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Kris wrote:

Hi, guys —

I was baptized in the Catholic Church as an infant and went to church every Sunday until I was eight. Now I'm an adult and I want to start practicing the faith again.

  • What should I do or how do I make this happen?

Kris

  { How do I start practicing the faith again after being away from Sunday Mass since I was eight? }

John replied:

Hi, Kris —

What sacraments did you receive beyond Baptism?

  • Did you receive your First Holy Communion?
  • Did you make your First Confession?

Odds are you were not confirmed. The answer will vary, depending on whether or not you received your First Communion and Confession. First, you can start attending Mass any time you want.
If you have made your First Confession and Communion as a child, you'll need to go to Confession first since you've been away from the Church. The priest will help you through it; after that,
in addition to attending Mass on Sundays, you are free to receive Holy Communion any time.

  • If you have made your First Confession and Communion then you need to prepare for Confirmation.
  • If you have not, you need to prepare to receive all three sacraments:
    1. First Communion
    2. First Confession, and
    3. Confirmation together.

You will also need to enter an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) class in order to be prepared for adult Confirmation. In reality, this program is meant for converts, but it's also used for adult faith formation.

So the first step is to start attending Church again. Make an appointment to talk to a priest and explain your situation to him. RCIA typically starts in September and Confirmations take place on Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil Mass, unless you've already received your first Holy Communion, in which case the Bishop may reserve the right to confirm you himself. In that case, the diocese usually has adult confirmations or you can get confirmed when the Bishop comes to confirm the High School kids.

For now, just get to church this morning and talk to the priest. He'll probably tell you to call the office during the week which you should do. He'll be able to get everything straightened out and:

. . . . Welcome Home!

John DiMascio

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