Becoming Catholic
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
– Saint Augustine
Our profession of faith begins with God, for God is the First and the Last, the beginning and the end of everything. The Credo begins with God the Father, for the Father is the first divine person of the Most Holy Trinity; our Creed begins with the creation of heaven and earth, for creation is the beginning and the foundation of all God's works.
CATECHISM OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, 198
How does one become a Catholic?
The process adults take to be initiated into the Catholic faith, known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is now called the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). This change reflects a closer translation of the process by which adults are initiated into the Catholic faith.
This change may not seem like much, but the new name highlights that the process of becoming Catholic could occur at any point in the year, not just the typical Easter Vigil. For some, it could even take multiple years before making the final decision. As Philip Kosloski puts it, the process of joining the Catholic Church “involves a period of intense discernment, and prayer, not simply going through the "rites" at fixed points of the year.”
If you would like to learn more about the name change you can visit aleteia.org, where this information came from.
To learn more about the individual stages of the OCIA program, click the link below.
> OCIA Program Information
OCIA at St. Joseph
At its core, OCIA is a program for people who would like to know more about the Roman Catholic faith.
Its most obvious application is for those who desire to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church. OCIA is the process by which interested people learn about, participate in, and eventually become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church. We believe it should be a period of reflection, prayer, instruction, discernment, and formation.
Yet, even the most robust, well-structured, and successful OCIA program is not simply a one-time experience in catechetical instruction; rather, it is truly the beginning of a life-long conversion process.
We hope to serve OCIA aspirants as well as the entire parish and provide additional resources for information on the Catholic faith for those seeking to walk ever closer to Christ. We fellow Catholics realize that Christ’s call to follow Him involves a journey of life-long conversion.
If you are interested in joining an OCIA program, please email us at stjosephfayette@outlook.com or call us at 660-248-2439.