ConcernedAboutMyFaith
wrote:
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Hi, guys —
I have a question that I was hoping you might be able to answer. Here it is:
I was baptized as an adult, as a Protestant, in a Second Congregational United Church of Christ. A while later, I went through RCIA and I converted to Catholicism.
However, at the Easter Vigil, I'm pretty sure I was never required to make a Profession of Faith, and I don't believe the priest ever said anything to formally receive me into the Church. I was
- conditionally baptized
- received Confirmation, and then
- received my First Communion.
That's it.
Now if I'm not mistaken, since I was a Protestant, shouldn't it have gone:
- Conditional Baptism (in my case because I wanted one due to my doubt of the validity of my previous Baptism)
- Profession of Faith (as well as the Act of Reception by the priest)
- Confirmation, and
- then First Communion?
I happened to see online that the Profession of Faith is required of non-Catholics for them to enter into the Church.
- I mean, if this isn't the case, then was it my Confirmation that made me a Catholic?
I know that Baptism usually makes a person a Catholic, but my baptism was conditional . . . not actual . . . so it honestly might have been my Protestant baptism that was the valid one (as one cannot be baptized twice) but we will never know for sure.
So, to sum up, now I'm worried that I may not be a Catholic. If you could provide me with an answer, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you!
ConcernedAboutMyFaith
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{
If a profession of faith wasn't required for a non-Catholic entering the Church, am I still Catholic? }
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Eric replied:
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Dear Concerned,
I'm not familiar with the nuances of how such situations should be handled — we are lay people, not priests — but I think you can be confident that you are a Catholic.
If there was a defect, it didn't affect your Catholicity.
- Do you have a Catholic Baptismal or Confirmation certificate?
That should be sufficient to prove that you are Catholic so I wouldn't worry about it.
Eric
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Concerned replied:
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Hi Eric,
Thank you for responding so fast!
Yes, I do have both a Conditional Baptism and a Confirmation certificate. I asked a couple of priests about it, and they both said that I was probably fine. Still though, I keep being haunted by feelings that something's not right.
- Do you think I should ask another priest, or just let it go?
Concerned
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Mike replied:
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Dear Concerned,
You said:
- Do you think I should ask another priest, or just let it go?
Let it go, besides, assuming you are going to Sunday Mass on a weekly basis, you should be saying the Creed we believe as Catholics anyway. Also every Easter, and at many Baptisms in the Church, we renounce satan anyway.
- Renew your weekly covenant at Sunday Mass
- if you can, pray the Rosary on a regular basis, and
- don't be bothered by doubts, the evil one is probably putting on your mind.
Besides, if there was an issue with you joining the Church, the problem is not yours, but with the priest who brought you into the Church, so don't worry.
Finally, you said:
I know that Baptism usually makes a person a Catholic, but my baptism was conditional . . . not actual . . . so it honestly might have been my Protestant baptism that was the valid one (as one cannot be baptized twice) but we will never know for sure.
Actually, any valid Baptism makes the person a Christian, as we are all striving to be followers of Jesus. The word Catholic means (in its totality), so the Catholic Christian faith is the Christian faith in its totality. Some Protestant denominations do administer a valid Trinitarian Baptism, so your previous Protestant Baptism may have been valid. Nevertheless, when the pastor has room for concern that a Protestant has come from a congregation that doesn't administer a valid Trinitarian Baptism, because of the importance of Baptism (Mark 16:16), they administer a conditional Baptism.
Mike
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