How
to Become Catholic
Becoming Catholic is one of life’s most profound and
joyous experiences. Some are blessed enough to receive this great gift
while they are infants, and, over time, they recognize the enormous
grace that has been bestowed on them. Others enter the Catholic fold
when they are older children or adults. This tract examines 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—baptism, confirmation, and the holy Eucharist—but 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 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 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 Church, whether by
baptism or by profession of faith, preparation is necessary. The
amount and 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 another church.
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), sometimes called the Order of Christian
Initiation for Adults (OCIA).
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 to Catholicism begins 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.
The period of the catechumenate varies depending on how much the
catechumen has learned and how ready he feels to take the step of
becoming a Christian. However, the catechumenate often lasts less than
a year.
The catechumenate’s purpose is to provide the catechumens 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, National
Statutes for the Catechumenate, Nov. 11, 1986). The catechumenate
also is intended to give the catechumens the opportunity to reflect
upon and become firm in their desire to become Catholic, and to show
that they are ready to take this serious and joyful 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 a book of 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, the forty-day period of preparation for Easter.
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. During this
period the catechumens, 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.
The scrutinies are rites for self-searching and repentance. They are
meant to bring out the qualities of the catechumen’s soul, to heal
those qualities which are weak or sinful, and to strengthen those that
are positive and good.
During this period, the catechumens are formally presented with the
Apostles’ Creed and the Lord’s Prayer, which they will recite on
the night they are initiated.
The initiation itself usually occurs on the Easter Vigil, the
evening before Easter Day. That evening a special Mass is celebrated
at which the catechumens are baptized, then given confirmation, and
finally receive the holy Eucharist. At this point the catechumens
become Catholics and are received into full communion with the Church.
Ideally the bishop oversees the Easter Vigil service and confers
confirmation upon the catechumens, but often—due to large distances
or numbers of catechumens—a local parish priest will perform the
rites.
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 Easter and Pentecost Sunday).
For the first year of their life as Christians, those who have been
received are known as neophytes or "new Christians."
Preparation for Christians
The means by which those who have already been validly baptized
become part of the Church differs considerably from that of the
unbaptized.
Because they have already been baptized, they are already Christians;
they are, therefore, not catechumens. Because of their status as
Christians, the Church is concerned that they not be confused with
those who are in the process of becoming Christians.
"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" (NSC 30).
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 (NSC
3). 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 also is 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).
Christians coming into the Catholic Church must discuss with their
pastor and/or bishop the amount of instruction needed and the time of
their reception.
Peace with God
The sacrament of baptism removes all sins committed prior to it,
but since Christians have already been baptized, it is necessary for
them to confess mortal sins 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 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.
Reception in Special Cases
In some situations, there may be doubts 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 are doubts about the validity of a person’s baptism (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 concerns those who have been baptized as
Catholics but who were not brought up in the faith or who 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).
Waiting for the Day!
It can be a time of anxious longing while one waits to
experience the warm embrace of membership in 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. But waiting
can be painful as one longs for the sacraments, especially the
Eucharist, and the joys of Catholic life—the security that being a
faithful Catholic bestows. Yet even before being received, those
waiting to be fully incorporated already have a real relationship with
the Church.
For 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 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
enjoy the status of being recognized by the Church as one of her own,
precious children.
NIHIL OBSTAT: I have concluded that the
materials
presented in this work are free of doctrinal or moral errors.
Bernadeane Carr, STL, Censor Librorum, August 10, 2004
IMPRIMATUR: In accord with 1983 CIC 827
permission to publish this work is hereby granted.
+Robert H. Brom, Bishop of San Diego, August 10, 2004
If you have
questions or interested in becoming a Catholic at St. James or St.
Mary's, call our office at 636-451-4685 and ask for Bev between 10am
and 2pm, Monday thru Friday. (Right now we meet twice a month at St.
James Hall at 7pm.)
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