How Does Someone Become Catholic?

there are many reasons why people might want to join the Catholic Church for some it's the liturgical and sacramental life for others it's the commitment to charity and social justice many because they're marrying a Catholic whatever the reason loads of people each year find themselves with a question how do I become Catholic in a way the answer depends on you this is Catholicism and focus [Music] I'm like joining a gym or becoming a member of a political party becoming a Catholic is not something you can simply sign up for not only does one need to

be approved to enter the process of preparation can take some time call us crazy but we think joining an institution concerned with the salvation of your soul it's kind of a big deal so forgive us if there's no app for that instead what we have is called the RCIA or The Rite of Christian initiation for adults an in-depth series of experiences and rituals meant to prepare new members based off the ancient catechumenate of the church so what does this mean for someone joining the Catholic Church today well it depends on who you are and what

you need the main category for which this process was designed is for adults who have never been baptized although an adaptive program is often offered for people between the ages of seven and eighteen being that these people are not yet Christians truly converts to the faith special attention is given to adequately prepare them to receive the sacraments of initiation that's ISM confirmation and Eucharist throughout the in mandatory year of preparation they are introduced to the basics of the faith given catechetical instruction about the Catholic Church and gradually admitted through a series of stages and rites

the first stage is called inquiry or the pre catechumen and it's meant to be a time for anyone to learn more about the church in a laid-back setting there's no commitment at this point and people can stay in the stage until they're ready to move on as soon as someone is sure that they want to be a Christian they are ready to enter the second stage and originally accepted into the order of the catechumens the read itself is one of the most intimate and elaborate of the church beginning with the aspirants outside the doors of

the church requesting admittance they are welcomed by the whole gathered assembly and asked to introduce themselves and declare the desire to be a Christian in response the presider questions them about the readiness to live the life of the gospel before marking each one with the sign of the Cross to strengthen them as they continue their preparation while this Rite can occur at once perished at any point during the year the next step called the right of election usually occurs on the first Sunday of Lent before the bishop here all the catechumens from across the diocese

gather with their sponsors and catechists to reaffirm their commitment and have testimony spoken on their behalf before their names are officially enrolled in the book of the elect you can imagine the this right in the pre background check world how could the bishop be sure that he was admitting worthy candidates a faithful Christian had to come and vouch on their behalf at this point the elect as they are now called and to their final stage of preparation in which they fast grow deeper in prayer and are strengthened by the three scrutinies something that will be

discussed in another episode interesting enough this is the very reason that the rest of us fast during Lent originally the whole church did so to be in solidarity with those preparing to be initiated come the Easter Vigil as the church celebrates our salvation and the connection Jesus's resurrection has to our own baptism the elect are baptized confirmed and given their first Eucharist all in one ceremony now fully Catholic Christians these neophytes enter the final stage called mist agachi a time to reflect on the mysteries they have received so enquirer catechumen elect and neophyte it's a

lot of names to remember but say you're already a Christian and you want to join the Catholic Church from another tradition do you have to do this whole process as well no in which case yes I did just waste a bunch of your time while still a part of the RCIA the process is quite different because obviously you're already a Christian and not a convert even if baptized in another Church we believe that the character imprinted on one soul at baptism is permanent never fading or needing to be redone because some of the rituals the

RCIA are meant specifically to prepare candidates for baptism they don't make much sense for someone seeking full communion in the Catholic Church instead a modified program is usually set up at a parish to properly evaluate and catechized those in this situation focusing on issues like the sacraments Church Authority and social life things that might be different from a previous tradition and although many churches do admit these people along with the elect at the Easter Vigil it's not required and it may in fact be a bad idea remembering that Easter is primarily about baptism and becoming

a Christian if more people are confirmed from another tradition then convert through baptism the focus of the celebration might become more about becoming Catholic rather than what it's really about becoming Christian instead candidates should be received whenever they are ready preferably on a Sunday outside of Lent and finally as a last complicated note there is one more category those who are baptized as Catholic but never confirmed a received first technically this person has no need for initiation as they are already Catholic Christians and as such are actually under the responsibility of the bishop luckily a

parish priests can get permission to complete one's initiation and like the other candidates can be confirmed whenever adequately prepared so are you or someone you know thinking about becoming a Catholic it's a big decision for sure and so we don't want to take it lightly or rush anyone through but that's the beauty of the RCIA no one has to become a full member on day one if all you have are questions a curiosity for what this might be about then you're ready to start no one will push you along until you're ready and you can

leave at any time as easy as it is and with something as important in life as community and the salvation of your soul what have you got to lose thanks for watching this episode of Catholicism and focus made possible by the patrons on patreon if you'd like to join the wonderful patrons like maureen copán and support this ministry of evangelization and catechesis check out my patreon page here we're in the description and of course you can always join the mission by sharing this video with others