OCIA
Starting in mid-September 2023
If you or someone you know is interested in learning more about the Catholic Church or are seeking full union with the Catholic Faith, you are invited to an inquiry session regarding the OCIA (formerly known as RCIA).
OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) is for baptized Catholics who have not yet received the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist, or Confirmation. OCIA is for followers of other Christian denominations who wish to come into full union with the Catholic Church. OCIA is for non-Christians who seek a life with Jesus Christ. Finally, OCIA is for anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the Catholic Church and Her founder Jesus Christ.
Classes will start Wednesday evenings mid-September.
For questions contact Deacon Tim Mika at 715-685-1721 or tmika@ourladycc.org
Contact Deacon Tim to enroll in OCIA
715-685-1721
OCIA - Becoming CatholiC
An Overview
People have chosen to enter the Catholic Church for various reasons. Members of the Church have different understandings of what makes them Catholic or why they are Catholic. However, there is a common thread that binds all Catholics together. Catholics belong to a Christ-centered faith community that views Jesus Christ as the foundation. Catholics share Jesus’ vision and model their lives after Jesus’ example of love. Catholics are called to care for one another and to use their unique gifts and talents for the good of the community and the world.
The Catholic Communities of the Ashland Cluster welcome new members into the Catholic Church through a process of education, faith sharing, and rituals known as the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). This process includes several stages marked by prayer, study, and discussion. Included in the process are several Rites, which take place within the context of the Mass. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) describes the OCIA as a process in which participants “undergo … conversion as they study the Gospel, profess faith in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and receive the sacraments … The OCIA process follows the ancient practice of the Church and was restored by the Second Vatican Council as the normal way adults prepare for baptism.”
Stages or Steps of OCIA
The OCIA process has several distinct stages. These Catholic OCIA stages are a good model of faith development itself, so this article will fit you whether or not you're actually in the OCIA process.
Inquiry
The initial period before you decide to enter the Catholic Church. You're asking questions and checking it out, but aren't yet ready to commit.
Catechumenate
Those who decide to enter the Church and are being trained for a life in Christ are called, an ancient name from the early Church. In this stage, you're developing your faith and are being "catechized" — learning catechism, or the basic points about Catholic faith and life
Purification and preparation
The Church will help you focus and intensify your faith as you prepare you to commit your life to Christ and be received into the Church at Easter. If you're following the OCIA process, you'll go through a beautiful series of Gospel-based meditations during Lent, which is the time frame of this period.
Initiation
Initiation itself, the culmination of the whole process! You're received into the Church during the Easter Vigil Mass, where you'll receive the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. (If you've already been baptized, you won't be baptized again.)
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.