Finally going to Mass

Gnarwhal · Oct 9, 2015

I'm sure most of you don't remember this but back when I was married I spent a couple years exploring traditional churches. First Orthodoxy, then Catholicism, then Anglicanism. I liked Orthodoxy but ultimately I felt that I preferred the Latin Rite to the Byzantine Rite. I enjoyed the Continuing Anglican (APCK) parish I visited, but it's so small that there's not much to connect to there. The Episcopal parish I went to was nice, but I still felt drawn to the Catholic Mass.

So my divorce was finalized 18 months ago, and in that time I was unable to attend church until October 2014 when I was finally laid off from my job (and thus no longer working Sundays). I joined my parents at the local Presbyterian church they had been attending for two years after leaving the church my family had gone to all of my life.

Six months ago my parents and I went through the membership courses to become full members/Presbyterians, though in retrospect I believe I made this move more for their sake than mine.

Anyway, long story short - despite the fact that I'm starting to get roped into stuff at the Presbyterian church, I still feel drawn to the Catholic Church. The issues I had previously that were keeping me from going further like the Church's positions on divorce and contraception don't really bother me anymore (although I will likely inquire about an annulment if/when a time comes that I meet someone, but that's God's will).

Anyway, sorry for the long post. I just feel kind of excited to be going to Mass again, it's been two years I believe since I last went. I'm looking forward to it a lot!

I've spoken with some Catholic friends on Reddit and think I may inquire into RCIA, even though it's supposedly a month in. Some of them suggested that the Church may allow me to join late since I'm already pretty well-versed on the core Catholic beliefs. But I leave that up to the priest.

pdudgeon · Oct 9, 2015

go for it! a month late can be caught up on a weekend of study.

~Anastasia~ · Oct 9, 2015

God be with you, dear brother. I know it's been quite a path you've been down. I pray you find what you need, and find peace in Christ.

Gnarwhal · Oct 10, 2015

pdudgeon said:
go for it! a month late can be caught up on a weekend of study.

Cool! I'll probably check into that if I have an opportunity to chat with the priest Sunday. In the past when I've gone to Mass it's been hard to get a moment of face time with him and I haven't wanted to intrude. If nothing else I can e-mail the parish to inquire.

Kylissa said:
God be with you, dear brother. I know it's been quite a path you've been down. I pray you find what you need, and find peace in Christ.

Thanks Kylissa, that means a lot. And I know you understand the arduous journey in processes like these!

~Anastasia~ · Oct 10, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
Thanks Kylissa, that means a lot. And I know you understand the arduous journey in processes like these!

You're more than welcome. And I know at least how much things can be made even more complicated by people in our lives as well. Finding one's way is difficult enough sometimes. You will be in my prayers, though I am encouraged for your sake.

Anhelyna · Oct 10, 2015

Be at peace - make the contact and take it from there . There's no rush - the journey takes as long as it takes

thecolorsblend · Oct 10, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
I've spoken with some Catholic friends on Reddit and think I may inquire into RCIA, even though it's supposedly a month in. Some of them suggested that the Church may allow me to join late since I'm already pretty well-versed on the core Catholic beliefs. But I leave that up to the priest.

I started RCIA, which I eventually had to abandon, and all through the process people were joining in. They were having to get caught up but there was a mechanism for doing so. Remember that "one month" can be a little misleading. It's four meetings. That's nothing. You can knock that out in no time.

As I say though, I had to abandon RCIA because my work schedule changed. There was some drama there but I'll skip it. Eventually I found one of the FSSP parishes near my place. The priest said he was preparing to start a new group to welcome them into the Church at that time. I'm not sure if it's called "RCIA" in the traditional Rite but whatever. It was a small group of maybe five or six people and we were welcomed into the Church this past Easter.

My point is that even if a door is closed in one place, it'll be opened somewhere else.

The neat thing about RCIA (or whatever you call what I did with the FSSP) is you're guaranteed to learn a lot. I'd assumed the research I'd done was comprehensive. Based on that, I was convinced that I should join the Catholic Church. But the RCIA I managed to complete (up through the end of the Inquiry phase) and my study time with the FSSP priest taught me at least twice as much I thought I knew to begin with. So sit back, relax and enjoy the lessons. You'll have a ball.

Gnarwhal · Oct 10, 2015

Kylissa said:
You're more than welcome. And I know at least how much things can be made even more complicated by people in our lives as well. Finding one's way is difficult enough sometimes. You will be in my prayers, though I am encouraged for your sake.

Absolutely. I guess that's some kind of twisted benefit of my divorce - I have the freedom to pursue God how my convictions compel to. Not that I advocate divorce under any circumstance, but I try to remain positive.

Anhelyna said:
Be at peace - make the contact and take it from there . There's no rush - the journey takes as long as it takes

Thank you for these kind words. It definitely helps when I don't feel pressure.

thecolorsblend said:
I started RCIA, which I eventually had to abandon, and all through the process people were joining in. They were having to get caught up but there was a mechanism for doing so. Remember that "one month" can be a little misleading. It's four meetings. That's nothing. You can knock that out in no time.

As I say though, I had to abandon RCIA because my work schedule changed. There was some drama there but I'll skip it. Eventually I found one of the FSSP parishes near my place. The priest said he was preparing to start a new group to welcome them into the Church at that time. I'm not sure if it's called "RCIA" in the traditional Rite but whatever. It was a small group of maybe five or six people and we were welcomed into the Church this past Easter.

My point is that even if a door is closed in one place, it'll be opened somewhere else.

The neat thing about RCIA (or whatever you call what I did with the FSSP) is you're guaranteed to learn a lot. I'd assumed the research I'd done was comprehensive. Based on that, I was convinced that I should join the Catholic Church. But the RCIA I managed to complete (up through the end of the Inquiry phase) and my study time with the FSSP priest taught me at least twice as much I thought I knew to begin with. So sit back, relax and enjoy the lessons. You'll have a ball.

Would you say RCIA is manageable for a college student who has a full course load (15 units)? I'm busy almost five days a week, sometimes six or seven, with homework, projects, meetings, etc. It's not that RCIA is unimportant, I just don't want to only give it a half-measure.

thecolorsblend · Oct 10, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
Would you say RCIA is manageable for a college student who has a full course load (15 units)? I'm busy almost five days a week, sometimes six or seven, with homework, projects, meetings, etc. It's not that RCIA is unimportant, I just don't want to only give it a half-measure.

I don't know what your schedule is but I'd assume you should be able to meet for the weekly meetings during the Inquiry phase. That's as far with modern RCIA as I got before I was unable to continue but my understanding is that meetings will be done during one of the Masses on Sunday. To my understanding, it doesn't require perfect attendance. You just need to be there more often than not.

If need be, your catechist might allow you to do some amount of "independent study" if your schedule gets too crazy... which could happen to a student, let's be honest. Either way they should be able to work something out with you.

Gnarwhal · Oct 10, 2015

thecolorsblend said:
I don't know what your schedule is but I'd assume you should be able to meet for the weekly meetings during the Inquiry phase. That's as far with modern RCIA as I got before I was unable to continue but my understanding is that meetings will be done during one of the Masses on Sunday. To my understanding, it doesn't require perfect attendance. You just need to be there more often than not.

If need be, your catechist might allow you to do some amount of "independent study" if your schedule gets too crazy... which could happen to a student, let's be honest. Either way they should be able to work something out with you.

Cool, thank you for the insight!

mark46 · Oct 11, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
A
Would you say RCIA is manageable for a college student who has a full course load (15 units)? I'm busy almost five days a week, sometimes six or seven, with homework, projects, meetings, etc. It's not that RCIA is unimportant, I just don't want to only give it a half-measure.

Yes, RCIA is designed for those working full-time.

Also, in this case, there is nothing wrong with half-measures. You can always get a bit of a taste, and then start again at a later date.

chevyontheriver · Oct 13, 2015

thecolorsblend said:
The neat thing about RCIA (or whatever you call what I did with the FSSP) is you're guaranteed to learn a lot. I'd assumed the research I'd done was comprehensive. Based on that, I was convinced that I should join the Catholic Church. But the RCIA I managed to complete (up through the end of the Inquiry phase) and my study time with the FSSP priest taught me at least twice as much I thought I knew to begin with. So sit back, relax and enjoy the lessons. You'll have a ball.

I'm glad your experience with FSSP was positive. I don't even know where I would find them around here. Ah, I found one in Minneapolis, a bit far for me. But then closer to home is St. Agnes in St. Paul, which never did give up on the Latin mass under the long term care of Msgr Schuller. My church has a reverent NO and a thriving orthodoxy, which suits me well although I do drop in at St. Agnes once in a while.

Strictly speaking RCIA (rite of Christian initiation of adults) is attuned to those who have not yet been baptized. Those already baptized are brothers and sisters in Christ already. They do not have to partake in all of that, the scrutinies and all. It could be sufficient for them to meet with a priest, work through some issues they are still struggling with, show that they know what they are getting into, confess their sins, and be received at the Eucharist. This could be a very short time frame depending on the person. No need to over-ritualize it or wait until Easter vigil if the person does not want to wait.

chevyontheriver · Oct 13, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
Would you say RCIA is manageable for a college student who has a full course load (15 units)? I'm busy almost five days a week, sometimes six or seven, with homework, projects, meetings, etc. It's not that RCIA is unimportant, I just don't want to only give it a half-measure.

You do not strictly need to attend RCIA if you are already baptized. It's just a process developed to handle the needs of many people at once. It might be the best way to be sure you see the whole scope of what it means to become a Catholic but it is not the only way. You do want to be sure you get everything covered in one way or another, but if you have already done a lot of homework you don't absolutely need a whole big course like RCIA.

pdudgeon · Oct 13, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
Cool! I'll probably check into that if I have an opportunity to chat with the priest Sunday. In the past when I've gone to Mass it's been hard to get a moment of face time with him and I haven't wanted to intrude. If nothing else I can e-mail the parish to inquire.

best thing to do at this stage is to call the parish office, and ask for the number for the RCIA leaders, and chat with them.
they'll probably set up a meeting with you just to get to know you and your journey that led you to the church,
and on their part, they'll tell you a little bit about RCIA, and about the study materials.

eventually you'll also have a one-on-one meeting with the parish priest, so he can also get to know you.
to that meeting you'll need to bring your certificate of baptism along, so that's something that you can start looking for now.

High Fidelity · Oct 13, 2015

Darth Bagel said:
Cool! I'll probably check into that if I have an opportunity to chat with the priest Sunday.

The good thing I've found with centralised organisations(Like the CC) is that you can normally get in touch and hear back from most people.

I've contacted quite a few people within the Church of England, for example, from Priests, Bishops to current and previous Archbishops of Canterbury. It's really great to be able to have access to that wealth of knowledge and I imagine it'll be the same for you, should you desire it.

I know the Church isn't entirely new to you, but I suppose the option is nice if you have a more obscure question that can't necessarily be Googed(and sometimes even when it can, it isn't adequate).

mark46 · Oct 13, 2015

chevyontheriver said:
You do not strictly need to attend RCIA if you are already baptized. .

You did everywhere that I have been involved in RCIA.

thecolorsblend · Oct 13, 2015

mark46 said:
You did everywhere that I have been involved in RCIA.

Well, a priest technically is at liberty to bypass RCIA entirely and welcome someone into the Church if he believes circumstances justify it. If you have a life-threatening condition, odds are good that he might do it. I've also heard of converts cornering priests, proving their mettle and being baptized into the Church within a day or three, far away from Easter. It's absolutely NOT guaranteed and I definitely wouldn't push for it but you never know...

chevyontheriver · Oct 14, 2015

mark46 said:
You did everywhere that I have been involved in RCIA.

Then find RCIA in canon law. It's a program. It's just a program. It never was binding on souls. We run a RCIA program at my parish but see 'exceptions' for those already baptized all the time. RCIA is for the catechumenate, by definition those not yet baptized. In fact, the catechumenate is inappropriate for those already baptized even though RCIA can be a useful information program for other Christians entering the Church or even existing members who want to learn more about the faith. But the flaw there is that we collectively have put the eggs into the RCIA basket instead of some in other adult education or personal encounter. You might want to check out the USCCB 'National Statutes on the Catechumenate, Appendix III'.

mark46 · Oct 14, 2015

chevyontheriver said:
Then find RCIA in canon law. It's a program. It's just a program. It never was binding on souls. We run a RCIA program at my parish but see 'exceptions' for those already baptized all the time. RCIA is for the catechumenate, by definition those not yet baptized. In fact, the catechumenate is inappropriate for those already baptized even though RCIA can be a useful information program for other Christians entering the Church or even existing members who want to learn more about the faith. But the flaw there is that we collectively have put the eggs into the RCIA basket instead of some in other adult education or personal encounter. You might want to check out the USCCB 'National Statutes on the Catechumenate, Appendix III'.

What a bunch of legalistic nonsense!

Of course, the priest can allow anyone to enter the Church without RCIA. No one suggested otherwise.

chevyontheriver · Oct 15, 2015

mark46 said:
What a bunch of legalistic nonsense!

Of course, the priest can allow anyone to enter the Church without RCIA. No one suggested otherwise.

Someone named Mark46 did just that a few posts back.

Finally going to Mass

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