RCIA - We're Doing it Wrong

Meghan was brought up in the Methodist denomination. As an adult, she had a very moving faith experience during a Walk to Emmaus retreat that really got her thinking about how to commit her life more deeply to Christ. She learned that the Emmaus retreats are adapted from the Catholic Cursillo model. This got her reading more about the Catholic Church. She attended a few Catholic Masses. She talked to some Catholic friends. Then she approached the local Catholic parish about becoming Catholic. She was told that she needed to go through something called RCIA—the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults—which involved participating in weekly classes. But it was too late in the year to join now. She had to wait until September when a new class would start. Then she could be received into the Church the following Easter, 13 months from now. Meanwhile, she just has to wait.

The above narrative is played out again and again in Catholic parishes across the United States. And it’s incorrect.

RCIA an Obstacle?

Recently I came across Fr. Dwight Longenecker’s article, “10 Reasons Catholics Don’t Evangelize”. He includes the RCIA—the very process by which new Catholics come into the Church—as an obstacle to evangelization. He writes:

RCIA—What is that? An company that used to make electronics? The whole RCIA system is often cumbersome and user-unfriendly. If you have someone who is interested in becoming a Catholic you have to tell them about RCIA which starts in the fall (so what do you do when they come in April?) and goes through for months until Easter. Meanwhile Pastor Bob at the local Protestant church says, “Come to church. Sign up. You’re in.” Proper catechesis is necessary, but a more creative and flexible approach would help.

The ironic thing is, “a more creative and flexible approach” is precisely what is called for by the RCIA text itself. Yet in most parishes, entry into the Catholic Church is made much harder than it needs to be.

Baptized Christians don’t need RCIA

The great unspoken secret of the RCIA is that baptized Christians don’t even need it. If you look at the actual text of the rite book, you will see that the first half deals exclusively with initiating unbaptized adults into the Church. This is what the RCIA is all about.

The second half of the text deals with other circumstances under which a person might require full or partial initiation: this includes the initiation of children, of a person in danger of death, of baptized but uncatechized Catholics who need to complete their sacraments of initiation, and finally baptized Christians being brought into full communion with the Catholic Church. Because we live in a largely Protestant country, this final category often makes up the bulk of people in any parish RCIA program in America— yet according to the RCIA text itself they don’t really need to be there.

“The baptized Christian is to receive both doctrinal and spiritual preparation, adapted to the individual pastoral requirements, for reception into full communion of the Catholic Church… Anything that would equate candidates for reception with those who are catechumens [unbaptized] is to be absolutely avoided” (RCIA 477).

To my mind, “anything that would equate” candidates with catechumens would include making them take the same classes, using the same books, going on the same retreats, and receiving them into the Church at the same time. It goes on:

“In all cases… discernment should be made regarding the length of catechetical formation required for each individual candidate for reception into the full communion of the Catholic Church” (RCIA 478).

In other words, candidates should be prepared to be received into the Church, but that preparation and amount of time required should be adapted to their individual needs. What was their previous Christian formation like? How much independent study have they undertaken? How long (if at all) have they been participating in the Catholic liturgical life? Someone from a Anglo-Catholic background who has been attending a Catholic Mass for years and has read the Catechism cover to cover is going to require much less formation than someone who attended a small Pentecostal church as a child but has had no adult Christian formation whatsoever. Bottom line: the individual needs of the person being received into the Catholic Church need to be considered.

The Easter Vigil is for Catechumens

Catechumens ordinarily receive their sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil, though there are times when pastoral needs would make reception at other times necessary (RCIA 26–27, 207). But no time of year is specified for the reception of already baptized candidates. All the rite text says is that it “should normally take place within Mass.” It doesn’t even need to be a Sunday Mass celebrated with the whole community. It states that “often it will be preferable to celebrate the Mass with only a few relatives and friends.” And, “If for a serious reason Mass cannot be celebrated, the reception should at least take place within a liturgy of the word, whenever this is possible.” Finally, and importantly, “the one being received should be consulted about the form of reception” (RCIA 475).

While the RCIA text does provide for reception of baptized candidates during the Easter Vigil for “pastoral considerations” (RCIA 562), it is absolutely not envisioned that this would be the norm. Furthermore it repeats that “the person being received should always be consulted about the form of reception” (RCIA 564). If a candidate does not want to wait to be received at the Easter Vigil alongside the catechumens they should never feel forced to do so by their pastor or RCIA team members.

Practical Considerations

Given that the rite text is so emphatic that anything equating baptized candidates with unbaptized catechumens be avoided, including their reception at the Easter Vigil, then why do most parish RCIA programs seem to go out of their way to do just that? Why are they catechized in the same way, in the same room, using the same materials, for the same length of time?

I can offer only one answer: convenience.

No, it’s not a very satisfying answer, but it is a real practical concern. I’ve been on the parish RCIA team. I know that they are largely made up of volunteers who are willing to take time away from their families one evening a week to help prepare those seeking to enter the Catholic Church. They are providing a wonderful service, but their time and energy are limited. Putting everyone coming into the Church into the same group is just easier, and in many cases seems like the only practical way to proceed. But we need to be aware that it is not ideal, and it is not what the rite requires.

We need to stop treating candidates as if they were catechumens by another name. This is the simple part. Respect the fact that these men and women are baptized Christians and therefore already a part of the body of Christ. They are not “converting” to a new religion, but seeking to experience the fullness of the faith they already possess. Do not treat them like neophytes.

We also need to get to know them and their individual needs, and adapt their preparation accordingly. This is the hard part. It takes effort and a willingness on the part of the pastor and RCIA team to be flexible. One person may require a couple of years of preparation before they feel ready to enter into the Catholic Church while another may only need a few meetings with the pastor over the course of a month to square things away. You don’t know how much reading, praying, studying and soul searching that person has already done before sitting down in your classroom?—?but you should find out.

I realize that this requires a great deal of flexibility on the part of those charged with candidates’ preparation. I realize many parishes won’t feel that they have the manpower to devote to the sort of adaptive approach that the RCIA text asks for. But I think we need to try harder to make this happen.

Adjusting Expectations

We also need to take an honest look at our expectations for those entering the Catholic Church. Are we setting the bar too high? Yes, we want to prepare people as best as we can. Candidates should be familiar enough with the basics of the Catholic faith to know what it is they are saying “yes” to. They should have given adequate thought and prayer to their decision. They need to know enough to make an informed decision, but they don’t need to know it all.

The Catholic Church is not some fancy exclusive club. We are the Body of Christ—a Body, I’ll point out, that these baptized Christians already belong to. We should be striving to make their entry into full communion with the Church as easy and welcoming a process as possible without neglecting the necessary formation. Becoming Catholic is the beginning of a wonderful journey of faith—it is not the final chapter.

Meghan approached the pastor of the local Catholic parish after Mass one Sunday. She told him that she was raised Methodist, but had been considering the Catholic Church for some time. She has been reading every Catholic book she can get her hands on and has been coming to Mass for several months. She finally thinks that she’s ready now. She wants to become a Catholic. Meghan starts meets weekly with one of the RCIA catechists. After a few months the pastor sets a date when Meghan will be received into full communion with the Catholic Church—September 8, the feast of the Birth of Mary, and Meghan’s own birthday. She took our Lady’s name as her confirmation name, and becomes greatly devoted to the Blessed Mother. Years later, Meghan now serves on the parish RCIA team, helping to prepare others who, like her, wish to be fully initiated into the Christian faith in communion with the Catholic Church.