Our OCIA journey at Sts. Martha and Mary has three components. We customize the journey based on the faith background, and current experience of each inquirer. Some may attend all three components and others might only attend parts.
OCIA is intended for any non-Catholic who is interested in learning about our faith or has a desire to become a member of the Catholic Church. It is also for Catholics who have been baptized but have not received the Sacraments of Reconciliation, Eucharist or Confirmation.
It is most common for those who are being received into the Catholic Church to be welcomed into the Church on Holy Saturday at the Easter Vigil. However, inquirers begin and complete the process at the timing dictated by the progress of their relationship with Jesus Christ and the role of the Church within it.
Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA)—For adults today, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is for those who have never been baptized (catechumens) and are seeking to convert to the Catholic Christian faith. This process is meant to form them into the fullness of the Christian life and to become disciples of Jesus, their teacher. This includes an initiation into the mystery of salvation, the practice of faith, hope, and love, and other virtues in a succession of liturgical rites. Persons baptized into another Christian church and now seeking full communion with the Catholic Church are also welcomed to participate along with catechumens in the OCIA in the process of learning about the Catholic faith and being formed in that faith. They bring to the process of preparation their prior experience of Christian life, prayer and of course their relationship with Our Lord Jesus. For a baptized Christian, reception into full communion with the Catholic Church involves reception of the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation and then a Profession of Faith followed by the celebration of Confirmation and the Eucharist. The timing of these rites is based on the individual person’s journey.