I realize this is not the forum for this question, but the Catetchesis forum is full and has been for some time and I am desperate for an answer and some guidance.

I would like your opinion and guidance on my particular situation. I have been an active member of the Methodist church for 40 years. I taught adult Sunday school for 16 years, I've led an adult Bible study group for 10 years, worked with the youth for 12, been a member of the choir and at one time or another sat on virtually every committee the church had. I have felt for a number of years that something was missing in my spiritual life. After prayerful consideration and study, I decided I wanted to join the Catholic church.

I have many Catholic friends, including a member of the Order of the Sisters of St Joseph. She and I have been close friends for over 20 years and have talked frequently about and shared our faith with one another. When I told her I had decided to convert she directed me to a mutual friend of ours, a retired priest with whom I've also been friends for over 10 years to teach my catechesis. I began the catechesis in Sept 2008 with the understanding that the process should not take more than a few months.

My catechesis began August 2008 and I progressed thru 3/4 of the book but suddenly things went wrong. I had hoped to be brought into the Church at Christmas. My priest's schedule began to become so busy and the weather so frequently bad that I had no more classes and no more opportunity to take classes until the month before Easter. My Catechesist contacted me to pick up the classes again. I had told him months before that my work was going to require me to change my schedule the month before and after Easter. I told him that the scope of the project was such that my free time would be virtually gone, I would be working evenings and weekends, and that it would be almost impossible for me to attend Catechesis regularly.

Now my schedule has freed up and I wanted to continue the classes and join the church. Now I find out that a retired priest can teach the Catechesis but cannot bring me into the church. When I approached the priest at the Church I attend he informed me that since I had missed the Easter "deadline", I now had to wait until September 2009 and begin Catechesis all over again. I printed off the article off the EWTN website on "How to become a Catholic" and pointed out to him that I was not to be run thru the RCIA process, that an active Christian from another Christian community needed only teaching in specific Catholic doctrine and were not to be confused with catuchemens by being brought into the Church during Easter, but he told me that "That's how we do things here". I've approached the other 4 priests in my parish and received the same attitude.

My question is this: Are the rules laid down by the USCCB on the way the RCIA program is to be run and the way that Christians are brought into the church only guidelines or are they requirements? If they are requirments, how can I get my priest to acknowledge this and finish my Catechesis and allow me entry into the Church before Easter 2010? The guidelines listed in the article on your website are being totally ignored by all the priests in my local parish.

I began my Catechesis with great enthusiasm but now I question what other teachings of the Church are being ignored by the priests because "That's how we do things here". I desperately want to be a Catholic but the fact that priests can ignore what I perceive as a directive from the Bishops gives me pause. I am so discouraged I quit attending mass because I feel left out since I am denied the Eucharist. I don't feel as though I'm a true part of the Catholic community. I do not want to return to the Methodist church because I feel as though I am supposed to be a Catholic

What should I do?

Given what you have shared with me, if you lived locally I would set up a meeting with you and if your knowledge of the Faith was sufficient, I could bring you in same day. Many parishes have "policies" and while this is normative it need not be absolute. The problem is that other priests of the same parish will follow the policy. Perhaps you should seek out another parish in your area and you may find a sympathetic pastor. I personally do not use the RCIA program and while I have faith instruction spanning several months, I do consider individual cases, such as yours. I hope and pray that the Holy Spirit will guide you to the appropriate pastor...

Hang in there, Bill, and do not let this discourage you from making the most important decision of your life...

Father Echert

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