (i.e. one no more ‘Catholic’ then the other)?
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The non-Catholic validly baptized baby has been baptized into imperfect communion with the Church, the Catholic baby is baptized into communion with the Church. Both are free from original sin, and will remain so until they reach the age of reason.

Baptized babies do have faith, it is just not mature. Faith is a gift that is given by God to a person at baptism, back to the CCC:

**1124 **The Church’s faith precedes the faith of the believer who is invited to adhere to it.

**1253 **Baptism is the sacrament of faith. But faith needs the community of believers. It is only within the faith of the Church that each of the faithful can believe. The faith required for Baptism is not a perfect and mature faith, but a beginning that is called to develop. The catechumen or the godparent is asked: “What do you ask of God’s Church?” The response is: “Faith!”

[1254](javascript:openWindow(‘cr/1254.htm’)😉 For all the baptized, children or adults, faith must grow *after *Baptism. For this reason the Church celebrates each year at the Easter Vigil the renewal of baptismal promises. Preparation for Baptism leads only to the threshold of new life. Baptism is the source of that new life in Christ from which the entire Christian life springs forth.
 
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