Welcome to the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults process!

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults has now begun! For interest for next year (2026-2027), please contact Estela Valverde at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

One of the greatest blessings a parish can have is the opportunity to welcome people who wish to learn more about the Catholic Church. These people may never have been baptized, or they may have been baptized in another Christian community, or they may have been baptized in the Catholic Church but were not raised in the faith. These folks are among us because God has touched them in some way and led them to us.

The Church has a way of welcoming people who want to know more and perhaps become a member. This process is called the OCIA, which stands for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, an official document of the Catholic Church. The path begins with someone wanting to know more about the Church and then the path proceeds to their reception of the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist and beyond.

Every Catholic has a responsibility and role in welcoming those seeking to join the Catholic Church and teaching them what it means to be a Catholic.

In the upcoming weeks, please watch for ways you can welcome, support, and help form those who have come to us to know Christ through the Catholic Church.

The Four Periods of the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults

Inquiry

• The first step of the OCIA journey of faith
• Helps the inquirer to discover what it is he or she is seeking
• A time of sharing stories of Scripture
• A time of sharing personal stories
• A time of asking questions
• A time of initial conversion
• Creates a hunger for liturgy
• Lasts as long as each individual inquirer needs - a period of no fixed duration

Catechumenate

• The second step of the OCIA journey of faith
• Begins with the Rite of Acceptance and concludes with the Rite of Election
• An extended period of formation in the Christian Life
• Presents Catholic teaching and enlightens faith
• Fosters participation in the Liturgy through dismissal
• Learn how to serve others
• A place of conversion
• Catechumens learn the Christian way of life from the Christian Community and their sponsor

Purification and Enlightenment

• The third step of the OCIA journey of faith
• Begins with the Rite of Election (first Sunday of Lent) and extends through the Lenten season.
• A period of intense spiritual preparation consisting more in interior reflection than in catechetical instruction
• Catechumens are now called the Elect
• Preparation of the Elect for the Easter Sacraments celebrated at the Easter Vigil
• Three purifying rituals, known as the Scrutinies are celebrated on the third, fourth and fifth Sundays of Lent
• Invitation to the community for intense prayer

Mystagogy

• The fourth step of the OCIA journey of faith
• The fifty days between Easter and Pentecost
• The newly initiated are called Neophytes
• A deeper understanding of God's word, the sacraments, and the lived Christian life
• A time for unpacking and remembering
• Celebrate the fullness of the Liturgy with the Christian community
• Sent forth with the community to continue the mission of Christ
• A time to develop closer ties with the faithful
• A time to discern and recognized their gifts and their call to discipleship
• Final period of the Initiation process, which in reality continues for a lifetime