The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA)

[Anonymous]

DH is catholic. I was raised Christian and my family went to a non-denominational church for holidays, but no regular attendance. I'd like to become Catholic. I already go to mass with DH a couple of times a month. I tried RCIA at DH's parish, but it was a 1x per week class from fall to Easter. With my work travel schedule, I missed a lot of the classes and dropped out. I thought about trying again, but now I'm pregnant and so tired I don't think I could work all day and then go to the evening RCIA class. Most of them were extremely boring and only a half hour of the 1.5 hour class was informative. Are all RCIA's like this? I'd really like to do a condensed class that's on weekends if there's one in the DC area.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is catholic. I was raised Christian and my family went to a non-denominational church for holidays, but no regular attendance. I'd like to become Catholic. I already go to mass with DH a couple of times a month. I tried RCIA at DH's parish, but it was a 1x per week class from fall to Easter. With my work travel schedule, I missed a lot of the classes and dropped out. I thought about trying again, but now I'm pregnant and so tired I don't think I could work all day and then go to the evening RCIA class. Most of them were extremely boring and only a half hour of the 1.5 hour class was informative. Are all RCIA's like this? I'd really like to do a condensed class that's on weekends if there's one in the DC area.

Do you want to be a condensed Catholic?

[Anonymous]

It is a long class schedule, and I can't imagine doing it while pregnant. My husband did it before we were married/ had kids etc. Kudos for you for wanting to try.

I really think you should talk with your priest/ RCIA leader about your work travel demands and see if there is a way you can rejoin, given that you have already taken some of the classes. I know my husband had to miss a few sessions, but he did some reading and met with the RCIA education leader to review anything he needed.

Please ignore the unfriendly people responding. Good luck to you!

[Anonymous]

I did it starting 6 weeks after my second was born, finally being confirmed and brought into the church when she was about 9 months. It's a long commitment - and our parish required some Saturdays and attendance at special masses each weekend as Easter drew closer. I would have loved a weekend course. Honestly, though, I didn't find it too terrible - for me, it was a nice escape from 2 kids one night a week after I went back to work. Talk to the religious ed coordinator and explain your situation. Hopefully they will work with you. GL.

[Anonymous]

It's typically a year long. Maybe the Archdiocese can help you, since you're pregnant etc. They should be making it convenient for people, I agree.

http://www.stmatthewscathedral.org/faith/rcia

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH is catholic. I was raised Christian and my family went to a non-denominational church for holidays, but no regular attendance. I'd like to become Catholic. I already go to mass with DH a couple of times a month. I tried RCIA at DH's parish, but it was a 1x per week class from fall to Easter. With my work travel schedule, I missed a lot of the classes and dropped out. I thought about trying again, but now I'm pregnant and so tired I don't think I could work all day and then go to the evening RCIA class. Most of them were extremely boring and only a half hour of the 1.5 hour class was informative. Are all RCIA's like this? I'd really like to do a condensed class that's on weekends if there's one in the DC area.

I am Catholic, and while I think that it is wonderful that you want to join the Church and I know that you have time constraints, I find it concerning that you find the classes to be "boring" and that you seem to be looking for a shortcut. Well, with RCIA, you are already getting the condensed version. It takes most people years of CCD and confirmation classes to become full Catholics, eight or nine to be exact. It is a beautiful and very complex religion and there is a vast amount of information that must be learned to fully understand it and to fully appreciate the sacraments of the Church.

[Anonymous]

I did RCIA. It was a major commitment but worth it. You can't understand the faith properly without it.

[Anonymous]

23:30 is right. You're already getting the condensed version. I went through RCIA last year (while pregnant) and I found the classes to be fascinating. I really enjoyed it.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thanks for the input. Maybe it's just not meant to be for me. I find the content fascinating, but the instructors very boring. I would look around the table and see many of my RCIA classmates fighting sleep. I grew up in a bad neighborhood with awful public schools. The closest good school was Catholic so I went to Catholic school for years, including religion classes taught by the nuns there, and I've been going to mass with DH for years. I feel like the classes are geared towards new Christians and people new to Catholicism, but I'm neither. I also find many of you condescending. Good for you that you spent 8 or 9 years in CCD classes, but I also think that's overkill and not necessary and frankly, that's not what I asked.

[Anonymous]

I did RCIA. I agree it wasn't convenient. I also missed at least 5 classes that year. I think it ran from the fall to Easter. It wasn't boring because my priest was very engaging. But I agree they should have a weekend retreat or some other format. When I got married there was the option of a semester's worth of classes or a weekend retreat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for the input. Maybe it's just not meant to be for me. I find the content fascinating, but the instructors very boring. I would look around the table and see many of my RCIA classmates fighting sleep. I grew up in a bad neighborhood with awful public schools. The closest good school was Catholic so I went to Catholic school for years, including religion classes taught by the nuns there, and I've been going to mass with DH for years. I feel like the classes are geared towards new Christians and people new to Catholicism, but I'm neither. I also find many of you condescending. Good for you that you spent 8 or 9 years in CCD classes, but I also think that's overkill and not necessary and frankly, that's not what I asked.

Actually, that is what you asked. You asked whether there was a "condensed class," and the answer was that you were already in it because RCIA takes less than a year, and most Catholics spend several years of education getting to that point. I am so sorry that you mistook fact for condescension. I tend to agree with you that the Catholic faith is probably not for you given that you characterize the entire Catholic educational process as "overkill." It takes time and effort to learn about an over 2000 year old Church and to understand and appreciate its many sacraments, prayers, and tenets. You can try to take the classes at another church, but if you don't have the time and are not willing to make the effort, then it probably will not make much of a difference.