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psalm23.6a
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| Joined: | Sun Apr 15th, 2007 |
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| First Name: | Jeff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Protestant, former United Methodist Minister, MDiv from Duke, currently UCC |
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 03:23 pm |
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I have come to the point that I am seriously considering converting to Catholism. I am much more comfortable with the RC approach to the Eucharist, Church authority, devotions etc.
However, I am a active member of a very old but struggling Protestant congregation which would be hurt my my withdrawal. These are my friends and Christain friends. Also I am very interested in Church music and frankly believe the Protestant churches as a whole have a richer traditional hymn range than Catholism. I cannot imagine not singing some of those beautiful and inspiring hymns ever again with a congregation and organ - they still speak to me and most do not contradict any Catholic doctrine I am aware of.
Can I become catholic and maintain some relationship with my family church and those roots?
Thanks for any input. Jeff
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CajunRick
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| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 03:36 pm |
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psalm23.6a wrote: I have come to the point that I am seriously considering converting to Catholism. I am much more comfortable with the RC approach to the Eucharist, Church authority, devotions etc.
Jeff I know others will respond to the rest of your post but first I wanted to take a moment to welcome you to the Coming Home Network and to our forum. We look forward to your input, and stand ready to do our best to answer any questions you may have on Catholic doctrine and teaching. We will do our best to support your faith journey wherever it might lead you.
As to a musical treasury, I think with a little research you will find that much of the world's great classical music is actually part of the Catholic Church's musical treasury, just as much of the world's great art is part of the faith legacy of the Church. And Protestant hymns which are doctrinally sound can certainly be brought into the Church. Many of them were Catholic to begin with.
With our current Holy Father emphasizing a return to the treasures of traditional Catholic music, especially Gregorian chant, I believe we will see a resurgence of the excellent Catholic musical heritage. At least I hope so. Perhaps one of the reasons you are being called to the Church at this time is to help implement that return.
God bless you on your journey wherever it might lead. Since I am a lifetime Catholic I will not respond at this time to the question of maintaining a connection to your current congregation. I know this is a troubling issue for many, and I'm sure you will see some interesting responses.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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BodRod
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| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 04:26 pm |
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Greetings Fellow Traveler,
To use a worn out phrase, "Been there, done that". I too, missed the old hymns I had known and sung from my youth. To make it worse, I was a church organist for 17 years, playing the old familiar hymns every week. When I started attending Mass, I not only missed the old hymns but I did not know the music being used in the Mass. So, what to do.
My solution to my delimma was to buy a copy of the book used at Mass (The Journey Song Book) and add it to my collection of music. I discovered that many of the songs in the new book were the same tunes as I knew in the old book, but they had different words. Another discovery I made was that some of the tunes from the master's of old had had words added to them and the were now incorporated into my new song book. As it turned out, many of the old tunes are in the new book. It was just that they were not the tunes being selected by the choir master for use in the Mass in my parish.
Personally speaking, I prefer the more positive words of the songs of the Mass than the old gospel songs which tend to be more negative and put people down.
I wish you the best in your travel along your Journey.
____________________
Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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David W. Emery
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 05:53 pm |
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psalm23.6a wrote:Can I become Catholic and maintain some relationship with my family church and those roots?
If you have family members who will remain in that church, by all means, as a Catholic Christian you should help maintain family unity by attending with them, even though you will not be participating to the same extent as before. (Yes, you can sing those hymns you know and love, so long as they do not violate your conscience.) If you are speaking strictly of friends, you may find, after becoming Catholic, that this act has created barriers, and a more neutral venue would be in order — if the friendships survive.
As a former Methodist myself, I struggled with the breaking of relationships with my friends and mentors. But I found that in many conversions (you have but to look around this forum to see a multitude of examples), it is those you leave behind who break the ties. So you may well find that you have no choice about maintaining your bond with the past, being forced out and shunned. I realize that the UCC, like the UMC, is considered fairly liberal, and there may be less of this attitude there than among Evangelicals. But I am also aware of a strong anti-Catholic sentiment just beneath the surface even in these denominations (something I encountered even in my own family), and I feel obligated to mention it so that you will not be surprised by their reaction if your journey of faith should lead you to the Catholic Church.
I am very interested in Church music and frankly believe the Protestant churches as a whole have a richer traditional hymn range than Catholism.
As cajunrick pointed out, the Catholic musical tradition stretches back far beyond that available in the various Protestant denominations. At the moment it happens that I am listening to a streaming audio feed (“internet radio station”) from Holland called AVRO Klassiek Ziel en Zaligheid (available here for iTunes and Winamp for those interested). It features uninterrupted classical religious music 24 hours a day, with Catholic, Protestant and Jewish traditions represented. Music is selected on the basis of musical quality, not liturgical or devotional appropriateness. As it turns out, far more Catholic music is played simply because there is that much more of it that is rated musically worthwhile. After all, we had a millennium and a half head start, plus very different Eastern and Western traditions to provide variety and interest.
On the other hand, I will admit that the current situation in Catholic parishes throughout much of the world is deplorable. This is the result of two things: first, a following of secular trends rather than the Church’s tradition; second, a general ignorance and ignoring of Church norms and guidelines for liturgical music. The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council never envisioned the cacophony of commercial dance music being called upon to serve double duty in liturgical worship. Their recommendation was Gregorian chant and polyphony. It is this situation that the current pope has determined to address.
David
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 08:39 pm |
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David W. Emery wrote: On the other hand, I will admit that the current situation in Catholic parishes throughout much of the world is deplorable.
For the record, David was referring to the music in most parishes, and I wholeheartedly agree.
Conditions on other matters may be equally deplorable in some parishes, but it's much harder to make such a blanket statement about anything but the music.
____________________
Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
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psalm23.6a
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 09:41 pm |
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| Thank you for all your respnses but what is the point blank answer - can I become catholic and maintain ties to my current church? Thanks
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BodRod
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| First Name: | Cliff | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Raised an SDA, then Generic Christian, finally at home with ... |
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 10:02 pm |
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I don't think we can give you a "point blank answer". To me, the question seems to be one of those questions you must answer for yourself. All of us who have converted have had to face the same question and answer it to our own satisfaction. You might look at Matthew 6:24 and see if that verse can help you in your decision process.
BTW, in my own case, immediately after I was accepted into the RCC I got involved and within a week or two I felt I had new friends. Now, when I enter the church, I spend the first several minutes greeting my new friends; even Fr. T. shakes hands with me. I have never experienced such warmth and friendliness before joining the RCC.
Again, may I wish you all the best in your search for truth. 
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Gratias agamus Domino Deo nostro.
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BettyBoopToo
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| Location: | Camas/Washougal, Washington USA |
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| First Name: | Betty | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | Fist Baptist/Calvary Babtist/Secular Confusion/ Roman Catholic |
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 10:17 pm |
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psalm23.6a wrote: Thank you for all your respnses but what is the point blank answer - can I become catholic and maintain ties to my current church? Thanks
psalm, It's very nice to meet you and welcome to the Forum.
I think if you hang around a little longer your lible to run in to someone in your posistion that is still attending both churches, I even think there's a gentleman that volunteers or works at his old baptist chrurch and attends mass, So he has friends at both.
Happy Divine Mercy Sunday and God Bless
Betty
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"Whenever anything disagreeable or displeasing happens to you, remember Christ crucified and be silent."
St. John of the Cross
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CajunRick
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Posted: Sun Apr 15th, 2007 10:22 pm |
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psalm23.6a wrote: Thank you for all your respnses but what is the point blank answer - can I become catholic and maintain ties to my current church? Thanks
There is no rule in the Church that would prevent you from maintaining a relationship with your old church.
Some parish staffs may question your commitment to the Catholic faith, but as long as you have a reasonable need to maintain the relationship, that should not be a serious problem.
So the point blank answer is yes, you can become Catholic and maintain ties to your current church. However, in the real world, your mileage may vary.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
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Br_Carlo
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Posted: Mon Apr 16th, 2007 08:34 am |
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God's peace. To be succinct, you may participate in your old relationship as long as you please once you become Catholic, but you may not substitute such relationships for your obligation to attend Mass on Sunday and you may not share in their version of Holy Communion.
I found that as my awareness of the fulness of the Catholic Church grew, I realized that everything that I sought to hold on to in my old relationship was actually present and better in the Catholic Church. Your desire to hold on to the past will probably die away once you "towel off" on the Roman side of the Tiber. God speed! Blessings, ~Br_Carlo~
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kimdyuma
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| First Name: | Kim | | Gender: | Female | | Faith History: | cradle Anglican, Episcopal /Catholic-04/07/07 |
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Posted: Mon Apr 16th, 2007 12:37 pm |
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| I Have a situation where due to circumstances I am not only a member of my new catholic parish but also a member of two episcopal/Anglican parishes- During the time that I made the choice to leave the episcopal church our local parish split with about 1/3 to 1/2 the congregation leaving to form a new Anglican church in protest of the current state of affairs in the Episcopal church. My husband and children have decided ( for now) to attend the new church however my daughter has continued to attend the old church youth group (the new church has none) so we continue to volunteer and help out at least for now with the youth activities at the old church. I am also part of a ministry that makes prayer quilts on Saturdays at the old church which I plan on continuing.. I will particate in my own mass though for religious purposes even though I will continue to attend services from time to time with the family.
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DavidVS
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Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2007 11:38 am |
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psalm23.6a wrote: Thank you for all your respnses but what is the point blank answer - can I become catholic and maintain ties to my current church? Thanks
I grew up in a local Presbyterian Church. For many years, our choir director was a very devout Roman Catholic. He directed our choir, participated in many of the activities of our church and was a beloved friend to everyone in the congregation.
He was also very active in his RC parish. When he retired, his RC parish and our Presbyterian congregation got together and hosted a reception for him.
Also, the largest RC parish in our county built a huge community center. One of the activities held there is an annual ecumenical choir - it's made up of Catholics and Protestants of all denominations. Even though they're from different churches and faith traditions, they make beautiful music together - which I'm sure is pleasing to God.
Hope that helps 
Last edited on Tue Apr 17th, 2007 11:40 am by DavidVS
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Darlene
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Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2007 06:13 pm |
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Hello Psalm,
Welcome to our forum. As many others here would concur, it depends upon your situation. If those at your current church are respectful and supportive of your journey toward Catholicism, then maintaining ties will not be difficult. On the other hand, you need to prepare yourself in the event that members in your current church are unsupportive or even worse, judgmental of your faith journey. Also, how much negativity can you handle if the latter occurs? Perhaps you have a tough exterior and can "handle" others' rejection of you. If those in your current church are still willing to embrace you as their brother in Christ, then maintaining ties would definitely not be a problem.
So you see, it all depends upon your circumstances. Is your family aware of your interest in the Catholic faith? What about your church? If so, what have been their responses toward your faith journey?
Currently, I am attending both Catholic Mass and my nondenominational Christian Church. My husband and children know about my desire to become Catholic, my church does not. I dropped out of the choir after this past Christmas, but I am still involved in the women's Bible study. However, even this gets to be a bit exasperating because of the anti-Catholic bias. Today I attended the women's Bible study and negative comments were again made regarding the Catholic faith. They just can't help it. The one woman made mention that her daughter-in-law is Catholic and she is raising her children as Catholic. She asked for prayer that she could convince her daughter-in-law to attend our church and bring her children (her grandchildren) as well. She made a comment to the effect that her goal was to help them leave the Catholic Church. And this was not the only anti-Catholic remark made this morning. Needless to say, I was inwardly troubled by these remarks.
So, I am preparing for many in my current church to reject me when they discover my journey toward the Catholic faith. I will attend the nondenominational church with my husband as long as I am able. I want to be respectful toward him, and do not want him to have any reason to find fault with the Catholic Church.
Hope that I was able to be of some help to you. God bless you richly in your journey toward the Catholic faith. And visit us here often!
Love in Christ,
Darlene
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The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. II Corinthians 13:14
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GoFisher
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Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2007 09:19 pm |
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Hi there! See if this testimony helps. At the rite of election last year, when someone asked me what church I went to, I had a hard time answering, and one of my priests there said, she goes to St. Louis, if we can get her to stop "double-dipping" at her protestant church. I got the hint.
Divine Mercy Sunday was the first anniversary of my Catholic confirmation. I went to an alumni mtg for Duke M.Divs. at the my state Conference (UMC) when I was considering where to study. I ended up at ORU (formerly Methodist, 1968-1985, but now ecumenical, I even went to Mass celebrated in the chapel there during seminary). How ironic.
When I went to seminary, I thought I was going to be a United Methodist minister. Half way through the MDiv at ATS-accredited ORU's graduate school of theology and missions, I felt Spirit-led to be Spirit-led for the rest of my life instead of just allowing The UMC to tell me where to serve. So, I joined the Interdenominational Word of faith church near school founded by a former Methodist. It is great. It is like "applied ORU" there because we believe in the prophethood and priesthood of all believers. The Eucharist and baptism are issues there. ("one baptism for the forgiveness of sins").
Well, since John Wesley was Anglican and never became Methodist when he formed his Methodist clubs, there would not be much difference. At the UMC, we recited the Nicene Creed, and the Apostles Creed (but also did other creeds at alternate weeks). They think you can get baptized any of several ways: immersion, pouring, sprinkling, and I think there was another way. Between 1970s and 1990s, they changed the confirmation rite to say: reject evil and all its works, instead of reject the devil (or his name actually) and all his works.
I have heard some great John Wesley quotes: the world is my parish, and also one about the gifts of the spirit: that if there is some fruit of the manifestation (such as getting slain in the spirit for an hour, and then having peace or being healed) then the manifestation was genuine. at Aldersgate, he felt his heart strangely warmed, so that means The Holy Spirit was moving on his heart.
Since we are not the Messiah, then the UMC does NOT need us to continue on. Also, I learned in a Methodist meeting on evangelism, that some long-standing local churches need to die in order to grow again and thrive with new blood.
MAJOR thing: The Eucharist is THE BODY AND BLOOD, SOUL AND DIVINITY OF CHRIST; and that is the source and summit of only The Catholic church, not any other.
All other churches: it's just bread and grape juice (or whatever you see).
Communion of saints: more folks are available to pray for us.
PAPAL AUTHORITY: UMC does not accept that, but I always did. I thought the pope was the head of all churches.
A UMC pastor told me he did not think the denominations would ever get together in unity. The Catholic church prays for unity and works for it.
What else?
Have a blessed day!
____________________
Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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GoFisher
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Posted: Tue Apr 17th, 2007 09:25 pm |
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No. You cannot ride two horses. Jesus said we should be hot or cold, never lukewarm.
I tried to do both, but the protestants were so anti-Catholic, it broke my heart to even speak to them on the phone. So, for Lent, I gave up talking on the phone to my former church-mates. One friend spent three hours harassing The Church (and me) by phone.
UMC does not believe the whole Bible. The Catholic Church believes the entire Bible, and includes more books than our former fellow protestingants. We should be bold defenders of the faith, even with some protesting folks still in the catholic church.
God wants a revival in the church and is bringing members of reformation churches back to The Catholic Church. It is a prophetic act or sign.
____________________
Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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dobrodoc
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 05:55 pm |
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Dear Jeff;
i am a little late to the party but my point blank answer is no!
Not because the Catholic Church does't allow it, but because you will be rejected by your former church. We never realized how much anti-Catholicism was out there until we crossed the tiber and the phone stopped ringing and friends we had for over ten years no longer hung out with us.
The good news is that as you enter the Church, the beauty joy and seduction of Catholicism will take you in and you will no longer find much reason to be involved at the other Church. At some point you may find yourself even being avoidant of it once the beauty of Catholic Mass, and the sacraments start to change you!
Quite frankly when I have gone back to the other church for special events etc (my brother is assoc pastor there) I find it very difficult to rmrmber how and why I ever felt comfortable there. At that point I realized that I was finally CAtholic! But it is a process and as Rick says' "Your mileage may vary."
God bless you on the journey
http://www.crossed-the-tiber.blogspot.com
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http://www.crossed-the-tiber.blogspot.com
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heardclarke
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 06:08 pm |
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Hello--I just wanted to say that I had a similar problem. My husband works at an Episcopal church and we have had close ties there for 15 years. I am, in fact, the child of an Episcopal priest. My husband is the choir director so I also understand about loving the great music in that tradition.
I was confirmed Catholic two years ago and still sing in my husband's choir. I go to communion at the Episcopal church and receive a blessing (before being confirmed Catholic, I would have done this at the Catholic church.) This is not easy, since the clergy at his church all know what I did, and the pastor has questioned my husband more than once about why I joined the RC Church. He always says, "You should talk to her about it--it was a lengthy and complicated decision for her." But the pastor has never tried to talk to me. The business manager also commented that it was a good thing my husband hadn't done what I did; he didn't think he'd be able to keep his job if he were a Catholic.
My father (I'd call him an Anglo-Catholic) has been understanding, but like several others on this board, I have found that some friendships were cooled or could not survive after I made my beliefs known. Luckily I teach in a Catholic school, so I have no lack of supportive friends. This helps when other people accuse the Church of being judgemental, misogynist, intolerant, or idolatrous (as many Episcopalians say it is.) "How can you possibly BELIEVE all that stuff?" or "Never thought you'd do something like THAT" are typical comments.
So, although I really intend to demonstrate support for my husband (who has been very supportive to me) by continuing to participate in the music for 6 hours every week, I am usually discouraged by negative feedback. A couple of old friends have engaged in true dialogue with me, but I really don't think you can grow as a Catholic and still feel comfortable in a Protestant church. The hardest part for me is during the Episcopalian eucharist (or a confirmation): not because I still wish to partake, but because I know it is not "the real thing" and they all think it is perfectly sufficient. The sacraments are not something I like to see watered down.
If I had known how I would feel by now about the Episcopal church and how hard it would be to keep going, I might have been scared; but I want you to know also that I have found a rich fellowship with other Catholics that is more than enough to get me through these difficulties. My family has accepted it as well as can be expected and those friends I really counted on from before have also.
I hope this has been of some help. Keep praying and looking for answers!
Lisa
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Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
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heardclarke
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 06:14 pm |
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PS: When I said I "go to communion" I didn't mean that I receive the bread and wine at the Episcopal church. I know that's a no-no! I just meant that I don't stay in the pew while the others around bme are getting up; I follow them and receive a blessing.
Just wanted to make that clear!
Lisa
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Ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est.
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GoFisher
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 06:38 pm |
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Hi Lisa. I think all Christians (including Catholics) should take RCIA periodically to refresh their memories about what The Church really teaches.
Episcopalians can join The Catholic Church without attending RCIA because The Church presumes that Anglicans are only a few steps (Papal authority, Eucharist, male heterosexual celibate priests) short of being Catholic. Anglicans can go to confession if they choose to do so. As you know from your past of using the King James Version of The Bible, and your differences between low and high churches within the Anglican stream, that is not true. There are alot more differences than that.
I've known of gay Episcopal priests including some who conducted a ceremony for two men. One of the current U.S. Episcopal bishops is openly gay. Unfortunately, this issue was on the ballot at the Methodist General Conference in Y2K and a third of the room walked out to protest folks who wanted to vote against the liberal (anti-biblical) policy. That is part of why I left UMC. Church members should not be allowed to VOTE on what they think their translation of The Bible means.
During RCIA, I learned from a priest that joining a non-Catholic church after being Catholic consitutes heresy, and if someone went to confession for that, the priest would have to contact the bishop for permission to grant absolution of it.
While I was in RCIA, my mom said, why don't you go to an episcopal church since they are 90% catholic. Well, my thought was then, why be 90% catholic when you can be 100% catholic!
A so-called friend of mine was tapped by one of my former pastors to drill me about my Catholic studies, try to refute them, and also try to prevent my confirmation. She refused my invitations to attend the inquiry meetings, and still refuses to attend the ECUMENICAL prayer meeting I attend.
I have found that it is difficult to be "ecumenical" when you are still in the process of becoming Catholic (which RCIA leaders say takes five years). Both "sides" hurt my feelings by complaining about each other and not understanding each other. Also there is a lack of logic with anti-catholics who do not remember that The Catholic Church came first and was the only church for 1500 or so years, so that Scripture and Tradition compiled by Catholics must be the accurate ones, since it is anti-Catholics who changed their versions to go with their new doctrines.
Sorry I'm on my soapbox, but I have also been wondering why The Lord would want me to be Catholic and not in my other churches. So, I obeyed His Call and will find out later why.
Last edited on Wed Apr 18th, 2007 06:40 pm by GoFisher
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Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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GoFisher
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 06:55 pm |
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In my first year of studying Catholic Theology, when I was attending a protestant women's Bible study. Everyone was stumped when I gave Catholic answers to the questions of a woman who had not yet decided to even become Christian. I think her question was about becoming holy, and I mentioned going to confession and receiving absolution.
My last former anti-Catholic pastor got mad at me for going to confession, and acted as if I were crazy for doing so. Well, that is not true, of course. AND the good news is that I am actually holier this year than I was when I began this process.
One priest told me how difficult it is to evangelize in an ecumenical setting due to the differences in The Church. When you share The Truth, why would you send new believers to an anti-Catholic ecclesial body? Ecclesial body is the catechism definition of non-Catholic Christian churches because the term THE CHURCH can only mean the entire body of The Catholic Church, or the INVISIBLE church meaning all believers. I think I remember that correctly.
Check out this cool three-inch thick book: The Companion to The Catec of the Cath Ch; it is the compilation of documents cited in the CCC.
St. Bp. Irenaeus, pray for us! He is the Father of Orthodoxy (orthodox doctrine) who refuted gnostics in his work, Against Heresy.
Last edited on Wed Apr 18th, 2007 06:58 pm by GoFisher
____________________
Love, hear + obey God: go fish! (me)
+ The Word became flesh... (St. John 1:14)
Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. (St. Jerome)
+ Follow Me... fishers of men. (St. Matthew quotes The Lord Jesus)
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CajunRick
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 07:05 pm |
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GoFisher wrote: Episcopalians can join The Catholic Church without attending RCIA because The Church presumes that Anglicans are only a few steps (Papal authority, Eucharist, male heterosexual celibate priests) short of being Catholic.
In the interest of accuracy, the Church does not require any validly baptized Christian to participate in RCIA. Some dioceses or parishes may require them to attend the same classes, but they are still not technically part of RCIA since they are already partly initiated.
Anglicans can go to confession if they choose to do so.
Again in the interest of accuracy, only Catholics can normally receive sacramental absolution from a Catholic priest. Members of the Orthodox faith may also receive absolution under certain circumstances. Any other baptized Christian may receive absolution only with consent of the bishop. For example, a candidate for full communion with the Catholic Church can receive sacramental absolution prior to being admitted to the Church, being confirmed/chrismated, and receiving Eucharist.
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Understanding is the reward of faith. Therefore seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand. - Augustine
Rick Luquette
Luquette Lane
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GoFisher
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Posted: Wed Apr 18th, 2007 07:19 pm |
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cajunrick wrote: GoFisher wrote: Episcopalians can join The Catholic Church without attending RCIA because The Church presumes that Anglicans are only a few steps (Papal authority, Eucharist, male heterosexual celibate priests) short of being Catholic.
In the interest of accuracy, the Church does not require any validly baptized Christian to participate in RCIA. Some dioceses or parishes may require them to attend the same classes, but they are still not technically part of RCIA since they are already partly initiated.
HI RICK!!! In the latest RCIA brochures and hand-outs, and by my experience in two dioceses: baptized Christians who are not Episcopalian are required to take RCIA before doing Rite of Election and Confirmation in The Catholic Church. This was true for me, even though I had studied on my own (with weekly question time with my priest) for a year, and I had attended The Catholic Church for many years in my teen years. Also, I was using an example of one episcopalian who got confirmed at my church in December all by himself without being in RCIA.
Anglicans can go to confession if t | | |
