Question: What do we mean when we talk about full communion with the Catholic Church? Baptism in the name of the Trinity is universal and always valid. We use the RCIA. classes as one way of bringing people into full communion with us here at Saint Mary Magdalene and with the bishop. The bishop is the successor of the Apostles, and we bring all those who seek baptism to him so that he may welcome them into the Church. Those who are already baptized are brought to the bishop for his acceptance and call. The Bishop of Tyler is the one who is the true and authentic teacher of the faith in this area. It is therefore, to him that all catechumens go to seek to be made members of the Body of Christ. It is also to him that non-Catholic Christians go when they seek full participation in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church in Tyler is in full communion with all the other Catholic Churches in the world. The Church of Tyler is in full communion with the Church of Rome. Full communion means that a person is a full member of the Catholic Church. To be in full communion also implies that a person is receiving the Sacrament of the Eucharist regularly. But the full communion term comes from the idea that a person is in full fellowship with the Roman Catholic Church.
If a non-Catholic person is already baptized and has already accepted the Holy Spirit into their lives in baptism and in the everyday manner in which they live, then the Catholic Church would never deny the truth and the substance of that divine presence. Where God chooses to abide is always a divine prerogative. The Catholic Church is the servant of the Holy Spirit and so always seeks to affirm the Christian who has accepted the abiding presence of God in their lives. We would never, ever insist on re-baptizing a person who has been baptized in the name of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The minister of baptism does not have to be a Catholic priest or deacon, in order that the baptism be valid.
The Catholic Church is composed of many local and unique churches. Whether it is Tyler in Texas or Baghdad in Iraq or Limerick in Ireland, all these Church hold one faith in the one Lord, one Eucharist, one Creed and one hope in salvation through the Cross of Christ. These churches call themselves Catholic, meaning universal. We rejoice in our unity, knowing that Christ longs for all his people to worship together and to pray together. We share the same tradition, the same Scripture, the same sacramental life and liturgy. We allow for cultural and linguistic differences and we accept that Catholicism should adapt to the culture where the Holy Spirit has sown its seeds.
The Church in Tyler, headed by its own bishop, is in full communion with the Church at Rome. The communion is through the person of the bishop. The Catholic bishops of the world are true and authentic teachers of the Catholic faith, and they share with the Bishop of Rome in the task of teaching, preaching and defending the faith of the Catholic Church. The Pope is the Bishop of the Church in Rome, and we are united with him through our own bishop, Alvaro Corrada.