Why does the Church make joining it so difficult?

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mrspjm said:
Without knowing me or my situation, which I will not put in this forum as it’s no one’s business, you are in no position to comment on what is - or is not - important to me, are you?

And yes, I know that it was not really the Eucharist, but since I am not allowed the Eucharist, it was better than nothing.
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I believe a couple folks have said this, however: you need to talk to your Parish priest or the RCIA director. Everyone has the same goal, you simply need to solve whatever the problem is.

IMO, it was not “better than nothing.” Here’s the deal: what you get spiritually from Christ in the Mass as far as you can participate, is hugely important, transforming and very real. . You can ask Him to bring Himself to you in Spirit, every time. You are in exactly the situation God wants for you to be able to benefit the most, I believe. There is a great spiritual benefit in that kind of surrender, obedience and humility.
 
I feel the frustration of the OP, indeed I too have come back home after a long and winding tour thru Protestant land. It’s easy joining any Protestant Church! I like that there is more discipline involved in becoming Catholic. It takes real commitment, not just lip service. Yet if your committed it’s not really that hard, yes harder then joining the Assembles of God but still very doable if you want it!

I can’t tell you how grateful I am to my dearly departed aunt, bless her soul, who dragged me to Church every Sunday when I was a young child. Even though I eventually drifted off and began my long journey thru just about every denomination out there, I still remembered the excitement, joy and mystery the Catholic and Orthodox Church brought to me as a child. 40 years later I find I still hungered for God and felt no leaning to go back to any of the Protestant Churches again. I found myself back where I began! But now I too had to start over and I have no quarrel with that! I am just grateful the Church will take me back!

Thank God for the Catholic Church (and my dear aunt too)!
 
To all you “Catholics” condemning the OP: Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.

And to the OP: Talk to your local priest, he would be more than happy to do some one on one instruction with you that fits into your schedule. And if you do know as much as you say you do, the priest will recognize that, and he probably won’t require you to take too much time out of your schedule for classes. Although he might ask you to wait until Easter to be confirmed.

God Bless and welcome home!
 
mrspjm said:
I feel very strongly called to enter the Church at 54. I was raised as a Protestant (Baptist), was baptised as an early teenager. I drifted away over the years. I have done a lot of studying and have not found anything about the faith that I cannot fully embrace. I know a lot of people who are members of the Church who actually know less about their faith than I have learned from my study and reading. And I know Catholics who do not even believe in transubstantiation or the Real Presence or go to confession but still receive Communion. It is very painful for me to attend Mass and be required to deny myself the Eucharist because I am not “technically” Catholic.

I do not understand why the Church makes it so difficult for people to enter it. Today I attended an Episcopal Church a half hour drive away from my home because they have an “all are welcome” policy regarding Communion, and I felt a desperate need to receive it. But I do not understand why it is necessary for it to be this way!! My current schedule makes the RCIA impossible.

Prayers and any suggestions would be very much appreciated…thank you and God bless you.
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It is indeed hard to wait. Once you feel called, you yearn to receive Christ himself in the flesh and sometimes the yearning is unbearable.Also, the more you are denied something, the more you want it.

I would definitely talk to your priest. When I was getting destructions, I missed a couple of sessions, such as druing the recent hurricane. My priest suggested doing a couple of classes over the phone. Some folks are very flexible.

In the meanwhile, it might be helpful to do as At Trent suggested and remember the cross our Lord had to bear, not to mention the early Christians. Seen from that perspective, it is not much to bear.
 
My work schedule was insane, so I took private instruction, one-on-one with a priest. When I’d get my schedule, I’d call him to arrange a time for us to meet. One time, we met in a park. I brought coffee and cookies, and it was one of our best sessions. God bless you, Father W. As others have suggested—talk to the priest.

Please, don’t give up!
 
Have you talked w/the parish priest or the RCIA director about your circumstances or are you just assuming that they will be inflexible?
 
Hm! I’ve been under the impression that it’s easy to be part of the Catholic Church. Just be baptized as a baby and you’re in. I know a woman who was baptized and confirmed Catholic, married a Protestant and became Protestant, but a priest told her that she wasn’t married in the eyes of Christ because she was still a Catholic (by baptism) and had to be married in the Catholic Church! Struck me as strange.
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Catholicism counts millions and millions of Catholics who don't attend mass, don't believe in central doctrines of the church, and/or don't contribute to the church, yet are counted. In Italy, or example, the church lists 97% of the population as Catholic when perhaps 10% attend mass faithfully. In Brazil, 90% though I've read that more Protestants are at church there on a normal weekend than Catholics. Ditto elsewhere in the world. Here in this area (northeast) perhaps 25% of Catholics, even less, attend Mass faithfully. Already, there are roughly 30,000,000 ex-Catholics in the USA. I wonder how many of these are counted.

 As for the Eucharist, I suspect that Christ is present in Episcopal churches as well as other non-Catholic churches. Didn't he promise that he would be "with you always, even until the end of the age"? I know that this sounds like heresy, but I believe that it is good, ecumenical, respectful and basic Christianity.

 God bless Catholics, Protestants and all of his children, of every creed, color, culture and country. It's time that religion builds bridges rather than barriers.
 
Roy5 said:
Hm! I’ve been under the impression that it’s easy to be part of the Catholic Church. Just be baptized as a baby and you’re in. I know a woman who was baptized and confirmed Catholic, married a Protestant and became Protestant, but a priest told her that she wasn’t married in the eyes of Christ because she was still a Catholic (by baptism) and had to be married in the Catholic Church! Struck me as strange.
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Catholicism counts millions and millions of Catholics who don't attend mass, don't believe in central doctrines of the church, and/or don't contribute to the church, yet are counted. In Italy, or example, the church lists 97% of the population as Catholic when perhaps 10% attend mass faithfully. In Brazil, 90% though I've read that more Protestants are at church there on a normal weekend than Catholics. Ditto elsewhere in the world. Here in this area (northeast) perhaps 25% of Catholics, even less, attend Mass faithfully. Already, there are roughly 30,000,000 ex-Catholics in the USA. I wonder how many of these are counted.

 As for the Eucharist, I suspect that Christ is present in Episcopal churches as well as other non-Catholic churches. Didn't he promise that he would be "with you always, even until the end of the age"? I know that this sounds like heresy, but I believe that it is good, ecumenical, respectful and basic Christianity.

 God bless Catholics, Protestants and all of his children, of every creed, color, culture and country. It's time that religion builds bridges rather than barriers.
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The OP has expressed interest in the RCC. And you are Proselytizing, albeit indirectly, which is against forum rules. Agenda posting is also taboo.

At any rate, how have you been ? How are things down at the Lodge ? 🙂
 
It’s not ‘difficult’ just long, and for a good reason. You need to know the Catholic faith well before entering, because when you are confirmed, you are promising God you will remain faithful for your entire life. Becoming Catholic is not like a protestant chuch, where you just leave when you don’t enjoy the homilies. Becoming Catholic is a life decision, in that one year that you learn the Catholic faith, you are learning and reflecting on a decision that will impact and change the rest of your life. Becoming Catholic is like marriage, you must be very sure before entering, and you must know what you are getting into.
 
Also you can attend RCIA at any parish, if there is another one that is easier to attend due to your schedule.

I’m confused why someone who thinks they are ready to be received into the Church would attend Anglican services for communion though. That sounds like there is some formation still needed.
 
At some point back in the day (very early church) it was much more difficult. You were vetted or checked out like you joining the CIA.
 
PiousTemplar said:
It’s not ‘difficult’ just long, and for a good reason.
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For those who are already baptized, RCIA needs to be only as long as necessary. Unfortunately, many parishes use a cookie-cutter approach that means that a baptized and well catechized individual will go through the same process as an uncatechized catechumen. The National Statutes for the Catechumenate states:
  1. …Those baptized persons who have lived as Christians and need only instruction in the Catholic tradition and a degree of probation within the Catholic community should not be asked to undergo a full program parallel to the catechumenate.
 
A lot of folks have already said it, but let me reiterate (speaking as the RCIA coordinator for my parish) – we want to make the process as easy as possible, and we honestly try to accommodate everybody’s individual circumstances as best as we can.

Yes, coming into the Church requires a commitment to study and learn, but we’re definitely not trying to throw up roadblocks! If you are truly unable to participate in RCIA, but wish to join the Church, I urge you to call your local parish office and speak to the Pastor (perhaps schedule some time to meet with him in person). He will be able to advise you. Perhaps there are other nearby RCIA programs that can accommodate your schedule better, or perhaps he will be able to work with you and allow for one-on-one study. Every Priest I have worked with absolutely loves welcoming people home to the Church, and will do whatever they can to work with prospective converts.

In the end, it is up to the Pastor to discern your readiness to come into the Church. This may be more or less than the ‘standard’ RCIA program depending on your individual circumstances. Last year in my parish, we welcomed about 8 people into full communion who came through the RCIA program, and another two (one at Easter Vigil, one later in the year) who worked with Father directly because of their individual needs.

God bless you in your faith journey 🙂
 
Praised be Jesus Christ! He is Risen! Allelujah!

I am so blessed, and incredibly humbled. God works everything according to His timing, for His greater glory and our good. I received the Sacrament of Confirmation and the Sacrament of First Holy Communion at Easter Vigil THIS year, 2012. Something I once considered an impossibility.

About a month and a half ago, I followed a still, small voice that told me to call my local diocese and try just one more time, and I did. I spoke to a wonderful woman who was so encouraging and helpful and, basically, said HELP ME! PLEASE! We talked long enough for due diligence and discernment on her part, and she recommended a priest in a small rural parish about 10 minutes from my house that I rarely passed and, quite frankly, had forgotten was there. He and I played phone tag for about five days (turns out he is a very highly regarded teacher of Theology at the local seminary and a sought after lecturer, as well), so we decided I would attend Mass and introduce myself to him afterwards. That first meeting lasted over two hours. He was satisfied that I knew what I was about, so to speak, and was only too happy to help me, and after he verified the validity of my baptism and had a conversation with the bishop’s office to make sure everything was on the up-and-up, my prayers were finally answered, and I received the Sacraments in an atmosphere of total welcoming and love, with the head of the Church Council of the parish as my sponsor as a sign of welcome and support. I am so grateful…

For the record, prior to contacting my priest, I contacted the parish in my village which is just about a mile down the road (I felt an obligation to call there first since it was closest) and spoke to their RCIA instructor. I explained my situation with my schedule and the conversation I had had with the Diocese office, and said instructor kept trying to shove me into the RCIA. When she finally realized that I wasn’t going to let myself be shoved anywhere, she told me that she and her husband just taught the course and that “Father XXX actually runs it, and he has never been receptive to anyone who doesn’t go through the RCIA”. I asked if I could talk to him and was told, and I quote: “You can call the office and ask his secretary to see if he has any time for you” - in other words, you don’t want to do it my way, take a hike. I gave it a day, prayed, and called Fr. Al, and I am so glad I did.

The woman at the diocese that I spoke to, who heads the office of the catechesis, told me when we spoke that one of the biggest obstacles they face with converts is the fact that a lot of parishes do not understand that not everyone needs the RCIA. From what she told me, a good portion of the program is based on the assumption that a person has not been baptized and, as such, is preparation for a sacrament that a lot of people don’t need, as baptism is never repeated if it is from an accepted denomination and validity can be verified. It is her belief, and that of my priest, that the program needs some real tweaking so that people like myself do not fall through the cracks or give up and walk away - for good - like I was very close to doing.

For those of you who are frustrated with the process, don’t give up. If you really need another way, ASK. But ask the right people. Go directly to your Diocese and ask for help. Pray the Rosary daily. And above all, keep your eyes and heart on God and remember that, as I stated earlier, He causes all things to happen according to His timing, for His greater glory and our good.

May God’s love and grace enfold you all.
 
Congratulations!!!

This is great news for all of us. My suggestion is to keep talking to that great priest whenever he has time available. There is a good chance that he will make a good catechist out of you, and we need as many as we can get.
 
The Church just wants to ensure that everyone knows as much as they can about the Faith before they come fully into the Church. I studied the Church doctrines and early Church history for almost 7 years before deciding to try to actually enter the Church. I attended Mass for a little less than a year and a half before I was able to be recieved fully into the Church. The desire for the Eurcharist was VERY strong that entire time as well! It really does get frustrating at times, but it is well worth the wait, and it shows the Church’s real respect for the body and blood of our Lord, They want to make sure, to the extent possible, that no one that has not “discerned the body” recieves our Lord in a sacraligeious manner. They also want to ensure that we don’t accidently eat and drink judgement upon ourselves by partaking without discerning the body or in a sinful state…
 
What happened to the post before mine? I was congratulating someone for becoming member of the Church and then his post disappeared. Am I having hallucinations? :confused:
 
TimothyH said:
If you have embraced the faith and have studied, then you probably know the Church’s position on Episcopalian communion - it is not the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinit of Christ. Only a validly ordained priest of the Holy Catholic Church can confect the Blessed Sacrament. When an Episcopalian priest says the words of institution, nothing happens because they have not recieved valid sacrament of Holy Orders. What you recieved may have been communion, or something else even, and it may have satisfied your desire outwardly, but it was not the Eucharist, and it cannot confer sanctifying grace as does the Eucharist.
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“Episcopal” is an adjective; “Episcopalian” is a noun. Sorry, but I’m a word nerd and this bothers me. 😉
 
mrspjm said:
I feel very strongly called to enter the Church at 54. I was raised as a Protestant (Baptist), was baptised as an early teenager. I drifted away over the years. I have done a lot of studying and have not found anything about the faith that I cannot fully embrace. I know a lot of people who are members of the Church who actually know less about their faith than I have learned from my study and reading. And I know Catholics who do not even believe in transubstantiation or the Real Presence or go to confession but still receive Communion. It is very painful for me to attend Mass and be required to deny myself the Eucharist because I am not “technically” Catholic.

I do not understand why the Church makes it so difficult for people to enter it. Today I attended an Episcopal Church a half hour drive away from my home because they have an “all are welcome” policy regarding Communion, and I felt a desperate need to receive it. But I do not understand why it is necessary for it to be this way!! My current schedule makes the RCIA impossible.

Prayers and any suggestions would be very much appreciated…thank you and God bless you.
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The Church does not make it so difficult for people to enter it. . . people do. She waits faithfully and patiently for you to overcome your own insecurities to receive her fully as she is. . . the fullness of God’s Truth guided and guarded by The Spirit of Truth.

Yes, your right about those who we call “lukewarm” Catholics or better yet, in Scripture, those who have fallen asleep, but that should not stop you from becoming Catholic.

You would be an inspiration as a convert to Catholicism and in fact perhaps even helping Jesus to save souls that are Catholic in “waking” them up. You could even go to your parish priest and ask to speak to the congregation and tell about your conversion story or write a book - a good way to reach out to lots of people.

You mention going to the Episcopal Church because they have an “all are welcome” policy regarding Communion, and you don’t understand why it is necessary for it to be this way.

The reason is because ONLY the CATHOLIC Church has a validated, ordained Priest to turn that ordinary bread and wine into the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus Christ and in order to receive it as it is YOU MUST be received into the Catholic Church through her Sacraments that you receive by the Priest who is the vicar of Christ on earth so you are not really receiving the Real Presence of Jesus at the Episcopalian Church you receive communion.

Good luck in your spiritual journey.
 
Praised be Jesus Christ!

I had already typed out a reply, but I guess I took too long, as it told me I wasn’t signed in and my post disappeared. So I’m trying again, typing faster and saying less…LOL…

I am truly blessed! After almost giving up, I listened to a still, small voice that told me to try one more time, and called my Diocese less than a month before Easter. I had called them before with no luck - it all boils down to who God puts in your path, and when He puts them there. THIS time, I was blessed to speak to the woman in charge of the office that oversees catechesis for the Diocese, and after about a ten-minute conversation, she recommended a priest at a small rural parish about 10 minutes from my house that I hardly ever passed and, quite frankly, had forgotten was there. I called, and the priest and I played phone tag for four or five days before settling on meeting after Mass that Saturday evening. The rest, as they say, is history.

The first time Fr. Al and I met, we talked for well over two hours while he got to know me personally and discerned that I was not acting under duress and had the faith formation to be received into full communion with the Church without the RCIA. He did it so gently, interspersing questions and comments with personal anecdotes to put me at ease. When he told me he would be happy to confirm me, I had to fight back tears. He even secured a sponsor for me, something I had totally forgotten about. Over the remaining time before Easter Vigil, I began my examination of conscience to prepare for my Sacrament of Reconciliation, and Fr. Al and I met again and kept in touch.

I have never been to a more beautiful worship service anywhere than the Easter Vigil. When it came time for Fr. Al’s homily, he began with a reference to vacations in the family car where the kids keep saying “are we there yet?” - a reference that was not lost on me and that brought a smile to both our faces. After my confirmation, the congregation broke into applause spontaneously, as strangers became family and friends.

I wish I had found Fr. Al and St. Jude’s a long time ago. But I know that God works all things in His timing, for His greater glory and our good. I am ever grateful.

As a side note, when I spoke to the woman at the Diocese who helped me, she told me that one of the biggest obstacles they face with converts is the inability or unwillingness on the part of many parishes to realize that everyone is different and that not everyone needs the RCIA. A lot of people give up and walk away and don’t come back. At one parish I spoke to - the last before I called the Diocese - the person in charge kept trying to shove me toward the RCIA. When she realized I wasn’t going to allow myself to be shoved anywhere, she said “well, we just teach the course. Fr. so-and-so runs it, and he has NEVER been receptive to anyone who doesn’t take the RCIA.” When I asked if I could talk to the priest, I was told “well, you can call his secretary and see if you can get an appointment, but I am sure he is probably too busy.” Really? No wonder people get frustrated and give up like I was ready to - until I heard that still, small voice.

peace2u2, I find it interesting that you should mention my experience being an inspiration. I have already had people from the parish come to me and ask my why I did what I did. I have had people at work see something different in me and want to know what has happened to me. I am finding that people don’t understand why, in this day and age with the Church under attack the way it is, anyone would want to become Catholic. And a lot of Catholics have never experienced anyone who is Catholic by choice and not by birth. I had asked my priest to pray and asked him how I might be of service to the people who have been so welcoming and supportive, and he admonished me to “just be myself”. Please pray for me that I can be used by Christ to draw others closer to Him.

To anyone who may stumble upon this post who may be going through the same type of situation as I have, DON’T GIVE UP. God truly does work all things in His timing, for His greater glory and our good. Your time WILL come. Don’t ever let the enemy tell you otherwise. Satan wants nothing more than for you to give up and walk away from Christ and His true Church.

May God’s loving arms and grace enfold you all. It is SO good to FINALLY be HOME.
 
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