Sessions Begin the September 8th at 12:15pm in the Faith Formation Center for more information contact Susan Gore at 586-791-3930 ext 318 or email at gores@stthecla.com
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults – O.C.I.A.
Journey Into Faith (O. C. I. A.)
The OCIA is a journey for those interested in becoming Catholic or simply discovering more about the Catholic faith. The OCIA is a process of sharing Catholic teaching, prayer, Scripture, spiritual formation, rituals and coming to know members of the church community.
The process consists of the following stages:
Pre-catechumenate (Inquiry)
This is a “Come and See” time for questions and discovering more about the Lord, the Catholic faith, and the Catholic Church.
Catechumenate
Those interested after their initial inquiry are formally welcomed and begin a Catechumenate period of learning more about Jesus, the Catholic Church, the Sacraments, Catholic morality and daily living as a Catholic.
Purification and Enlightenment
During Lent, the Church calls those who have discerned that God is calling them to be Catholic to make their final preparation for their initiation into the Church through Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist (or Reception into Full Communion for the already baptized). Lent is a period of intense spiritual preparation.
Sacraments of Initiation
At the Easter Vigil, the Catechumens (unbaptized) and the Candidates (already baptized) are baptized or received into the Church, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist for the first time.
Mystagogy
The weeks after the Easter Vigil the neophytes (newly received) continue to reflect on the mysteries of life in Christ as revealed through participation in the sacraments and serves as the final preparation of newly initiated Catholics.