Becoming Catholic - OCIA/RCIA

Jesus established the Catholic Church almost 2000 years ago. The Church has existed through revolution, plague and persecution, spanning across every age and culture. As the world changes, Jesus stands firm. His invitation is for all.

Are you looking for a stable way to live, a relationship with the all-knowing, good and loving God, or do you simply want to learn more about Catholic teaching? Are you looking for answers about your purpose in life, to gain a closer connection to Jesus, or simply have questions about faith in general?

Please reach out to Dominic using the form below or at [email protected] to start the conversation about how we can support you along your faith journey.

Is your heart restless? Are you seeking a purpose for which to commit your whole existence? Are you looking for solid ground to stand on? Are you searching for love, mercy, forgiveness, truth, healing, or noble adventure?

We are convinced that being a disciple of Jesus in the midst of the Catholic Church is a most fullfilling way to live. Becoming Catholic and living as a disciple in communion with the Church is not simply like joining a club or being an active member of a civic organization. Rather, it is an experience of becoming who we were created to be, fully alive and in relationship with God our Father, in the midst of the human community.
 

The difficulty of explaining "why I am a Catholic" is that there are ten thousand reasons all amounting to one reason: that Catholicism is true.
-G.K. Chesterton

OCIA stands for Order of Christian Initiation for Adults. Generally speaking, it is the incremental process for adults to grow in understanding and living out Catholic Christian faith. It includes intellectual formation, integration into the Catholic community, and the development of habits of living (prayer, charity, virtue, etc.). Rites, or public actions of the Church responding to person's development, mark this progression. 

You begin by contacting us and setting up a meeting for us to get acquainted. We want to know where you are, how God is calling you, and together, we'll make a plan to get you there. 

It is good to remember that this is initiation - a beginning of your life as a member of the Church. Growing as a disciple of Jesus in the midst of the Church is the adventure of a lifetime.

Becoming Catholic is a lot like getting married. You don't just meet someone on Monday and slip a ring on her finger on Tuesday. Instead, its a process of building up a relationship, marked by significant moments: first meeting, first date, engagement, marriage, honeymoon, and finally, married life together. Along the way, you learn more about the other person and yourself, meet the family, and share common experiences. Each couple progresses through these stages at a unique pace depending on many factors in their lives. Likewise, there is process for becoming a member of the Catholic Church. Starting points vary in this journey, but the end point is a more intimate relationship with Jesus Christ as Catholic disciples.  

We are not robots on a conveyor belt, but free beings on a journey. Respecting this dignity and the uniqueness of each person, we believe that you can't just take a class, pass a standardized test, or even jump through flaming hoops of razor wire to become Catholic. At the heart of being Catholic is a relationship with Jesus Christ; everything else flows from this relationship, and relationships cannot be forced.

If you want to learn more about becoming Catholic, no matter if your mind is made up or not, come talk with us. Get to know us, we'll get to know you, and if you want to proceed, we can develop a plan that fits your life--one step at a time.