RCIA question...

eem731

My husband is Catholic and I was raised non-denominational Protestant (if anything at all).  We were married in a Catholic church and we attend a Catholic church most Sundays.  I am undecided about whether I would like to become Catholic but I know that RCIA classes are out there for people who want to know more.  I'm wondering if some of you might consider sharing your experiences with me about how the classes are.  Is it okay if I don't agree with everything?  Can you miss a class?  Were there people in your class who were there just to learn and no necessarily convert?Any insight would be greatly appreciated.Thanks!

Vans18

I am catholic and FI is non-catholic. When I had to attend the RCIA classes, the priest told Fi that if he'd like he can go ahead and go with me. So that he can know what I am learning and learn more about my faith. The classes were held once a week for 6 months, and maybe with about 15 classmates. The class basically goes over the Catholic Faith, prayers, expectations, beliefs, biblical stories and much much more. The class was given by the Churches Deacon and wife. They were very helpful and did not try to convert any of the ones who were non-catholic. I really miss those classes, for not only did they were there to preach about Catholic Faith, but they also help you figure out who you are and what you can do to do give a good example in your Catholic Community. I really had a life changing experience in that class. Missing a few days were exceptable, like if you called in sick or work hours related issues.GL and wish you the best. I think it would be great for your husband to attend with you. You will learn a lot.

sweetbutterfly509

I took the RCIA class less then a year ago. I was in the class with only a handful of people at first and then others dropped out and it ended up being on;y two of us. In the end I was the only one who converted because the other guy who finished the class still had more questions and felt that he was not ready to become Catholic. The classes are great because you learn a lot about what the church believes and why. So even if you do not convert it will help to give you a better understanding of your fiance's beliefs. You don't have to believe everything to become Catholic. I know i struggled with somethings and I still do. But what my priest told me and what i believe is that if you do convert and you do not believe everything its important not to speak out against those things. Because you don't want to mislead someone in to believing that its ok to be lets say pro-choice and Catholic. Even if that is what you believe you must put faith in the church that it knows what is right and wrong. I hope i have explained that well enough. Also you can miss a class if you need to. I hope that helps! God Bless

Jay&Marissa

I have not been through RCIA, but if you want to learn more about the Catholic faith I highly recommend any books by Scott Hahn. He explains Catholics beliefs beautifully in a very easy-to-read way

PolarBearFans

I went through RCIA to join the church and my fiance joined me even though he was raised catholic. There was really no pressure to join the church, it was just presented as a way to learn more about the faith, and even my fiance was able to get something out of the class. You are not forced to discuss anything unless you want to talk. I missed a class here and there, but it generally is not a good idea since every class is a different topic. I would say if you don't agree with most things, you definately should not join at the end, but i think if you go to learn and don't disrupt the journey for others it will be a great experience. There is a book my fiance gave me that i found helpful, I believe it is called "This is Our Faith" by Pennock. Even though my family is catholic, i didn't go to church once i was old enough to say no, and I didn't join anything. I went through the class to learn more, and made no promises to my fiance that I would join, but in the end I wanted to and I want to raise our kids catholic too. I don't know if it was the norm, but i was part of a very large class because most of the people going through the class also brought their sponsers every week, and some weeks members of the church would come to sit in and offer discussion. There were many people from different religious backgrounds, so there were some good discussions. We were provided dinner at every class, there was a speaker for whatever topic we were on, and a bible reading. On Sundays, we would discuss the readings and the homily. A couple people dropped out of class, it just wasnt for them.

smallen15

I just completed RCIA on April 11, 2009. My mom, sister and I all went through together. My sister and I recieved all 3 sacraments at the Easter Vigil because we weren't baptized. We had a really large class of about 25-30 candidates/catechumans, and it was a mixture of young adults (early 20s-early 30s) and also some middle-aged people as well. Having grown up in a really large Catholic community I kind of had some ideas of the Catholic Church but never attended a church regularly growing up and I found the entire experience to be wonderful. The classes I took started in September 08 then we completed in May 09, then we have classes for the next year when we meet every monthf or Mystogia. We were allowed to miss classes, they understand if you have prior commitments, my sister gave birth to her second child the second week of classes. She had to make up a few sessions with her sponsor because they were about the Eucharist and important topics. We had 1 couple that began the class with us and dropped out, but he was a cradle Catholic and she was born and raised Baptist, and said at the beginning of the class she had no intentions on converting, but was taking the classes to learn more about her soon-to-be husbands religion so when they had children she had an idea. I just got engaged in July and I am getting married in June 2010 and we just started meeting with the priest and talking about Pre Canae, I'm happy I am a Catholic now before our wedding so I can have a full Catholic Wedding Mass, which I know is very important to my Fiance's family. If you have any other questions feel free to contact me I'm more than happy to answer.

rdixon2005

I went through RCIA in 2007. Most of the people in the class were in their 20's or 30's. I was baptized catholic but never went to church when I was young. I loved my RCIA class, I learned so much about the Catholic faith that I didn't know, and had a lot of rumors dispelled for me.  That being said the i was never once pushed into completing RCIA. I was always asked where I stood and if I was ready. The one thing about my church is that the entire process is a spiritual journey and each person will get the something different from it. One of the sponsors in my class went through RCIA and she said that when you first attended the classes it was to find out why her friend (a former baptist) would ever want to convert to Catholisism, and told them that when she started the classes. The missing a class thing I think is flexible ( I was in school at that time and had to show up an hour late every class), but make sure that you clear it with the RCIA leader. There is a ton of information to cover and you may be a little lost if you don't get the material from the previous class. My FI and I a regularly sponsors for RCIA now and I think that each time we go through the course I learn more and more about my faith.

picksthemusic

I went through RCIA since last October, and was accepted into the church at Easter Vigil. I had been Lutheran for 25 years, but hadn't felt much of a pull to it in the last few years. Once FI introduced me to Catholicism, it was a great opportunity for me to learn about a religion I'd always been curious about. I emailed the church, and was told to sign up for RCIA. I went to the classes (which I did miss some, since life is life), and I was able to learn about the religion as a whole, ask all the questions I'd always wondered about, and learned more than I thought possible. I'm still learning, but am so happy I made the decision I did. I'm feeling closer to God now than I have in a long time, and I think it was a great experience. I definitely recommend going to the classes to at least learn. You're not required to attend every single class (though I'm sure it helps), and there are people of all walks of faith there, with lots of different backgrounds, and everyone has something to add. I've made some lifelong friends there, and wouldn't trade it for anything. It also brought FI and I closer together, since he'd never been confirmed, so we got confirmed together at Easter Vigil, so that was very special. Give it a shot!

lap256

I know I'm late to the game, but I hated RCIA. It really turned me off to catholicism for a while. The parish and I were a poor fit. I went to a different parish for one of the rites because I had to miss it at my home parish, and I had an *amazing* experience. i really wish I had done RCIA there; I think the negative experience I had would have been very positive if I  had gone to a church that suited me better. So certainly shop around! Talk to the RCIA leaders, and choose the church that fits you best, don't just go to a church because it's around the corner!

Zooloo

I went through RCIA several years ago, and it was one of the best experiences of my life. I'm not sure what you mean by having to 'agree with everything'. In my experience, I attended mass and was dismissed at Eucharist. A group of us met in the rectory and just broke down the readings and discussed the homily. There's really nothing to agree or disagree with, per se. It's just about learning how the mass has application in your own life and situation. I always asked a ton of questions - like why do Catholics pray to the deceased, for example - and received very knowledgeable responses and was encouraged to research, explore and draw my own conclusions. Of course you can miss sessions, or at least we could. It is a minimum year-long journey, so it's expected you're not going to be there every time, but it's best to be there as much as possible. RCIA is not really for the curious. It is an intense preparation for taking your sacraments and making a commitment to the Catholic faith. You shouldn't start RCIA until you are sure you want to convert.

winkingfish55

I can honestly say that RCIA was one of the best things I've ever done in my life. Our parish is known for having a fantastic RCIA program (it's a college-town liberal parish, which fits me and my Jesuit-educated FI well). There were about 60-80 people in the beginning, and maybe 10 who dropped out. Every week there was a presentation on a topic (a sacrament, organization of the church, how to interpret the "Our Father") followed by a hour-long discussion in our small groups. The small group were more for us to talk about and question church principles than for them to indoctrinate us. I really gained an appreciation for the thought that goes into church teaching formation, and I have to admit that while I didn't anticipate being able to believe some of the more "out-there" ideas at first (grew up in a hardcore atheist/agnostic family), allowing us to talk about and arrive at conclusions together really strengthened my faith and admiration for the Church. Now I am pretty much in line with a lot of church teachings, which I never expected. Plus, FI (who came along for moral support) and I would spend the hour or so afterward talking and learning about each other's beliefs and just generally growing together in faith. I was finishing up my senior year of college taking some hard classes. At first I thought I would miss a lot of RCIA because of school but I found myself carving out the time and rearranging my week around Thursday nights. The weeks I didn't go I really felt like I'd missed out. Over the Christmas break, RCIA did not run but I decided to go to the Sunday mass at a church by my parents' house. I ended up at the mass where they did the Breaking Open the Word, so I followed the group out, introduced myself to the group of three people, and sat in. That was very much a "listen to what we have to teach you" with a Vatican I God-will-punish-you flair. Was not a fan and did not go back, though it did make me feel lucky to have larger, more vibrant BOW discussions back at our parish. The Easter Vigil was a beautiful and emotional ceremony. FI and I got engaged during the RCIA process and will be married at our parish, and even though it wasn't my college town or my hometown, every time I walk into that church I can feel burdens melting away and I feel so at home. My sponsor and I are close and she's doing a reading at our wedding. This year I'm going to be a sponsor. So excited, especially since a lot of my RCIA friends are going to help out, too. For me, RCIA was best. decision. ever.