What are the steps of OCIA?
Do you or someone you know want to become Catholic? Are you an adult interested in Baptism? Are you a Baptized adult interested in communion and/or Confirmation?
The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is a journey in which you experience support, discovery, and fellowship. It is for any adult who is looking to start or deepen their faith journey by preparing to receive any of the Sacraments of initiation or for anyone looking to learn more about their Catholic faith and grow deeper in it.
The OCIA has several distinct stages that are good model of faith development itself and can be used by anyone who wants to pursue a deeper faith life and continue to grow as a Catholic Christian. We will be covering a whole range of topics focusing on Scripture, and the Sacraments with specifically Catholic lense. The stages are as follows:
Inquiry
This is the initial period
before you decide to
enter the Catholic
Church. You are asking
questions and checking
if you aren’t yet ready
to commit.
Catechumenate
In the second stage,
those who decide to
enter the Church start
to be trained for a life
in Christ, they are
called catechumens,
an ancient name
coming from the early
Church. In this stage,
they are developing
their faith and are being
“catechized” – learning
catechism, or the basic
points about Catholic
faith and life.
Purification and Preparation
In the third stage, the
Church will help you to
focus and intensify
your faith as you
prepare to commit your
life to Christ and be
received into the
Church at Easter. If
you are following the
OCIA process, you will
go through a beautiful
series of Gospel based
meditations during
Lent, which is the time
frame of this period.
Mystagogy
After reception into the
Church at Easter, this
period lets you reflect
and learn more about
the mysteries of the
Mass and the
Sacraments that you
now participate in
fully.
Who is it for?
The OCIA process is designed for adults who are unbaptized or those who were baptized as infants but had little experience with regular church attendance. Individuals baptized in another Christian tradition who have little experience with the Roman Catholic tradition often find this process to be helpful in their discernment of becoming Roman Catholic.
If you are an adult who was baptized and active in another Christian tradition and have more than a year of experience within the Roman Catholic tradition and want more information or want to sign up, please contact the program Director, Sr. Margarita Gomez, RMI. Email: gomezclaretian@gmail.com