For information, please call the Parish Office at (630) 483-4673 or email ccdeacon@sbcglobal.net
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is the process by which people become members of the Roman Catholic Church. The process is concerned with the total formation of the person into
- Believing with the Church community (doctrinal formation)
- Living with the Church community (practical formation)
- Praying with the Church community (liturgical formation)
- Serving with the Church community (apostolic formation)
This gradual development culminates in the celebration of the initiation sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
Who is OCIA for?
The OCIA program is geared towards three groups of people…
- A non-Christian who is interested in becoming Catholic, but has never been baptized.
- A Christian of different a denomination (Lutheran, Methodist, Baptist, etc.) who is interested in becoming Catholic, and therefore, interested in receiving Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.
- A Catholic who was never confirmed and would like to receive Confirmation.
What are the basic principles of the OCIA?
The principles deduced from the early Church initiation practice, are the basic guidelines from which the OCIA has been created.
- The core reality of Christian initiation is conversion.
- The gradual movement towards Christian initiation is a process and not a program.
- A close relationship exists between catechesis and liturgy
- The initiation of new members is the concern and responsibility of the entire community.
- The primary subject of the process is the adult.
- The Word of God is central to the formation process.
- The truths of the Christian faith are unfolded through the experience of the Church’s dominant symbols.
“I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God Himself.”
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton