What is OCIA?

In the quiet moments of life our deepest questions can surface – why am I here, what is truth,

who and what is God, is there life beyond death, what does God desire of me? In the Gospel

of St. Matthew Jesus began to call his disciples with the simple invitation: “Come, Follow Me.”

As Catholic Christians we believe God has revealed Himself to the world through his Son

Jesus in a way that is truly knowable and life-changing. We believe Jesus founded a true

church, with his power and authority, to authentically proclaim the Gospel and celebrate the

Sacraments until He comes at the end of time to judge the living and the dead. If you sense

in your heart that God is calling you to follow Him on the path to eternal life as a member of

Christ’s one body, the Church, in the name of Christ we welcome you to journey with us at St.

John of the Cross.

OCIA, or the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, is a class designed to go over the

fundamental aspects of what we believe and practice as Catholics. OCIA provides an

interactive encounter between class participants and the instructor to grow in faith, knowledge

and love of God. Our sincere hope is that each class develops fellowship with one another,

supporting and challenging each other towards the goal of being fully received into the

Catholic Church through the Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and

Holy Communion/the Eucharist. People come from different backgrounds to participate in

OCIA. A Catechumen is any individual who has not yet been baptized but desires living faith

and a Candidate is a baptized person from another Christian community – both of whom are

seeking full union with the Catholic Church. There are also baptized Catholics who attend

OCIA because they have not received all of their Sacraments of Initiation – specifically

Penance, Holy Communion and Confirmation. Finally there are members of the community

who come because they enjoy learning more about the Catholic faith. OCIA class usually

meets weekly on Wednesdays from September through May. Please be sure to contact the

parish office for exact dates and times. We look forward to having you join us and hearing

Jesus call to “come, follow me.”

Below is a list of texts we use for OCIA:

1. The Bible

2. The Catechism of the Catholic Church

3. Why We’re Catholic by Trent Horn

4. Open Wide the Doors to Christ by Lucas Pollice

People journeying through the OCIA process need sponsors and community support to help them grow in faith. The OCIA team of sponsors help guide, support and instruct those discerning whether to become members of our Catholic community. Team members share their faith with inquiring adults who are seeking more information about the Catholic Church, many of whom seek to celebrate one or more of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Eucharist and Confirmation.



OCIA begins Wednesday September 9th @ 6:00pm in the Parish Hall