Am I still Catholic?
Upvote:1
Up until 2009, and according to the Canon Law, you stop being Catholic only through a formal act of defection, known in Latin as actus formalis defectionis ab Ecclesia catholica. From this official document:
"1. For the abandonment of the Catholic Church to be validly configured as a true actus formalis defectionis ab Ecclesia so that the exceptions foreseen in the previously mentioned canons would apply, it is necessary that there concretely be:
a) the internal decision to leave the Catholic Church;
b) the realization and external manifestation of that decision; and
c) the reception of that decision by the competent ecclesiastical authority."
This decree was however eliminated in 2009. (Thanks Matt Gutting for pointing this out)
Interestingly enough, even an excommunicated person continues to belong to the Catholic Church. It is the Church which imposes the excommunication on the person, and as such, it is not a personal, voluntary act of defection. Excommunication only restricts the person from receiving Sacraments and participating in celebrations (depending on the type of excommunication), but does not revoke their "right" to belong to the Church.
Also notice that the mark of Baptism is permanent, as the first document above reminds us:
It remains clear, in any event, that the sacramental bond of belonging to the Body of Christ that is the Church, conferred by the baptismal character, is an ontological and permanent bond which is not lost by reason of any act or fact of defection.
Upvote:2
I'm Roman Catholic. And was an altar boy for 18 years. Unless the doctrine has changed recently (which I highly doubt), so long as you never internally or externally denied the faith, then all you're due for is a good confession for all the Holy Days of Obligation that you missed of your own free will.
There are circumstances when your absence is not a sin. But that usually requires military deployment, personal illness, or medical emergencies.The only hard rule is you aren't supposed to take communion if you miss mass until you go to confession.
In general, a priest is who you should talk to. They'll guide you with open arms.
Upvote:7
Yes! You're Catholic. Quick follow-up question though: did you receive a first Communion when you were younger? If so, you probably just need to go to Confession before you can get in the Communion line again at Mass. (That's true of any practicing Catholic who hasn't been in a while.)
If you never received Communion as a child, you may be required to attend an RCIA class ("rite of Christian initiation for adults") to re-learn the faith and get ready for a first Communion. In most parishes, RCIA starts in the fall and runs through the next Easter, so don't dilly-dally and they will probably be happy to let you join this year's class late.
In either case, go talk to a priest before you take the advice of some guy on the Internet.
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