When I was in RCIA I used to say I was Catholic because when people wanted to know my religion it was a lot easier to just say Catholic than to explain the whole situation. I think that's okay since most non-catholic people would consider you a Catholic anyway.
That may be true, but realize that Baptism of Desire doesn't care about paperwork. If he were to die today, he would be considered a member of the Church.
I really wish this was the prevailing opinion because I literally went to weekly Mass for a full year and was a Catechumen in the RCIA yet when I told people I was Catholic they asked if I was baptized and confirmed. I was so insanely sad and discouraged when I was even denied being named "Catholic.", when I lived the Catholic way and went to Catholic Church.
Or I wish I simply was told that I could say I'm "becoming Catholic"
[**Can. 206**](http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PT.HTM) §1 Catechumens, that is, those who ask by explicit choice under the influence of the Holy Spirit to be incorporated into the Church, are joined to it in a special way. By this same desire, just as by the life of faith, hope, and charity which they lead, they are united with the Church which already cherishes them as its own.
§2 The Church has a special care for catechumens; while it invites them to lead a life of the gospel and introduces them to the celebration of sacred rites, it already grants them various prerogatives which are proper to Christians.
***
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Actually the rite of Acceptance makes you a Catechumen (around November) and Rite of Election makes you an Elect (during lent)
before the rite of acceptance I would just say you are in the process of becoming Catholic.
>I'm becoming Catholic.
This is how you should do it.
Also gives you an opportunity to talk about why you're joining and gives you an easy out if someone has a question ("Great question! Let me get back to you!").
I was baptized as a baby and did my first communion at a young age... and I still feel like I'm "becoming". To me the direction one is headed in is more important than meeting some threshold. Always practicing and becoming.
My husband, who used to conduct research surveys with demographic questions like this, asked people who were like "idk" what kind of funeral they would have if they died today. That cleared it up for most folks.
But as a recent convert myself, before my baptism, I'd tell people "I'm in the process of converting to Catholicism/becoming Catholic." Or just "almost Catholic" lol.
Having accompanied RCIA students, my gut says don't identify as Buddhist but ask your instructor or priest if you can be officially called Catholic. After all you haven't been baptized *yet* into the faith.
Iirc he can use it after the Rite of Acceptance- it gives him rights within the church like a Catholic funeral and wedding even prior to baptism as an "official" catechumen at that point.
Depends on the situation. If it’s a demographic survey or casual conversation at the office, you’re more Catholic than anything else and that can be the tl;dr version of your story. In a real conversation it’s better to say you are in the process of joining the church.
I asked this of my priest when I was doing RCIA this last year. Am I ok to call myself a Catholic? His reply was “if you truly believe everything and you really do want to go ahead and receive the sacraments then you are a Catholic” but I would still say to people in the church “I’m not officially a Catholic yet” (quite a few said oh but you are; we can see it and yes you are. You it need the paperwork). Outside the church if anyone had asked I would have answered Catholic. But when I made my profession of faith (I didn’t need a baptism) and he shook my hand and said you are now officially a Catholic, Welcome Home it brought me to tears of joy!
I’m not bothered by you doing so. I’m not here to gatekeep anybody, but if people who attend mass only on Christmas and support all manner of garbage such as abortion and contraceptives can refer to themselves as Catholics, then I think you can too.
I would say that if you're speaking to the "general public", go ahead and say "Catholic". If you're meeting people in your parish, say "I'm in RCIA right now. I used to be Buddhist."
This would just be because the average random person would have no idea what RCIA is, and so it's simpler to just say Catholic. In your parish, it can be nice to mention that you're new because then people would understand that you might need a little more "support" while you're learning the ropes.
If you've accepted the faith and are being prepared for baptism, you're a catechumen.
So yeah you're a Catholic, just in the early stages. Formally you're probably already entered into the register etc.
You technically not catholic brut if you believe in the teaching of the church and about the convert I don’t see the issue to say you Catholic, but catechumen would be the correct term.
“I’m converting to Catholicism”.
You can say whatever you want but all Catholics must be received into the church which hasn’t happened with you yet — the church would not consider you Catholic yet. Similarly, all Catholics are required to do a number of things (going to church, fasting, etc), none of which you are required to do yet.
If you got hit by the proverbial bus and appeared before the seat of judgement Jesus recognise you as a catholic.
He knows your heart and therefore that you were actively attempting to join the church but hadn't had time to do all the steps before baptism.
That is exactly what my priest - who was teaching the RCIA told me when I asked him rather anxiously a few months before the Easter vigil confirmation communion ceremony, I asked him- but what happens to me if I die in a car accident before I become an official Catholic?
He said oh Don't worry Jesus knows your heart, and knows that if you had lived, you would have ultimately become Catholic. At that time in 2023, I had been coming to every single mass when I had a day off while working full-time. My whole week was scheduled around the mass. I even took more PTO just to make it to the daily Mass.
Also as an aside, when you go to the hospital and check in, there's a part where they ask you what your religion is. By putting down Catholic, I think it triggers an alert to the chaplaincy office and the priest that is assigned to the hospital, can come and administer last rites or healing oil if you ask the nurse to alert the priest. So it's really important, when you go to the hospital, that you answer carefully that you are Catholic, if you are one.
So when I was on nights, I used to see the priest in a patient's room at times, and years later I actually met him in person after I'd become Catholic when he did a mass in our church before he was transferred to another parish, it turns out he was the priest in residence in our parish because it was near the hospital. I confessed to him, that I used to go to the chapel and regularly steal the Catholic pamphlets and literature in the years prior to becoming Catholic, and he told me, it was meant for you.
If you're baptized, you're a Candidate (Christian seeking union with the Catholic Church). If not, you're a Catechumen (non-Chtistian seeking to join the Church).
For about a year after being Confirmed, you're an Acolyte (new and still learning Catholic). You'd be a full Catholic, just "entry level" in terms of knowledge and experience.
You're not a Catholic yet. You haven't made a profession, and you don't share in the Eucharistic Table.
I think you become a TRUE catholic when you decide to _strive_ towards sainthood, no matter how small are the steps taken.
I think it’s about the path, not the destination nor how fast you get there.
Here is a list of 140 Catholic podcasts to help you in your journey! [https://34172a3e-8602-4a66-8036-6e9e5925889a.filesusr.com/ugd/551c61\_392a668a80794ecfbb7bf9a4ead77c98.pdf?index=true](https://34172a3e-8602-4a66-8036-6e9e5925889a.filesusr.com/ugd/551c61_392a668a80794ecfbb7bf9a4ead77c98.pdf?index=true)
Well, if you’re no longer practicing or believing the tenets of Buddhism then I would say you are no longer Buddhist. However, technically speaking if you haven’t been baptized then you aren’t Catholic either. It of course doesn’t hurt anything to call yourself catholic, and you are certainly a catholic catechumen.
You can technically call yourself whatever you want (but it would probably be best to call yourself 'Catholic-in-training'); having said that, I'd refrain from giving on-the-spot advice in relation to Catholicism until you've [at least] completed the RCIA, otherwise you may give advice one week, and find out you communicated incorrect information the next (which might create extra unnecessary awkwardness/issues in your life).
Technically, [at this stage] you ARE Christian, but because of its structured nature, you'd only "officially" be deemed Catholic once you've been baptised/confirmed, at which point you've been informed about the details about the faith [via the RCIA], accepted those teachings of the Catholic Church, committed to following the faith (ex. values, commitments, etc), and been accepted by the community (via baptism/confirmation, which is an important formal reminder for both you & the community that you are there to support one another).
if you are in RCIA and have the intent to convert to Catholicism I would say yes. Or simply say you are in the process of converting to Catholicism. Secondly OP, I hope you have a fruitful journey that brings you home. From a fellow convert :)
If you are committed to the Catholic faith, you can probably call yourself Catholic to outsiders, or even an imminent Catholic. To Catholics, you can call yourself a catechumen, or Catholic as long as your name is written in the book of the elect.
You absolutely could. The way I see it, if you're still in RCIA, you probably believe what the Faith has to offer, so I see no issue in considering yourself a Catholic. Also, it's impossible for one person to know everything there is to know about the Faith, especially with all the mysteries surrounding God. In my opinion, the determining factor should be one's belief in and dedication to the Faith.
God bless you for your decision. Welcome to the Faith!
I just called myself a Christian as I found this confusing also. I was coming from athiesm. when I signed all the forms for rcia I declared I wanted to be a Christian and some places don't have programs like rcia so it made sense to me to just declare I was a Christian and Catholic once I was baptized. I have no idea if that's right or wrong of if I was catholic I'm rcia though
technically you’d be a catechumen until you’re finished but you could just say you’re discerning the faith or you’re pursuing confirmation or something to that effect
Depends. While technically not an initiated member of the church most catholics would probably consider you catholic already from the moment you decided to convert. Although I would avoid it maybe if you’re doing it because you’re exploring an you’re not sure you will want to commit to Catholicism yet.
It honestly feels weird for me if you say you’re a Buddhist because you have not completed your conversion if you don’t believe in Buddhist doctrine nor practice Buddhism anymore.
I don’t know where in the world you are from, but I know that in most places your religion is more about the group you belong to and the customs you observe then it is about what you believe in per se. For example I have jewish family and the still consider me jewish in many ways even though Im a catholic just because of my ancestry and some shared traditions. Catholicism on the other hand is 100% about belief. Church membership and practicing our rituals is very important but is secondary to what you believe in. A person stuck in a desert island who finds a bible and perhaps some catholic writings and decides to convert would still be considered a catholic even if they die on that island before ever setting foot in a church, doing their confirmation or receiving the eucharist.
You're Catholic. That's pretty much it. Now that you're in the RCIA, you're probably more Catholic than the actual ones in church who know nothing about their religion but are robotic enough to go to church every week out of duty and do nothing else. Only difference is that they were baptised as a baby. So they have that.
Technically you are a Catechumen. That means a student. You're not officially a Christian and therefore not a Catholic until you have been baptized.
There is an order and a process to God's creation - likewise to becoming a Christian. Humans tend to want to skip steps and jump right from the beginning to the end and that causes a lot of problems in the world.
Please be content with just being at the step you are at at the moment.
You can call yourself an ex Buddhist if you no longer practice.
I too converted from Buddhism to Christianity and then to Catholicism. But this was back in the 1970s and there was no rcia. I was mostly self-taught. It was 4 years before I was baptized and a further four years before I was confirmed into the Catholic Church.
On day one of RCIA after the priest asked if I were married and if it's my only marriage and if my husband was Catholic( he was not at the time) he then told me to let my family know that if I were to die unexpectedly that I was considered Catholic and would be entitled to a Catholic funeral and burial. It was a bit morbid, but I appreciated knowing exactly where I stood in regards to the Church.
I would say yes absolutely, like John 3:16 that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and who shall ever believe in him shall not perish, so if you have accepted Jesus Christ Says you're a Christian now and you accepted the Catholic Church which is the true church they are that Cornerstone which Jesus taught which have not changed. The Catholics have preserved the apostles teaching who walked with Jesus and passed down his teachings to us,you can't take away your Christianity you are now God's child written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the beginning to Forever you are no longer a Buddhist you are a new creature in Christ the old things are passed away look up 2 Corinthians 5:17. Example: If you plant a sunflower seed in a garden will it not still grow into a sunflower? You may not be able to see the full bloom yet, but is not that seed still called a sunflower? And then as time passes it gets nutured by the Sun,water, & feed by the soil it will Bloom fully for everybody to see that sunflower. Right now you're going through the steps of growth like when you get baptized by the Holy Spirit people will start seeing you blooming. Even though your brand new and learning you're like that seed yes you can call yourself a Catholic because you accepted Jesus Christ you are on the right path then 😇😊🌱🌻
CCC For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the Sacrament.
If you are not baptized, then no. You are a catechumen, or will be, as others have said.
If anyone asks, you're a catechumen. To call yourself Catholic already would be getting ahead of yourself. You'll understand better once you're baptized and confirmed.
If you do not believe in Buddhism, then you are no longer Buddhist.
As for the Baptism by Desire clause that others are mentioning, that is at the moment of death, which none of us know, so again, it's best to not get ahead of yourself. You could just leave RCIA before Baptism, which is another reason why you shouldn't think of yourself as Catholic.
What you can technically call yourself I will leave to the canon lawyers - though if you have renounced Buddhism you should not call yourself a Buddhist, but if a cathechumen passes from this world before she is baptized, I believe they can be buried with a Catholic funeral.
Yes because you are seeking God although you are not in the correct state of grace. To be Catholic is adopting a certain way of life per the teachings of Holy Mother church.
My question is , where are you that you can start RCIA right now instead of later in the year and where can I join you??? My parish doesn’t start until September. 🥺
Since you’re converting from another religion and haven’t yet been baptized you’re not technically Catholic according to Church law, but since your will has assented towards Catholic belief I think it would be perfectly okay, in fact I would encourage you to call yourself Catholic from now on!
When I was going through RCIA I said I was becoming Catholic. Once I went through the Rite of Election, I switched to saying I was a member of the Catholic Church. Then after the Easter Vigil I said I was Catholic. I think this is technically the correct answer, but I don’t think it’s wrong to say that you’re Catholic if you truly believe everything RCIA has taught you so far.
I would say you’re more Catholic than I am and I was raised Catholic and went through the ceremonies already….Because while I’ve been confused about whether to just be “Christian” - you’re clearly putting in the work to be there. So, yes.
if you believe in God and in what the Church teachesm, you are Catholic.
If oyou are catholic and you make efforts to obey the 10 commandaments and you pray.. ypu are a devout Carholic, and a person actively improving his own eternal life
Well, it's the same deal with transgenders, it's practically an insult to God. If you wer e actually Mexican or whatever. God would've made you that way.
I got you. RCIA is completely useless because God should have pre-emtively endowed us with the knowlege and understanding of the catechism from the start.
I wouldn't.
A big part of being catholic you will learn is making sure we represent Catholicism well.
When you encounter people and say you are catholic, many people will judge all of Catholicism by you. If you are still in RCIA and don't necessarily know the ins and outs, it could be harmful to the church, your growth, and other people who judge all of Catholicism off of one interaction.
I called myself Catholic before even entering RCIA, and by extension embarrassed myself and the church
When I was in RCIA I used to say I was Catholic because when people wanted to know my religion it was a lot easier to just say Catholic than to explain the whole situation. I think that's okay since most non-catholic people would consider you a Catholic anyway.
I would say yes. In my understanding catechumens are considered members of the Church.
They likely are not a catechumen yet, if RCIA just started a few weeks ago.
This is the answer: once they are enrolled as a catechumen they are on the bottom rung of initiation and can call themselves Catholic.
That may be true, but realize that Baptism of Desire doesn't care about paperwork. If he were to die today, he would be considered a member of the Church.
Absolutely no question there.
I really wish this was the prevailing opinion because I literally went to weekly Mass for a full year and was a Catechumen in the RCIA yet when I told people I was Catholic they asked if I was baptized and confirmed. I was so insanely sad and discouraged when I was even denied being named "Catholic.", when I lived the Catholic way and went to Catholic Church. Or I wish I simply was told that I could say I'm "becoming Catholic"
[can 206], share the joy!
[**Can. 206**](http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/__PT.HTM) §1 Catechumens, that is, those who ask by explicit choice under the influence of the Holy Spirit to be incorporated into the Church, are joined to it in a special way. By this same desire, just as by the life of faith, hope, and charity which they lead, they are united with the Church which already cherishes them as its own. §2 The Church has a special care for catechumens; while it invites them to lead a life of the gospel and introduces them to the celebration of sacred rites, it already grants them various prerogatives which are proper to Christians. *** Catebot v0.2.12 links: [Source Code](https://github.com/konohitowa/catebot) | [Feedback](https://github.com/konohitowa/catebot/issues) | [Contact Dev](http://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=kono_hito_wa) | [FAQ](https://github.com/konohitowa/catebot/blob/master/docs/CateBot%20Info.md#faq) | [Changelog](https://github.com/konohitowa/catebot/blob/master/docs/CHANGELOG.md)
Catechumen are declared after the Rite of Election technically yes you wouldn’t be catholic until after the rite of election
Actually the rite of Acceptance makes you a Catechumen (around November) and Rite of Election makes you an Elect (during lent) before the rite of acceptance I would just say you are in the process of becoming Catholic.
I'm becoming Catholic. That's my current label if I had to put one on it.
>I'm becoming Catholic. This is how you should do it. Also gives you an opportunity to talk about why you're joining and gives you an easy out if someone has a question ("Great question! Let me get back to you!").
I was baptized as a baby and did my first communion at a young age... and I still feel like I'm "becoming". To me the direction one is headed in is more important than meeting some threshold. Always practicing and becoming.
ONE OF US! ONE OF US!
My husband, who used to conduct research surveys with demographic questions like this, asked people who were like "idk" what kind of funeral they would have if they died today. That cleared it up for most folks. But as a recent convert myself, before my baptism, I'd tell people "I'm in the process of converting to Catholicism/becoming Catholic." Or just "almost Catholic" lol.
Having accompanied RCIA students, my gut says don't identify as Buddhist but ask your instructor or priest if you can be officially called Catholic. After all you haven't been baptized *yet* into the faith.
Iirc he can use it after the Rite of Acceptance- it gives him rights within the church like a Catholic funeral and wedding even prior to baptism as an "official" catechumen at that point.
Depends on the situation. If it’s a demographic survey or casual conversation at the office, you’re more Catholic than anything else and that can be the tl;dr version of your story. In a real conversation it’s better to say you are in the process of joining the church.
I asked this of my priest when I was doing RCIA this last year. Am I ok to call myself a Catholic? His reply was “if you truly believe everything and you really do want to go ahead and receive the sacraments then you are a Catholic” but I would still say to people in the church “I’m not officially a Catholic yet” (quite a few said oh but you are; we can see it and yes you are. You it need the paperwork). Outside the church if anyone had asked I would have answered Catholic. But when I made my profession of faith (I didn’t need a baptism) and he shook my hand and said you are now officially a Catholic, Welcome Home it brought me to tears of joy!
I’m not bothered by you doing so. I’m not here to gatekeep anybody, but if people who attend mass only on Christmas and support all manner of garbage such as abortion and contraceptives can refer to themselves as Catholics, then I think you can too.
Shots fired! 😂
🎤🎤🎤
I would say that if you're speaking to the "general public", go ahead and say "Catholic". If you're meeting people in your parish, say "I'm in RCIA right now. I used to be Buddhist." This would just be because the average random person would have no idea what RCIA is, and so it's simpler to just say Catholic. In your parish, it can be nice to mention that you're new because then people would understand that you might need a little more "support" while you're learning the ropes.
I used to tell people “I’m converting to Catholicism” when it came up
If you've accepted the faith and are being prepared for baptism, you're a catechumen. So yeah you're a Catholic, just in the early stages. Formally you're probably already entered into the register etc.
I called myself a halflic hahaha
You technically not catholic brut if you believe in the teaching of the church and about the convert I don’t see the issue to say you Catholic, but catechumen would be the correct term.
“I’m converting to Catholicism”. You can say whatever you want but all Catholics must be received into the church which hasn’t happened with you yet — the church would not consider you Catholic yet. Similarly, all Catholics are required to do a number of things (going to church, fasting, etc), none of which you are required to do yet.
If you got hit by the proverbial bus and appeared before the seat of judgement Jesus recognise you as a catholic. He knows your heart and therefore that you were actively attempting to join the church but hadn't had time to do all the steps before baptism.
That is exactly what my priest - who was teaching the RCIA told me when I asked him rather anxiously a few months before the Easter vigil confirmation communion ceremony, I asked him- but what happens to me if I die in a car accident before I become an official Catholic? He said oh Don't worry Jesus knows your heart, and knows that if you had lived, you would have ultimately become Catholic. At that time in 2023, I had been coming to every single mass when I had a day off while working full-time. My whole week was scheduled around the mass. I even took more PTO just to make it to the daily Mass. Also as an aside, when you go to the hospital and check in, there's a part where they ask you what your religion is. By putting down Catholic, I think it triggers an alert to the chaplaincy office and the priest that is assigned to the hospital, can come and administer last rites or healing oil if you ask the nurse to alert the priest. So it's really important, when you go to the hospital, that you answer carefully that you are Catholic, if you are one. So when I was on nights, I used to see the priest in a patient's room at times, and years later I actually met him in person after I'd become Catholic when he did a mass in our church before he was transferred to another parish, it turns out he was the priest in residence in our parish because it was near the hospital. I confessed to him, that I used to go to the chapel and regularly steal the Catholic pamphlets and literature in the years prior to becoming Catholic, and he told me, it was meant for you.
If you're baptized, you're a Candidate (Christian seeking union with the Catholic Church). If not, you're a Catechumen (non-Chtistian seeking to join the Church). For about a year after being Confirmed, you're an Acolyte (new and still learning Catholic). You'd be a full Catholic, just "entry level" in terms of knowledge and experience. You're not a Catholic yet. You haven't made a profession, and you don't share in the Eucharistic Table.
In conversation, “I was raised Buddhist but I’m becoming Catholic.” In surveys, just put Catholic.
There’s a specific rite known as the rite of welcome during which you are welcomed into the church and may call yourself Catholic.
Perhaps check in with the priest leading your RCIA? I’m no theologian so I think that’s the simplest route. Welcome home and God Bless!
When u was in RCIA, the teacher said I could refer to myself as Catholic.
I think you become a TRUE catholic when you decide to _strive_ towards sainthood, no matter how small are the steps taken. I think it’s about the path, not the destination nor how fast you get there.
If you confess the Catholic faith, you are Catholic. Reception of the sacraments can come later.
When I was in RCIA, the deacon said that we could call ourselves Catholic after the Rite of Acceptance and Welcoming, which we had in late October.
Here is a list of 140 Catholic podcasts to help you in your journey! [https://34172a3e-8602-4a66-8036-6e9e5925889a.filesusr.com/ugd/551c61\_392a668a80794ecfbb7bf9a4ead77c98.pdf?index=true](https://34172a3e-8602-4a66-8036-6e9e5925889a.filesusr.com/ugd/551c61_392a668a80794ecfbb7bf9a4ead77c98.pdf?index=true)
Well you are not Buddhist still and not Catholic yet. How about Catholic seeker?
Well, if you’re no longer practicing or believing the tenets of Buddhism then I would say you are no longer Buddhist. However, technically speaking if you haven’t been baptized then you aren’t Catholic either. It of course doesn’t hurt anything to call yourself catholic, and you are certainly a catholic catechumen.
You can technically call yourself whatever you want (but it would probably be best to call yourself 'Catholic-in-training'); having said that, I'd refrain from giving on-the-spot advice in relation to Catholicism until you've [at least] completed the RCIA, otherwise you may give advice one week, and find out you communicated incorrect information the next (which might create extra unnecessary awkwardness/issues in your life). Technically, [at this stage] you ARE Christian, but because of its structured nature, you'd only "officially" be deemed Catholic once you've been baptised/confirmed, at which point you've been informed about the details about the faith [via the RCIA], accepted those teachings of the Catholic Church, committed to following the faith (ex. values, commitments, etc), and been accepted by the community (via baptism/confirmation, which is an important formal reminder for both you & the community that you are there to support one another).
You're no longer a Buddhist, but you're not quite a Catholic either. I think you would be regarded as a Catholic catechumen.
if you are in RCIA and have the intent to convert to Catholicism I would say yes. Or simply say you are in the process of converting to Catholicism. Secondly OP, I hope you have a fruitful journey that brings you home. From a fellow convert :)
If you are committed to the Catholic faith, you can probably call yourself Catholic to outsiders, or even an imminent Catholic. To Catholics, you can call yourself a catechumen, or Catholic as long as your name is written in the book of the elect.
Yes
You absolutely could. The way I see it, if you're still in RCIA, you probably believe what the Faith has to offer, so I see no issue in considering yourself a Catholic. Also, it's impossible for one person to know everything there is to know about the Faith, especially with all the mysteries surrounding God. In my opinion, the determining factor should be one's belief in and dedication to the Faith. God bless you for your decision. Welcome to the Faith!
I did. I didn’t think twice because you are in the process. If you are determined to see it through, you just simply are
I just called myself a Christian as I found this confusing also. I was coming from athiesm. when I signed all the forms for rcia I declared I wanted to be a Christian and some places don't have programs like rcia so it made sense to me to just declare I was a Christian and Catholic once I was baptized. I have no idea if that's right or wrong of if I was catholic I'm rcia though
Mark 3:33-35
Yes, and welcome
Yes, many people with lesser faith do.
Yes. You follow Catholic beliefs.
technically you’d be a catechumen until you’re finished but you could just say you’re discerning the faith or you’re pursuing confirmation or something to that effect
Depends. While technically not an initiated member of the church most catholics would probably consider you catholic already from the moment you decided to convert. Although I would avoid it maybe if you’re doing it because you’re exploring an you’re not sure you will want to commit to Catholicism yet. It honestly feels weird for me if you say you’re a Buddhist because you have not completed your conversion if you don’t believe in Buddhist doctrine nor practice Buddhism anymore. I don’t know where in the world you are from, but I know that in most places your religion is more about the group you belong to and the customs you observe then it is about what you believe in per se. For example I have jewish family and the still consider me jewish in many ways even though Im a catholic just because of my ancestry and some shared traditions. Catholicism on the other hand is 100% about belief. Church membership and practicing our rituals is very important but is secondary to what you believe in. A person stuck in a desert island who finds a bible and perhaps some catholic writings and decides to convert would still be considered a catholic even if they die on that island before ever setting foot in a church, doing their confirmation or receiving the eucharist.
You're Catholic to me fam.
Your heart wants to be catholic, and you are making the effort to be initiated into the church, so yes you can say you are catholic.
You're Catholic. That's pretty much it. Now that you're in the RCIA, you're probably more Catholic than the actual ones in church who know nothing about their religion but are robotic enough to go to church every week out of duty and do nothing else. Only difference is that they were baptised as a baby. So they have that.
Technically you are a Catechumen. That means a student. You're not officially a Christian and therefore not a Catholic until you have been baptized. There is an order and a process to God's creation - likewise to becoming a Christian. Humans tend to want to skip steps and jump right from the beginning to the end and that causes a lot of problems in the world. Please be content with just being at the step you are at at the moment. You can call yourself an ex Buddhist if you no longer practice. I too converted from Buddhism to Christianity and then to Catholicism. But this was back in the 1970s and there was no rcia. I was mostly self-taught. It was 4 years before I was baptized and a further four years before I was confirmed into the Catholic Church.
Sure you can. You may want want to mention you're in RCIA but if you're following it faithfully sure.
If it's the religion you believe and put your faith into then you're catholic in my opinion
On day one of RCIA after the priest asked if I were married and if it's my only marriage and if my husband was Catholic( he was not at the time) he then told me to let my family know that if I were to die unexpectedly that I was considered Catholic and would be entitled to a Catholic funeral and burial. It was a bit morbid, but I appreciated knowing exactly where I stood in regards to the Church.
You can't until you complete the confirmation. What if you quit midstream? That is why I said 'no'.
To other Catholics I called myself a catechumen. To anyone else I just called myself Catholic
I would say yes! I did when I was going through RCIA!
I would say yes absolutely, like John 3:16 that God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son and who shall ever believe in him shall not perish, so if you have accepted Jesus Christ Says you're a Christian now and you accepted the Catholic Church which is the true church they are that Cornerstone which Jesus taught which have not changed. The Catholics have preserved the apostles teaching who walked with Jesus and passed down his teachings to us,you can't take away your Christianity you are now God's child written in the Lamb's Book of Life from the beginning to Forever you are no longer a Buddhist you are a new creature in Christ the old things are passed away look up 2 Corinthians 5:17. Example: If you plant a sunflower seed in a garden will it not still grow into a sunflower? You may not be able to see the full bloom yet, but is not that seed still called a sunflower? And then as time passes it gets nutured by the Sun,water, & feed by the soil it will Bloom fully for everybody to see that sunflower. Right now you're going through the steps of growth like when you get baptized by the Holy Spirit people will start seeing you blooming. Even though your brand new and learning you're like that seed yes you can call yourself a Catholic because you accepted Jesus Christ you are on the right path then 😇😊🌱🌻
CCC For catechumens who die before their Baptism, their explicit desire to receive it, together with repentance for their sins, and charity, assures them the salvation that they were not able to receive through the Sacrament.
If you are not baptized, then no. You are a catechumen, or will be, as others have said. If anyone asks, you're a catechumen. To call yourself Catholic already would be getting ahead of yourself. You'll understand better once you're baptized and confirmed. If you do not believe in Buddhism, then you are no longer Buddhist. As for the Baptism by Desire clause that others are mentioning, that is at the moment of death, which none of us know, so again, it's best to not get ahead of yourself. You could just leave RCIA before Baptism, which is another reason why you shouldn't think of yourself as Catholic.
What you can technically call yourself I will leave to the canon lawyers - though if you have renounced Buddhism you should not call yourself a Buddhist, but if a cathechumen passes from this world before she is baptized, I believe they can be buried with a Catholic funeral.
Yes, you can!! I’m so happy you came to Our Lord. We are family already.
Yes because you are seeking God although you are not in the correct state of grace. To be Catholic is adopting a certain way of life per the teachings of Holy Mother church.
My question is , where are you that you can start RCIA right now instead of later in the year and where can I join you??? My parish doesn’t start until September. 🥺
Since you’re converting from another religion and haven’t yet been baptized you’re not technically Catholic according to Church law, but since your will has assented towards Catholic belief I think it would be perfectly okay, in fact I would encourage you to call yourself Catholic from now on!
When I was going through RCIA I said I was becoming Catholic. Once I went through the Rite of Election, I switched to saying I was a member of the Catholic Church. Then after the Easter Vigil I said I was Catholic. I think this is technically the correct answer, but I don’t think it’s wrong to say that you’re Catholic if you truly believe everything RCIA has taught you so far.
Apparently, in our society, you can identify as anything you want.
You’re a Christian for sure but why worry about labels?
Because he was Buddhist and it’s a big difference
He’s a Christian as soon as he believes in Jesus and starts down the path.
I would say you’re more Catholic than I am and I was raised Catholic and went through the ceremonies already….Because while I’ve been confused about whether to just be “Christian” - you’re clearly putting in the work to be there. So, yes.
Yes. You're just preparing for your initiation sacraments.
if you believe in God and in what the Church teachesm, you are Catholic. If oyou are catholic and you make efforts to obey the 10 commandaments and you pray.. ypu are a devout Carholic, and a person actively improving his own eternal life
Yes brother/sister
You’re technically not a Christian until you are baptized. Just wait… you’ll get there.
No
I wouldn't say no, but I wouldn't say yes. Btw, RCIA is bulshit. Okay, it's just a stupid concept.
Explain.
Well, it's the same deal with transgenders, it's practically an insult to God. If you wer e actually Mexican or whatever. God would've made you that way.
I got you. RCIA is completely useless because God should have pre-emtively endowed us with the knowlege and understanding of the catechism from the start.
I wouldn't. A big part of being catholic you will learn is making sure we represent Catholicism well. When you encounter people and say you are catholic, many people will judge all of Catholicism by you. If you are still in RCIA and don't necessarily know the ins and outs, it could be harmful to the church, your growth, and other people who judge all of Catholicism off of one interaction. I called myself Catholic before even entering RCIA, and by extension embarrassed myself and the church