When to enter RCIA

[marinadelayne]

Hello! I apologize if this is not the proper location for this thread; I’m new here and was unsure of where to post.

First a little background info about my situation. I grew up in nondenominational charismatic churches. I never had any supernatural “encounters” with God like those sought in such circles. After the unexpected death of my younger brother when I was in high school, I became agnostic. Several years have now passed, and through a rather strange series of events, I have begun to regain my Christian faith and am now considering becoming Catholic.

In the past few months, I have read close to 20 books on various aspects of Catholicism. Most recently, I have begun working through the writings of the church fathers chronologically and reading through the New Testament with an intentionally Catholic perspective. At this point, I am certain that I no longer believe in sola scriptura, and I believe that I am close to fully accepting that the Roman Catholic Church is the authoritative body that has been trusted with the deposit of faith. I still haven’t fully grasped Catholic soteriology, but most of what I understand and have researched has made sense to me. As such, I believe I am on the path to rejecting sola fide.

Here’s my dilemma. RCIA begins at the parish near my college in September. I don’t believe that I will have made an official decision as to whether I want to join the Church by the time RCIA begins. Is it foolish to enter RCIA while you are still in the process of deciding whether you would like to join the Church?

There is one other factor that increases my uncertainty about entering RCIA. I am currently attending a very small, very Protestant college. There is one Catholic at the school who converted during his first year, but he is the only vocal Catholic on campus. If other students discover that I have entered RCIA, I will likely be put in a position where I am called upon to defend the faith very early on. While I would not be ashamed to do so, I am afraid that this may prove difficult, since I still have not officially decided that I am going to be converting.

Does anyone have advice on whether I should go ahead and enter RCIA or wait until next year?

 

[adamhovey1988]

Talk to the priest. I entered RCIA January 2009 and came into the Church May 2009 (I had a little more private instruction than the other new Catholics)

 

[Horton]

You have up to the Easter Vigil to make a final decision. You can start RCIA without a commitment to join. You may change your mind at any time.

Check with the parish you plan to attend RCIA and talk to the RCIA program head or the priest.

 

[PaulfromIowa]

Yes, try the RCIA program for a while, at least. You don’t have to make a decision for some time. You don’t have to tell others that you are in RCIA if you choose not to.

 

[joeybaggz]

You have up to the Easter Vigil to make a final decision. You can start RCIA without a commitment to join. You may change your mind at any time.

Check with the parish you plan to attend RCIA and talk to the RCIA program head or the priest.

Jesus instituted the Church on Peter. The Church is the vehicle through which God the Father together with the Son and the Holy Spirit make themselves present to us through the sacraments of the church. God is truly present in our initiation, our journey, and all the events of our lives. He is not contained in merely a book.

If this is what you seek, join RCIA now and discern if the RCC is the truth. Horton’s admonition is spot on, you don’t have to commit or join, and in any case, if you discern the truth as it applies to your situation and choose not to join, you will always be a friend and welcome at any time.

Good luck, Shalom.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

RCIA generally starts with a period called “Inquiry.” The whole point of this first stage is to give people a chance to ask questions and discern whether they want to continue. All of RCIA, actually, is a time of discernment. You’re learning about Catholic beliefs and teachings, praying, deepening your relationship with God, becoming part of the community, and determining if this is the best path for you to take. While the commitment tends to get stronger as time goes on, there’s nothing to stop you from quitting or postponing moving forward up until the time you are received into the Church.

 

[ChadS]

As others have said RCIA begins with what is called a Inquiry. You can go to the sessions as a sort of look and see. Only as you get closer to Easter will you be asked for a formal decision. Even at that time you can say you aren’t ready and still attend RCIA classes. I’ve heard of people going to RCIA 2 and 3 times before taking the final plunge.

The other students at your college don’t need to be made aware of your conversion process. It’s something that’s between you and God. Even if dealing with Protestants you will find as many different interpretations on various subjects as you will find Protestants. Of course there are some who go to church weekly, others go a few times a month, and then you’ll have others who haven’t been to church in 15 years, yet they are all still good Protestants. So maybe you can tell them they need to get their house in order.

ChadS

 

[jmcrae]

Typically the period of RCIA from September until about the end of November or very early December is intended for people just like you who aren’t sure if they belong in RCIA.

It’s designed to tackle your hardest questions head-on. It will be well worth your while to attend that section of the program, even if you choose not to continue on afterwards.

 

[Usige]

First, welcome to the fora.:tiphat:

It certainly isn’t an issue to join RCIA if you aren’t 100% committed. I was in and out of RCIA in 3 or 4 months, but there were others that had been going for 3 to 4 years and were still undecided. RCIA isn’t about punching the dots at the right time, but rather is about conversion of the heart. For some that is quick and others it can take more time. God works on his own timetable.

The important thing is to be open to what the Church teaches. I went from an atheistic leaning agnostic to being received and confirmed in a few months by saying “God, I place my trust in you. Lead me and I will follow.” One of the important differences I found with Catholicism as opposed to my protestant upbringing is that we don’t believe that conversion is a one and done type deal. Conversion is a daily thing so my 100% from 10 years ago, would only be maybe 30% today. By that I mean that if you place your trust in the Lord he will continue to give you opportunities to say yes to him.

Even if RCIA doesn’t officially start for a couple months you can ask to meet with the priest before then. I have found that many priests and deacons are happy to talk to those that have studied on their own and just need a little boost to get them over the top. I suspect the word soteriology will not come up in RCIA so you are likely further along in your studies than many RCIA instructors and so a priest might be able to better help you in those areas.

I’ll keep you in my prayers as you listen to the call home.

 

[StudentMI]

It’s not foolish to start RCIA while you’re still deciding. That’s part of what will help you decide. And you can still defend a religion even if you ultimately decide not to join. I wouldn’t hesitate.

Yep. Despite what our RCIA instructor said, numerous team members and the Deacon said that RCIA is for inquiry and if you decide at the Easter Vigil to not go through with it that is perfectly fine. The only people who have a problem with it are the instructor and their cronies who decide seating. The Vigil will continue.

 

[janeway529]

As a good priest once said, “You don’t have to make the decision to become Catholic and then join the RCIA. You make the decision to join the RCIA and the Church assists you along that special journey of faith.”

 

[Wesrock]

You do not need to be 100% certain of becoming Catholic before joining RCIA, but generally come spring there will be a Rite of Election and then of course full reception at Easter. If you are not certain by that point, I would not suggest going through the motions of those rites. But the summer and fall elements don’t have such commitments, and part of the purpose of RCIA is education in the faith before joining. It’s an opportunity to explore the faith without committing.

I don’t think your choice of college should influence you if you feel a call to be Catholic. You don’t have to go announcing your conversion in the halls, but Jesus did say he came not to bring peace, but a sword.

 

[Magdalen2013]

Does anyone have advice on whether I should go ahead and enter RCIA or wait until next year?

Yes, go to the RCIA sessions, you will not have to make ANY commitment to the joining the Church, until YOU are ready to do so.

I am a convert, I began meeting with the Sister in charge of RCIA in late Summer 2013 (Feast of St. Mary Magdalene, patroness of converts) and was received into the Church at the Easter Vigil in 2014. At every stage, we were asked if we wished to continue, and there was no pressure to do so.

Come and taste how good the Lord is…Welcome Home.

 

[otjm]

Here’s my dilemma. RCIA begins at the parish near my college in September. I don’t believe that I will have made an official decision as to whether I want to join the Church by the time RCIA begins. Is it foolish to enter RCIA while you are still in the process of deciding whether you would like to join the Church?

As has been said, starting RCIA is not about an official decision; it is “come and see”. A good RCIA program will be able to answer questions you may have (understanding that there may be others in the class, and no individual student likely will dominate all of the time), and hopefully provide further resources if you need them.

There is one other factor that increases my uncertainty about entering RCIA. I am currently attending a very small, very Protestant college. There is one Catholic at the school who converted during his first year, but he is the only vocal Catholic on campus. If other students discover that I have entered RCIA, I will likely be put in a position where I am called upon to defend the faith very early on. While I would not be ashamed to do so, I am afraid that this may prove difficult, since I still have not officially decided that I am going to be converting.

I will make a suggestion which my mother taught me (often by example!) when confronted by someone who wanted to “pick a fight” or convince her she was wrong about something - or someone just being plain nosy.

She would just say “Oh.”

It is a perfect response, as it leaves the other individual nowhere to go. Many Protestants are of good will, and will not get “in your face”; however, there are some who will be argumentative, or who intend to belittle you. You are a neophyte in this, and it takes time to not only learn, but also inculcate various aspects of the faith. The faith has been around for 2,000 years, and it is perfectly fine if you don’t feel ready to be drawn into defending it.

If someone truly is interested (meaning that they have at least a minimal amount of open mindedness) and is curious, by all means share with them your journey. But if someone simply wants to debate you, the likelihood they will change their mind is somewhere below zero. For those, “oh” is a perfect response; if they pursue it further, a simple “I have no intention of debating with you” should suffice.

 

[poche]

Talk to the priest and if anyone hassles you about religion you are not required to get into any arguments with him or anybody.

 

[ChadS]

I will make a suggestion which my mother taught me (often by example!) when confronted by someone who wanted to “pick a fight” or convince her she was wrong about something - or someone just being plain nosy.

She would just say “Oh.”

It is a perfect response, as it leaves the other individual nowhere to go. Many Protestants are of good will, and will not get “in your face”; however, there are some who will be argumentative, or who intend to belittle you. You are a neophyte in this, and it takes time to not only learn, but also inculcate various aspects of the faith. The faith has been around for 2,000 years, and it is perfectly fine if you don’t feel ready to be drawn into defending it.

If someone truly is interested (meaning that they have at least a minimal amount of open mindedness) and is curious, by all means share with them your journey. But if someone simply wants to debate you, the likelihood they will change their mind is somewhere below zero. For those, “oh” is a perfect response; if they pursue it further, a simple “I have no intention of debating with you” should suffice.

Just to add another comment very few of us are in any position to effectively refute each and every objection a Protestant will attempt to throw at us. That’s not to say that they can’t. Usually most of the objections follow a standard script, but occasionally something will come from way out in left field that leaves you saying “huh” or “I never heard that before,” which of course means you just conceded the entire argument. In many instances nothing you say will immediately change their mind.

I’ve seen videos and read transcripts of professional apologists arguing with Protestant scholars where the whole argument turns on the meaning of a Greek or Hebrew verb or references to Medieval councils and what they did or didn’t say goes on seemingly forever. So if these people at these levels are still arguing about it don’t feel bad if you feel you can’t quite exactly find the right words or know the theology well enough to defend everything. We’re all in the same boat, I suspect.

ChadS

 

[otjm]

Just to add another comment very few of us are in any position to effectively refute each and every objection a Protestant will attempt to throw at us. That’s not to say that they can’t. Usually most of the objections follow a standard script, but occasionally something will come from way out in left field that leaves you saying “huh” or “I never heard that before,” which of course means you just conceded the entire argument. In many instances nothing you say will immediately change their mind.

I’ve seen videos and read transcripts of professional apologists arguing with Protestant scholars where the whole argument turns on the meaning of a Greek or Hebrew verb or references to Medieval councils and what they did or didn’t say goes on seemingly forever. So if these people at these levels are still arguing about it don’t feel bad if you feel you can’t quite exactly find the right words or know the theology well enough to defend everything. We’re all in the same boat, I suspect.

ChadS

And then there is Mark Twain’s admonition: “Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.”