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brianeec
Member
| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
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| Posts: | 3 |
| First Name: | Brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | lapsed & unconfirmed |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 01:39 pm |
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Hello,
I spent the first 12 years of my life as a Catholic. I attending mass every week and revieved first communion; however, I was not confirmed, and I have never been to confession. I have attended mass a few times recently and have begun to pray the Rosary. Is RCIA the proper route for me to achieve full communion with the Church? Also, having read through the forum a bit, I noticed a lot of talk about sponsors. Do I have to be sponsored to participate? Any information that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Brian
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5080 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 02:01 pm |
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brianeec wrote: Hello,
I spent the first 12 years of my life as a Catholic. I attending mass every week and revieved first communion; however, I was not confirmed, and I have never been to confession. I have attended mass a few times recently and have begun to pray the Rosary. Is RCIA the proper route for me to achieve full communion with the Church? Also, having read through the forum a bit, I noticed a lot of talk about sponsors. Do I have to be sponsored to participate? Any information that anyone can provide will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Brian
First of all, Brian, welcome home, and welcome to the Coming Home Network.
You do not need to participate in RCIA to return to the Church. All you need to do is go to confession. You should make an appointment to see a priest and discuss your personal situation. If you are married outside the Church or have joined another faith community, there may be additional requirements, but it sounds like returning to the Church should be pretty simple in your case.
In order to be confirmed, you would probably be considered an adult candidate for Confirmation (I say "probably" because I don't know your age). Some parishes would put you with RCIA candidates for your instruction, but you would not be part of the program. Smaller parishes (like mine) don't have enough participants to justify a special group. Others may have separate classes. When you are confirmed, it is important that you understand the faith and the implications of your decision. However, you do not need to wait to be confirmed to go to confession, be forgiven, and return to the Eucharist.
When you are confirmed, you will need a sponsor. A sponsor is a confirmed, practicing Catholic who can recommend to the bishop that he confirm you. If you are young, it should be an older person who is not a member of your immediate family, with whom you feel comfortable discussing your faith. That person becomes your guide through the process, and hopefully will remain someone you can share your faith experience with after your Confirmation. If you are an older person, then age really doesn't matter. If you have been away from the Church and don't know any members, the parish staff can suggest someone. You do not need to name a sponsor to begin your path back to the Church, or even to begin preparations for Confirmation, and your sponsor does not need to be a member of that parish.
Compared to most of the people here, your path back to the Church should be quite easy. Please let us know if we can be of any assistance. And once again, welcome home.
____________________
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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brianeec
Member
| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 3 |
| First Name: | Brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | lapsed & unconfirmed |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 02:30 pm |
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Thanks for your response. It helps a lot. I am currently 28 years old, and I am married. My wife is an athiest. How would this complicate things?
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5080 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
| Status: |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 02:49 pm |
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brianeec wrote: Thanks for your response. It helps a lot. I am currently 28 years old, and I am married. My wife is an athiest. How would this complicate things?
First, the Church requires all Catholics to be married in the presence of an official witness, usually a priest or deacon. If you were not married in a Catholic ceremony, you would need to have your marriage convalidated ("blessed") by repeating your vows in the presence of a priest.
If either you or your wife had been married before, you would need to file for a Declaration of Nullity ("Annulment") before you would be allowed to have your marriage convalidated.
The Church considers marriage a sacrament, and takes Jesus' words seriously that what God has joined, man must not divide. So the only way the Church permits a second marriage is if it can be proven that the first marriage was flawed in some way that prevented it from being a sacrament.
Your wife's lack of faith is not an obstacle as far as the Church is concerned, but it could affect your personal decision. It also could make the convalidation difficult if she refuses to agree. Perhaps through your formation and participation in confirmation and/or RCIA classes, she may have her faith awakened and be led into God's open arms. What a blessing that would be!
____________________
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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brianeec
Member
| Joined: | Wed Feb 28th, 2007 |
| Location: | |
| Posts: | 3 |
| First Name: | Brian | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | lapsed & unconfirmed |
| Status: |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 02:54 pm |
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Your wife's lack of faith is not an obstacle as far as the Church is concerned, but it could affect your personal decision. It also could make the convalidation difficult if she refuses to agree. Perhaps through your formation and participation in confirmation and/or RCIA classes, she may have her faith awakened and be led into God's open arms. What a blessing that would be!
Thank you so much. Neither of us were previously married, so that is not an issue. She may agree to have our vows convalidated. I'm not sure right now. I do know that she loves me dearly and supports my decision to be confirmed--hopefully that's a good sign! I appreciate your help very much.
Thank you,
Brian
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CajunRick
Network Helper
| Joined: | Fri Sep 29th, 2006 |
| Location: | Houma, Louisiana USA |
| Posts: | 5080 |
| First Name: | Rick (& Kermie) | | Gender: | Male | | Faith History: | Lifetime Catholic, Latin Rite |
| Status: |
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Posted: Wed Feb 28th, 2007 03:03 pm |
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brianeec wrote: Your wife's lack of faith is not an obstacle as far as the Church is concerned, but it could affect your personal decision. It also could make the convalidation difficult if she refuses to agree. Perhaps through your formation and participation in confirmation and/or RCIA classes, she may have her faith awakened and be led into God's open arms. What a blessing that would be!
Thank you so much. Neither of us were previously married, so that is not an issue. She may agree to have our vows convalidated. I'm not sure right now. I do know that she loves me dearly and supports my decision to be confirmed--hopefully that's a good sign!
That is a great sign. From her perspective, it will simply be a renewal of vows in the presence of a priest. If she truly loves you, she should have no problem repeating her marriage vows to you in any forum. So now your biggest problem is getting up the courage to contact the priest and go to confession! It's not impossible that you could be worthily receiving communion very soon, maybe even before Easter. (Your confirmation will not be as quick, but as I mentioned earlier, it is not necessary for you to wait to be confirmed in order to return to the Eucharist.
____________________
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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