How to
Become
a Catholic |
Becoming Catholic is one of the most profound and
joyous experiences of life. Some are blessed enough to receive this great
gift while they are still infants, and over the course of time they grow
into a recognition of the enormous grace that has been bestowed upon them,
of the dignity and wonder of their identity as Catholics. Others come into
the Catholic fold while they are older children or adults. In these cases
it is necessary for people to have a grasp of the joyful process by which
one becomes a Catholic.
A person is brought into full communion with the
Catholic Church through reception of the three sacraments of Christian
initiation, i.e., Baptism, Confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist. However,
the process by which one becomes a Catholic can take different
forms.
A person who is baptized in the Catholic Church becomes
a Catholic at that moment. One's initiation is deepened by Confirmation
and the Eucharist, but one becomes a Catholic at Baptism. This is true
both for children who are baptized Catholic (and receive the other two
sacraments later) and for adults who are baptized, confirmed, and receive
the Eucharist at the same time.
Those who have been validly baptized outside the
Catholic Church become Catholics by making a profession of the Catholic
faith and being formally received into the Church. This is normally
followed immediately by Confirmation and the Eucharist.
Before a person is ready to be received into the
Catholic Church, whether by Baptism or by profession of faith, preparation
is necessary. The amount and the form of this preparation depends on the
individual's circumstance. The most basic division in the kind of
preparation needed is between those who are unbaptized and those who have
already become Christian through baptism in different
denominations.
For adults and children who have reached the age of
reason (age seven), entrance into the Church is governed by the Rite of
Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). |
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Word and Eucharist:
These symbolize the RCIA process. Catechumens receive Christ in the Word
each Sunday during formation as "food for the journey" toward Baptism,
Confirmation and the Eucharistic table. |
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Preparation
for the
Unbaptized |
Preparation for reception into the Church begins with the inquiry
stage, in which the unbaptized person begins to learn about the Catholic
faith and begins to decide whether to embrace it.
The first formal step on the road to becoming a Catholic takes place
with the Rite of Reception into the order of Catechumens, in which the
unbaptized express their desire and intention to become Christians. "Catechumen" is a term the early Christians used to refer to those
preparing to be baptized and become Christians. |
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What is the
RCIA process
and
what must
I know to be
Catholic? |
THE CATECHUMENATE:
The
period of catechumenate lasts for a variable period of time - sometimes
even years - depending on how much the catechumen has learned and how
ready the catechumen feels to take the step of becoming a Christian.
However, the catechumenate often lasts for something less than a
year.
The purpose of the catechumenate period is to provide the candidates
with a thorough background in Christian teaching. "A thoroughly
comprehensive catechesis on the truths of Catholic doctrine and moral
life, aided by approved catechetical texts, is to be provided during the
period of the catechumenate" (U.S. Conference of Bishops). The
catechumenate is also intended to give the candidates the opportunity to
reflect upon and firm up their desire to become Catholic, and to give them
the chance to show that they are ready to take this serious step (cf. Luke
14:27-33; 2 Pet. 2:20-22).
The second formal step is taken with the Rite of Election, in which
the catechumens' names are written in the "Book of the Elect" along with
those who will receive the Sacraments of Initiation.
At the Rite of Election, the catechumen again expresses the desire
and intention to become a Christian, and the Church judges that the
catechumen is ready to take this step. Normally, the Rite of Election
occurs on the first Sunday of Lent during the forty day period of
preparation for Easter.
PURIFICATION AND
ENLIGHTENMENT:
After the Rite of Election, the candidates
undergo a period of more intense reflection, purification, and
enlightenment, in which they deepen their commitment to repentance and
conversion to the Christian faith. During this period the candidates, now
known as the 'Elect', participate in several further rituals.
The three chief rituals, known as "scrutinies," are normally
celebrated at Mass on the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays of Lent. These
scrutinies are rites for self-searching and repentance. They are meant to
bring out the qualities of the candidate's soul, to heal those qualities
which are weak or sinful, and to strengthen those which are positive and
good.
Normally during this period, the candidates are also formally
presented with the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, both of which
they will recite on the night they are initiated.
The initiation itself usually occurs on Easter Vigil, the evening
before Easter Day. That evening a special Mass is celebrated at which the
candidates are baptized, then given Confirmation, and finally receive the
Holy Eucharist. At this point the candidates become Catholics and are
received into full communion with the Church.
Ordinarily the Bishop oversees the Easter Vigil Service and confers
Confirmation upon the candidates, but often - due to large distances or
numbers of candidates, a local parish priest will perform the
rites.
MYSTAGOGY:
The final state of
Christian initiation is known as mystagogy, in which the new Christians
are strengthened in the faith by further instruction and become more
deeply rooted in the local Catholic community. The period of mystagogy
normally lasts throughout the Easter season (the fifty days between
Eastern and Pentecost Sunday).
For the first year of their life as Christians, those who have been
received are known as "neophytes" or "new Christians." |
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The three symbols of
Baptism/Confirmation --
... the water of Baptism,
... the oil of Confirmation
... and
the Easter candle. |
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Preparation
for
Christians |
The process for anyone who has already been validly baptized and desires to be a part of the Catholic Church differs
considerably from that of the unbaptized.
Because they have already been baptized, they are already Christians
and are not catechumens. Because they have already become Christians, the
Church is very concerned that they not be confused with those who are
still in the process of becoming Christians.
In its National Statues for the Catechumenate (NSC), the U.S.
Conference of Bishops stated: "The term 'catechumen' should be strictly
reserved for the unbaptized who have been admitted to the order of
catechumens . . . and never used of those baptized Christians who are
received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.
"Those who have already been baptized in another Church or ecclesial
community should not be treated as catechumens or so designated. Their
doctrinal and spiritual preparation for reception into full Catholic
communion should be determined according to the individual case, that is,
it should depend on the extent to which the baptized person has led a
Christian life within a community of faith and been appropriately
catechized to deepen his or her inner adherence to the Church."
For those who were baptized but who have never been instructed in
the Christian faith or lived as Christians, it is appropriate for them to
receive much of the same instruction in the faith as catechumens, but they
are still not catechumens and are not to be referred to as such. As a
result, they are not to participate in the rites intended for catechumens,
such as the scrutinies. Even "[t]he rites of presentation of the creed,
the Lord's Prayer, and the book of the Gospels are not proper except for
those who have received no Christian instruction and formation" ( NSC
31).
For those who have been instructed in the Christian faith and have
lived as Christians the situation is different. The U.S. Conference of
Bishops states: "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" ( NSC 31). For this reason they
should not share in the same, full RCIA programs that catechumens
do.
The timing of their reception into the Church is also different. The
U.S. Conference of Bishops states: "It is preferable that reception into
full communion not take place at the Easter Vigil lest there be any
confusion of such baptized Christians with the candidates for baptism,
possible misunderstanding of or even reflection upon the sacrament of
Baptism celebrated in another Church or ecclesial community . . . " ( NSC
33).
Rather than being received on Easter Vigil, "[t]he reception of
candidates into the communion of the Catholic Church should ordinarily
take place at the Sunday Eucharist of the parish community, in such a way
that it is understood that they are indeed Christian believers who have
already shared in the sacramental life of the Church and are now welcomed
into the Catholic Eucharistic community . . . " ( NSC 32).
It is therefore important for Christians coming into the Catholic
Church to coordinate carefully with their local pastor and/or bishop
concerning the amount of Catholic instruction they need and the exact
timing of their reception into the Church. |
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Making
Peace
with
God |
The Sacrament of Baptism removes all sins committed prior to it, but
since Christians have already received this sacrament, it is necessary for
them to confess mortal sins they have committed since Baptism before
receiving Confirmation and the Eucharist.
In some cases, this can be difficult due to a large number of years
between the Christian's baptism and reception into the Catholic Church. In
such cases, the candidate should confess the mortal sins he can remember
by kind and, to the extent possible, indicate how often such sins were
committed (as always with the sacrament of reconciliation, the absolution
covers any mortal sins that could not be remembered so long as the
recipient intended to repent of all mortal sins). Christians coming into
the Church should receive the sacrament of reconciliation before their
reception into the Church (there is no established point for when they
should do this) to ensure that they are in a state of grace when they are
received and confirmed. Their formation in the faith should stress that
the frequent confession is part of Catholic life: "The celebration of the
sacrament of reconciliation with candidates for reception into full
communion is to be carried out at a time prior to and distinct from the
celebration of the rite of reception. As part of the formation of such
candidates, they should be encouraged in the frequent celebration of this
sacrament" (NSC 36).
The Christian fully enters the Church by profession of faith and
formal reception. For the profession of faith, the candidate says: "I
believe and profess all that the holy Catholic Church believes, teaches,
and proclaims to be revealed by God."
The bishop or priest then formally receives the Christian into the
Church by saying, "[Name], the Lord receives you into the Catholic Church.
His loving kindness has led you here, so that in the unity of the Holy
Spirit you may have full communion with us in the faith that you have
professed in the presence of his family." The bishop or priest then
normally administers the sacrament of Confirmation and celebrates the Holy
Eucharist, giving the new Catholic the Eucharist for the first
time. |
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Reception
in
Special Cases |
In some situations, there may be a doubt concerning whether a
person's baptism was valid. All baptisms are assumed valid, regardless of
denomination, unless after serious investigation there is reason to doubt
that the candidate was baptized with water and the Trinitarian formula
(". . . in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy
Spirit") or that the minister or recipient of baptism did not intend it to
be an actual baptism.
If there is reason to doubt whether a person's baptism was valid (or
whether the person was baptized at all), then the candidate will be given
a conditional baptism (one with the form, ". . . if you are not already
baptized, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of
the Holy Spirit").
"If conditional baptism . . . seems necessary, this must be
celebrated privately rather than at a public liturgical assembly of the
community and with only those limited rites which the diocesan bishop
determines. The reception into full communion should take place later at
the Sunday Eucharist of the community" ( NSC 37).
Another special case is that of those who have been baptized as
Catholics but who have not been brought up in the faith or have not
received the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. "Although
baptized adult Catholics who have never received catechetical instruction
or been admitted to the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist are not
catechumens, some elements of the usual catechumenal formation are
appropriate to their preparation for the sacraments, in accord with the
norms of the ritual, Preparation of Uncatechized Adults for Confirmation
and Eucharist" ( NSC 25). |
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| Marriage
Issues |
In the Catholic Church, Marriage is a Sacrament. If married, a
person must be in a sacramentally valid marriage in order to be a
"practicing" Catholic. If a person is currently married and has a divorce
in their background, or if the spouse has been divorced, these previous
marriages must be examined by the Church to determine whether or not they
were sacramental marriages - even though the person(s) were not Catholic
at the time of the marriage. Just as Baptism from other Christian Churches
is recognized, Marriage is also recognized.
In many cases, the previous marriage can be annulled, leaving the
person free to become Catholic and marry in the Catholic Church. Contact
the RCIA Team Leader for more information regarding marriage issues at  |
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Waiting
for the
Day! |
It can be a time of anxious longing while one waits to feel the warm
embrace of the Church and to be immersed into Catholic society. This time
of waiting and reflection is necessary, since becoming a Catholic is a
momentous event of great importance, but waiting can be quite painful as
one looks forward with anticipation to the sacraments, especially the
Eucharist, and to the joys of Catholic life, the strength and security
that being a faithful Catholic bestows on one's life. Yet even before
being received, those waiting to be incorporated already have a very real
and very special relationship with the Church.
In the case of those who are already Christians, their baptism
itself forms a certain sacramental relationship with the Church (cf.
Vatican II, Unitatis Redintegratio 3; Catechism of the Catholic Church
1271). They are also joined to the Church by their very intention to enter
it, as are the unbaptized who intend to do so: "Catechumens who, moved by
the Holy Spirit, desire with an explicit intention to be incorporated into
the Church are by that very intention joined to her. With love and
solicitude mother Church already embraces them as her own" (Vatican II,
Lumen Gentium 14:3; CCC 1249).
Thus even before one is fully incorporated into the Church, one can
already enjoy the status of being recognized by the Church as one of her
own, precious children. |
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| Sponsors |
Each catechumen and candidate has a sponsor. A sponsor is an adult,
eighteen or older, who has received the Sacraments of Baptism,
Confirmation, Reconciliation, and Eucharist, and who is a practicing
Catholic. The sponsor acts as a partner who will guide and support a
catechumen or candidate. Among the sponsor's responsibilities are:
- The Sponsor attends and participates in all meetings,
- Sponsors introduces their candidate/catechumenate to the parish
community,
- Encourages their candidate/catechumenate to become an active
member of the parish community,
- Supports and encourages their candidate/catechumenate partner's
growth in faith.
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact one of
the RCIA Team Members by . |
