A reader from the U.K. writes:
I’ve just turned eighteen and over the last year I’ve been looking into the Catholic Church. I was baptised in the Church of England as a baby but I’m completely ‘unchurched’.
I never really had any sort of Christian instruction and a few years ago I stopped believing even in God for a while before eventually returning to a form of Christian belief. Things didn’t really start to make sense to me though until I started investigating Catholicism. Over the last year, I’ve devoured books (and websites) about Catholicism – on doctrine, Church history, writings of Fathers and Saints… Protestantism was all I knew of Christianity so I’ve still had to struggle with all the usual Catholic doctrines that Protestants struggle with, etc. But it’s not just been about struggling with Catholic distinctives – I decided fairly quickly that if any form of Christianity was true, Catholicism was it – I’ve been steadily growing in my faith in Christ in general, praying, and studying the Bible.)
I’ve been certain for a couple of months now that I have to become Catholic but I haven’t been totally sure what to do about it. I’ve just returned from an amazing trip to Rome and being there underscored that I have to do something ASAP to take steps to enter the Church. I guess I need to contact a priest, but I don’t really know what the procedure is. Does this mean waiting a year and being confirmed next Easter? When would I be able to go to Confession – would that mean waiting a year? And I worry that there’s going to be disruption in the middle of all this – I’m going away to university on the other side of England in October.
I’ll try to be as much help as I can.
I’m afraid that I don’t know the process for the reception of converts in England as well as I’d like. Here in the States, the process is (theoretically) governed by a document known as the National Statutes for the Catechumenate, but this applies only to the U.S. and the bishops of England and Wales are likely to have their own particular law regarding the reception of converts. If they do, though, it isn’t discussed in the commentaries I have available to me at the moment.
I have reason to think, though, that you would not be required to endure a whole year before being able to be received at Easter. Since you are already baptized, Easter shouldn’t be the liturgically desirable point for your reception into the Church, anyway, and that research I’ve done online suggests that a period of a number of months might be involved, but not a whole year.
You’re right that you should contact a priest, and he could get you started on the process, but hopefully it won’t involve all the nonsense that converting to Catholicism in America typically does.
Perhaps some of the British readers of the blog could use the combox to shed light on the British conversion process.
HERE’S SOME FOLKS WHO CAN ALSO HELP YOU OUT.
CHECK OUT THIS PAGE IN PARTICULAR.
Hope this helps, and welcome home!
Please contact me via email: lepanto@hotmail.co.uk
or via the blog:
http://inhocsigno.blogspot.com/
More than happy to help
Paulinus
“if any form of Christianity was true, Catholicism was it”
Now, ain’t that familiar! 🙂
No offense to the brothers in Christ, but, whatever is true, Protestantism simply CAN’T be true. I’ve had a lot of doubts about a lot of things over the years, but that isn’t one of them.
Always remember Newman’s exegesis on the Pope and absolute necessity of sticking with Peter’s guidance. That will keep you straight when you encounter all the scandals–priests and faithful who seem not to be believers at all or even to hate Catholicism–that may tempt you toward the more schismatical forms of “Traditionalism”.
The Real Church, that exists in flesh-and-blood is a messy and sometimes impossible-seeming place to live. Find priests and religious and other friends who can help you keep your head above water–and then in the end you’ll find you can walk on the stuff!
God bless you and thank you!
I’ve been thinking that it makes a great deal of difference what priest you meet to talk to about the Faith. You will, of course, be working with your local parish priest and he could well be a fine one. But I remember one Lutheran couple who were friends of mine several years ago being told by their parish priest that they should stay Lutherans.
Here is a priest in the diocese of Southwark who you can read about who is obviously very fine. I would recommend contacting him for advice about the best way to join the Church. I’m sure he can help with advice even if you are too far away to be able to meet him in person:
http://closedcafeteria.blogspot.com/2006/05/honor-thy-father-fr-tim-finigan-our.html
“Following in Newman’s footsteps” indeed. From Newman’s Introduction to his Essay on the Development of Doctrine:
–Another former member of the Anglican communion
If you contact Fr. Tim Finigan, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish, Blackfen, at his web site I’m sure he will give you direction.
http://the-hermeneutic-of-continuity.blogspot.com/
“hopefully it won’t involve all the nonsense that converting to Catholicism in America typically does”
Jimmy, have you ever posted on this before? That is, what about the catechumenate/reception process in the US is undesirable, and why, and how it could be improved? Could you point me to it if you already have done so, or would you comment more on it now?
“hopefully it won’t involve all the nonsense that converting to Catholicism in America typically does”
Yes, Jimmy, as someone who teaches RCIA here in the US, I’m curious what you think is nonsensical about the process…
John
Living in the UK and becoming a Catholic seven years ago, I would recommend going along to Mass and meeting with the priest for a chat at some point.
franksta and John C.,
As a convert, the RCIA process I went through was absolutely atocious. If it was heresy, it was taught. Alright that is an exaggeration but you get the idea. I don’t have any problem with the RCIA program itself (though some standardization of the teaching material might help) but the fact is that many times, maybe most times, the actual catechisis leaves much to be desired.
I think this person should be sure to find a solid faithful parish, or else like me do a lot of private research with faithful sources to come to an authentic understanding of Catholicism. And get a Catechism (or at least the new Compendium). Don’t be scared off by the hard time we are having in the Church right now with dissent and liturgical abuse and all the rest, but also don’t be ignorent of it.
yes, welcome home!!!
I was also a previously baptized Protestant, so after RCIA, I was allowed to be confirmed “when I was ready”. I was received into the Church on Gaudette Sunday, in December 2004.
for me also, my RCIA left a lot to be desired. But I also was very well read in the Bible and I did a lot of reading on my own (church history, Catholic apologetics, the Catechism). I would have appreciated a standardized RCIA program that would have been able to be personalized to one’s individual needs.
HAHA!!!
Catechised by a priest of FSSP here. Thoroughly orthodox, based on the CCC and Fr. Hardon’s “Catholic Catechism”.
Seriously, sorry ya’ll had to go through RCIA.
This isn’t so much a fault of RCIA teachers as society in general. I think a lot of folks have only had teachers and professors who either don’t know their subject or only wanted to teach their own agenda. So they don’t know that that’s not what a teacher’s supposed to do.
Things will get better.
Could you explain your comment about US converts probably not having to wait until next Easter to join the church? I’m a baptized Methodist. Whenever I inquire at my parish about joining the church, getting plugged into a small group or Bible study, or going to confession, the only response I get is to wait for the next RCIA class, which is getting really frustrating since I don’t know a soul in this church and mass doesn’t provide an opportunity to meet anyone. I fear it’s going to be a long year.