A comment was made at GIFT, saying that it takes "too long to become a member of the Church."  At that time, I stated that anyone can become a member, with simple paperwork as the only prerequisite. Individuals don't have to be Catholic to be "members" here.  You do, however, have to be baptized Catholic and/or Confirmed to participate in many of our sacraments.  Having said that, yes, we do have a process for adults to become Catholic, and that process DOES take time.  The length of time?  One's entire lifetime!    No, truly, each sacrament is celebrated when the individual is ready and knows what it means to enter into that sacrament with understanding and the tools to live out the celebration of that sacrament in his/her life.

Baptism is key to membership, but all of us are called to lifelong formation.  In the early days of the Church, it often took years for an individual (adult) to become a member (to be baptized).  Now, we often baptize children as babies, and the formation piece is left for later.  Remember, our sacraments always mark the beginning of a new stage in our relationship with God, and with each other.  Baptism and the other sacraments are not "graduation" ceremonies.  The process, and time spent in formation, are designed so those who are old enough to understand what they are doing, truly UNDERSTAND.