Why isn't confirmation harder?

[Graceejou]

Well, it should not be like that. RCIA should be about giving the person enough knowledge about the Catholic faith in order for them to be able to make an informed decision about becoming a Catholic.

Then whoever is doing your RCIA is either placing the wrong emphasis on its purpose, or you are misinterpreting it. That seems to be looking at RCIA upside down. RCIA is there to assist your discernment, not as a test by the parish/diocese to decide upon your ‘worthiness’.

This is not correct.

You do not have to prove yourself worthy, or pass a test in catechesis, to join the Church. It is advisable, however to have a basic understanding of what the Catholic Church teaches, in order to make an informed decision. What about someone with learning difficulties who wants to become a Catholic? Do we shut the door on them because they cannot demonstrate a sufficient intellectual grasp of Church catechesis? Of course not.

I agree with you. For myself, I am very knowledgeable about Christianity and I know quite a bit about Judaism, Mormonism and Islam. I 've had a lifetime of being trained and taught and actually living it myself (Christianity). So I do understand what many of my classmates don’t. There is only one other in our class who is at the same level as I am.

I have self taught myself the CCC by reading it, studying it and even doing a home course on my own through a university in the Chicagoland area. I know for a fact that OG (other girl) and I could teach an RCIA or RCIC class if the instructor couldn’t make it. We are both more than ready, have had our period of discernment and understand what we are choosing to do.

But those rules… so we wait and sit through classes for 3 more months. Maybe this is the “learning patience” part

 

[Phemie]

I assure you, these are all true. I am not lying or have any reason to lie. These are all true in my experience right now in 2014 RCIA. For me and my classmates anyway. The situations I am describing are exactly what I’ve been told and by more than one priest and deacon, that’s where the information is coming from.

• Rules of Reception into the church :
• No sacraments, no way. Not until you are confirmed or baptized and confirmed which happens at only Easter. The only exception is confession, which they will let us do a few days before confirmation but not on any set date. This is one thing I really don’t understand, seems like if we are baptized already* and *we’ve gone through the Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Election and are availed a Catholic funeral, we should be able to go to confession if we are baptized.
• There is no exception to being received into the church without completing RCIA. I have asked about this because of some personal health concerns that will cause me to miss several classes in a row, if I could be received earlier. But the answer is that everyone must complete RCIA and be received at Easter:-(

So while these might not be canon law, it’s true for me and my classmates right now in the U. S. I don’t have any reason to lie about it.

• You can’t receive any sacrament until you are Catholic, that is true.
• The exception is Confession before your Confirmation if you are being received into full communion.
• If you’re already baptized, you don’t become a Catholic until you make your Profession of Faith. Confirmation will normally happen a few minutes later so it’s often said that Confirmation makes you Catholic. In fact, your Profession of Faith does and Confirmation might be delayed for weeks after that. It depends on the practice of the parish and the diocese.

How you prepare for that varies by diocese and often by parish. If you have a lot of people preparing and few catechists, you’re pretty much expected to do the ‘class’ thing and go along with the crowd. If there is only one or two, you might get private instruction. It all depends on the parish’s resources.

Some parishes will do Reception into Full Communion separate from the Vigil, because the focus of the Vigil is really Baptism. Others do them all together and that’s allowed by the Rite.

The Rite itself calls for leeway for those previously baptized and says that more shouldn’t be imposed upon them than is necessary. In theory that means that 5 different people in the process could be ready for reception at 5 different times and shouldn’t have to wait longer than necessary. In practice, that rarely happens again because of parish resources. So you might have 2 separate Rites of Reception into Full Communion in one year or, as seems to be the case in your parish, everyone comes into the Church at the Vigil. Not the ideal, certainly, but not against Church rules either.

 

[1ke]

I assure you, these are all true. I am not lying or have any reason to lie.

I was not implying that you were lieing, merely that you were misinformed. Your statements were presented as factual and universal. This is not universal, so shouldn’t be stated as an absolute.

I am very sorry if this is your experience, because that goes against everything RCIA is supposed to be about. It is quite unfortunate, and I would contact someone in the diocese about it were it me. But I also understand that as a new Catholics you are probably just wanting to get to the end of it all and move on.

However, i think it important to make sure it is clear to anyone reading this thread, that this is not a universal experience nor is it in any way a requirement or established by law in the Church.

 

[TRH1292]

I assure you, these are all true. I am not lying or have any reason to lie. These are all true in my experience right now in 2014 RCIA. For me and my classmates anyway. The situations I am describing are exactly what I’ve been told and by more than one priest and deacon, that’s where the information is coming from.
Rules of Reception into the church :

• No sacraments, no way. Not until you are confirmed or baptized and confirmed which happens at only Easter. The only exception is confession, which they will let us do a few days before confirmation but not on any set date. This is one thing I really don’t understand, seems like if we are baptized already* and *we’ve gone through the Rite of Acceptance and Rite of Election and are availed a Catholic funeral, we should be able to go to confession if we are baptized.
• **There is no exception to being received into the church without completing RCIA. I have asked about this because of some personal health concerns that will cause me to miss several classes in a row, if I could be received earlier. But the answer is that everyone must complete RCIA and be received at Easter:-( **

So while these might not be canon law, it’s true for me and my classmates right now in the U. S. I don’t have any reason to lie about it.

Yikes. That sounds a little kookey. I didn’t even go to RCIA at all and I was received into the Church and confirmed in October…I understand however, that confirmations can be difficult. But it sounds like you are going through a very strange and hard cross.

 

[alexandratm]

It’s not just Grace. RCIA is similarly set up at my church. We’ve chatted about it some on the RCIA thread, how it seems more like procedural hoops to jump through than individual discernment.

I know that’s now how it’s supposed to be, but in practice, it seems that is how RCIA is being applied in some places.

 

[Magdalen2013]

I’ll “confirm” Grace and Alexandra’s statements, as a RCIA candidate the situation is the same here. Of the eleven in the RCIA class I’m in, only two are unbaptized.

There’s a wide variance in how much prior knowledge of the Church each member of the class has – I’ve had members of the RCIA team express great delight at how much I already knew, and it does feel like we’re jumping through hoops to get to the Easter Vigil.

That isn’t to say that I haven’t enjoyed the process – the Rite of Welcoming/Acceptance, and the Anointing made me feel wonderful, and many of the sessions answered a lot of my questions.

And I know WHY they’re doing it this way – to emphasize that we’re joining a community, to help us build a prayer life, and to understand fully what we’re consenting to in joining the Church.

Part of it is the deprivation I feel when we’re dismissed from the Mass. I loved the preparation for the Eucharist even if I couldn’t receive.

 

[Phemie]

I’ll “confirm” Grace and Alexandra’s statements, as a RCIA candidate the situation is the same here. Of the eleven in the RCIA class I’m in, only two are unbaptized.

There’s a wide variance in how much prior knowledge of the Church each member of the class has – I’ve had members of the RCIA team express great delight at how much I already knew, and it does feel like we’re jumping through hoops to get to the Easter Vigil.

That isn’t to say that I haven’t enjoyed the process – the Rite of Welcoming/Acceptance, and the Anointing made me feel wonderful, and many of the sessions answered a lot of my questions.

And I know WHY they’re doing it this way – to emphasize that we’re joining a community, to help us build a prayer life, and to understand fully what we’re consenting to in joining the Church.

Part of it is the deprivation I feel when we’re dismissed from the Mass. I loved the preparation for the Eucharist even if I couldn’t receive.

Are you baptized? What anointing would you have received if you are?

It really bothers me that baptized people are dismissed. They’re not supposed to be, as baptized Christians they have a right to be at Mass and they are supposed to be treated differently from the unbaptized.

 

[Magdalen2013]

Yes, I am baptized, and the anointing was part of the Rite of Anointing of Catechumens.

 

[Phemie]

Yes, I am baptized, and the anointing was part of the Rite of Anointing of Catechumens.

I was afraid you were going to say that. You’re not a catechumen and you shouldn’t have been treated as one.

Really! Sometimes I wonder if these people just read the ritual itself without ever reading all the articles that come before in the RCIA ritual book.

 

[Aramis]

Several Roman Rite dioceses have returned confirmation to a younger age, usually 8-10 years - and have first communion follow it in the same liturgy.

Which, ironically, is about the same age it was set for when first delayed by Rome…

 

[JimG]

My confirmation took place when I was an infant, moments after my baptism. The Grace conferred was not wasted - it was nurtured in a faith-filled family. Baptized and sealed by the Holy Spirit from a young age,I have learned to appreciate, love and cling to my faith. A class at age 7 or 10 or 15 cannot accomplish this.

Along with several others who have mentioned it in this thread, I would not at all be opposed to having the Roman Rite return to the practice of having Confirmation and Eucharist immediately follow Baptism, even for infants. These are the Sacraments of Initiation, and Confirmation completes our Baptism. Why wait? But it’s not up to me, of course!

 

[TK421]

Along with several others who have mentioned it in this thread, I would not at all be opposed to having the Roman Rite return to the practice of having Confirmation and Eucharist immediately follow Baptism, even for infants. These are the Sacraments of Initiation, and Confirmation completes our Baptism. Why wait? But it’s not up to me, of course!

Practices on when to administer Confirmation will vary, but what is universal about it is that it is a sacrament which is offensive, whereas baptism is purgative. In baptism you receive cleansing from Original Sin and/or forgiveness for personal sins. Confirmation does not forgive you of anything; it’s a sacrament of strengthening. St Therese described walking towards God as entering into a castle. First there is the moat, with the crocodiles swimming about. This is purgative, because you must not become entangled with the enemy. Once you enter the castle itself, the rest is about strengthening.This doesn’t mean infants can’t receive Confirmation (obviously since it has been and still is done that way) but since its role is offensive, the Church doesn’t consider it imperative that it be that way.

 

[dconklin]

I have always liked this concept - with one exception. As the Asst DRE at a large parish, I would probably be out of a job because most families would not send their kids to Faith Formation.

 

[TK421]

Yeah but that can just be replaced with weekly Sunday School.

Yeah, I know.

 

[adv1sor]

inho, for too many, Confirmation is more of a ceremony than a sacrament.

 

[jmcrae]

That is TERRIBLE.

Actually, it’s the practical reality for many parishes. Many priests simply don’t have the time (and sometimes they lack the inclination) to create personal program plans and give individualized instruction to every person who approaches the Church to become Catholic.

@Phemie: The Rite of Welcome calls for Dismissal for the Candidates, which shows us that Dismissal is appropriate for the Candidates, as well as for the Catechumens.

Ideally they would do so at different Masses; reality is that even if you offer Dismissal at more than one Mass every weekend, you will still have a mixing of the two groups, due to people’s work schedules, family dynamic, and other factors.

But yes, there are different Rites and different ceremonies for each of the three groups.

 

[MorEphrem]

inho, for too many, Confirmation is more of a ceremony than a sacrament.

Indeed. I would suggest the Latin Church return to Chrismation directly following Baptism (the sacrament of perfection by the Holy Spirit after the sacrament that Christ demonstrated, just like at His own Baptism) but, from my experience with Latins, it would deprive the people who only go to church for this social event from the sacraments. At least there’s the tangential possibility that this one experience might bring them back - which is a sad concession to make.

 

[Cojuanco]

Several Roman Rite dioceses have returned confirmation to a younger age, usually 8-10 years - and have first communion follow it in the same liturgy.

Which, ironically, is about the same age it was set for when first delayed by Rome…

That’s what happened to me. First confirmation, followed by First Communion. IIRC the delay to the teenage years seems to be an American phenomenon.

 

[Cojuanco]

Indeed. I would suggest the Latin Church return to Chrismation directly following Baptism (the sacrament of perfection by the Holy Spirit after the sacrament that Christ demonstrated, just like at His own Baptism) but, from my experience with Latins, it would deprive the people who only go to church for this social event from the sacraments. At least there’s the tangential possibility that this one experience might bring them back - which is a sad concession to make.

And unfortunately, some impious persons might say, “He has already got his sacraments, why should we send him to religious education? Why should we, indeed, darken the church doors until we ask the priest for marriage?”

 

[Joannm]

And unfortunately, some impious persons might say, “He has already got his sacraments, why should we send him to religious education? Why should we, indeed, darken the church doors until we ask the priest for marriage?”

We don’t see most of them after Confirmation as it is now. Perhaps we may have less children coming to religious ed, but we can be sure that they will come from families who are serious about their faith. There is a crisis in catechesis right now. The children are not learning much, the catechists themselves don’t know much, and many people see the sacraments as a commodity and religious ed as a hoop they have to jump through.