Am I a Catholic?

[CatherineHines]

I was raised, was baptized in, and was confirmed in the Evangelical Lutheran Church. In my 20s, I attended a Catholic chapel on a base where my husband was stationed. I asked the priest if I could take the Eucharist, and he agreed that I could, if I was confirmed as a Catholic. There were no classes, I took no instruction, I read nothing; I met with the priest once or twice and had a brief ceremony alone with the priest during which I was baptized a second time. I would like to know if, under these circumstances, the Church considers me a Catholic.

I realize that I'm a hopelessly ignorant Catholic, if so, and I would like to know how to proceed to rectify that. I don't know if I am eligible to take the classes that a convert would normally take, since I am divorced and remarried.

[Fr. Charles Grondin]

The Catholic Church only recognizes one baptism, so your second baptism is considered of no effect. Your first baptism is apparently valid and you are considered truly baptized through it. If you received the sacrament of confirmation then you were brought into the Catholic Church. I would suggest you contact the current chaplain at the military base and ask if they have a record of you receiving the sacrament of confirmation. Failing that you could try and contact the Military Archdiocese to see if they have any record of it.

If you have received confirmation you are a Catholic, if you haven't received confirmation then you were probably not officially brought into the Church and need to receive the sacrament of confirmation. Either way I would recommend attending a local RCIA program to at least get some more Catholic education. However you still need to have your marriage situation straightened out. For that I recommend you speak to your local parish priest about the details of your situation.