OCIA  Introduction

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is a faith formation process that presents Christianity as a lifestyle which is maintained with a focus on the sacraments and an encounter with Christ. It is for those seeking to enter the Catholic Faith and allows for a person’s inquiry, conversion, and final decision on whether or not to be baptized into the Faith. In OCIA you walk with Jesus on a spiritual journey. As an inquirer who may be thinking about joining the Catholic Church, OCIA allows for an encounter with Jesus Christ and preparation for the sacraments (Baptism, Holy Communion, and Confirmation). Some baptized Catholics join OCIA to finish their sacraments of initiation. Regardless of the case, a deeper look into the sacramental and personal experience with Christ as conveyed within Catholicism is in order. 

 OCIA began in the early church as a way to introduce a person to the Catholic Christian Faith. A church council held in the 1960s called Vatican II re-introduced OCIA as a vehicle to help inquirers seeking to join the Catholic faith. OCIA is not a mere academic or scholastic study. It is an immersion into the life of Christianity with the participants starting to live their lives within a Catholic Community. You are encouraged to begin to walk spiritually by being open to a newness of life with God, where you join in a life of prayer, worship, conversion, and active participation in the Catholic Community to seek and encounter Jesus Christ.

The immersion into a new lifestyle of the faith is guided by a mentor(s) who will help with the learning of essential parts of the Catholic faith, faith development, and direction toward a relationship with God.  It is expected and acceptable for you to have questions. OCIA coaches you around pitfalls of discouragement, frustration, and with seeking the right questions to ask as well as their answers. As you further your walk with the community and its representatives, there will come a period of discernment to consider God’s invitation to embrace a new life as a Catholic.

When you journey through the unfamiliar, there is an appreciation for a well-informed guide. The Church recognizes the value of mentors as guides to those unfamiliar with the Catholic faith. The true faith as left by Jesus Christ is intended to be “Taught, lived and handed on” and not strictly “read out of the Bible.” Although written materials are provided, the intent is to always have someone who hands on the faith.

Jesus Christ intended the faith to be “Taught”

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,   

20  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

Reading the Bible is important, but many fail to draw adequate conclusions regarding matters of faith. One Biblical passage underscores the value of mentorship and interpretive authority. It concerns an Ethiopian official who is reading the Old Testament book of Isaiah and does not understand the significance of the scripture until mentored by the Apostle Phillip who filled with the Holy Spirit of God, explains it to him.

26  Then the angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, “Get up and head south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza, the desert route.”

27  So he got up and set out. Now there was an Ethiopian eunuch, a court official of the Candace, that is, the queen of the Ethiopians, in charge of her entire treasury, who had come to Jerusalem to worship,   28  and was returning home. Seated in his chariot, he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

29  The Spirit said to Philip, “Go and join up with that chariot.”

30 Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?”[1] 31  He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So, he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.  Acts 8:26-31

You are never meant to walk alone on your Faith Journey.

 Do not be afraid to ask questions.

OCIA is intended to be done as a group, thus facilitating a small faith community. The group functions within the dynamics of OCIA for discussions, instruction, encouragement, learning, growth, and experiencing the Catholic Faith firsthand. All this serves an important part of OCIA which is to provide a way to encounter Jesus Christ.  On occasion, circumstances may prevent the groups from meeting, therefore the dynamics of OCIA utilize other learning modes or methods for grouping. The emphasis will be the same, which is to ‘encounter Jesus Christ.’

You and your OCIA Mentor team

While in OCIA, you are never alone on your journey with Jesus. Initially, you will have a mentor and there may be others in the OCIA mentoring group. Your mentor cannot be with you all the time during each week. Therefore, you need to walk with someone who is already a Catholic in good standing. This is usually your sponsor/godparent. This person stands in the place of Jesus walking with you.  Your sponsor/godparent becomes part of your faith team. This person must be a practicing Catholic and should be someone who can attend OCIA gatherings.  This is especially important if some type of remote learning is involved in your OCIA instruction.

___________________________________________________

[1][Acts 8:30–34] Philip who is an Apostle of Jesus, is brought alongside the carriage at the very moment when the Ethiopian is pondering the meaning of Isaiah 53:7–8, a passage that Christianity, from its earliest origins, has applied to Jesus Christ, ‘Thee’ anointed one of God who would be the one to suffer for our sins as the “Lamb of God.”;

There are no prerequisites when it comes to getting to know Jesus Christ more and learning about His church. To begin OCIA, you do not have to know about Jesus, the Bible, or have an understanding of God. Perhaps there can be a prerequisite and that would be to come with questions and lots of them. You may already have questions and it is guaranteed you will have more questions. Therefore, it is quite all right for you to ask them.  You are not expected to have prerequisite knowledge such as being a bible expert, theology expert, history expert, or philosophy expert. Just come as you are. Just be ready to have an encounter with the Holy.

Aside from questions, there must be a commitment. That commitment is to respond fully to God’s call with your time, and prioritized dedication to OCIA. You do this by attending class, going to mass on Sundays, and for designated events. This is important to have your initial encounter with God. You have already started the journey by responding to God’s call. It is important to look at your starting point because regardless of your outcome in OCIA, you will inevitably be changed.

Self-Work aka Take-Home Assignments

You must do the self-work on your own. This is designed for personal reflection on the teachings and supports what is offered in each lesson. This is one way to begin to encounter Christ. There will be reading assignments from articles, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), and the Bible. There are sections at the end of the lessons which are for you to do as well:

·        A Jesus Moment

·        Self-reflections

·        Answer the Questions

·        Review and look at all Lesson Footnotes and Endnotes

o   Follow-up reading from the Bible (Lesson footnotes)

o   Follow-up reading from the Catechism (Lesson footnotes)

Each lesson is threaded together for continuity. Therefore, to get the most benefit, it is important to complete each lesson as assigned.  Also, participate in each lesson, with your questions, respond to questions asked, attend the scheduled mass, events, and attend all the Rites. Additional details will be provided during the course.

Anytime you have questions about any part of the instruction and OCIA process, do not hesitate to ask your mentor or other OCIA team member. 

You are being asked to commit to weekly meetings for sessions and discussions. You are committing to begin walking as a Catholic by attending weekly Mass on Sundays and Holy days. As you progress there will be meetings on Sundays where you are dismissed from the Mass. Still further in the process, you will attend specific “Rites.” The Rites help those on this journey better understand the life of the Catholic Faith.

It is important for you to attend each class session, Mass, events and participate in the all of the Rites.  All of these areas mentioned, allows you to benefit the most from this journey in faith. 

It is important to keep your commitment to the meeting times, places, and events, as well as the material and any study work provided. You are asked at the onset of OCIA to select a godparent who will journey along with you. The godparent must avail themselves of some of the meetings as well as attend all the specific “Rites”, scrutinies, and retreats. If your selected godparent is far from you, then select a proxy. A proxy is a substitute person (who is a practicing Catholic) with whom you have close access. This person can meet with you weekly if necessary and journey with you through OCIA.

Tools (resources) that will be used

Certain tools or resources will be used such as maps, time charts, bible dictionaries, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Bible, Church documents, encyclicals, and writings of the early church fathers. Do not worry!  Most of the material is just for reference and as a study aid, to help clarify certain points. Your teacher/mentor will provide the extra materials. However, participants will be asked to bring any materials they were provided with by the instructor, a Catechism and Bible.  The participants should also provide their own pen, pencil, and highlighter.

About the Syllabus/Guidebook or On-Line Guide

A printed or online syllabus (Guidebook) will be used for the lessons. The printed version of the syllabus you receive is for you to keep. Therefore, you may write in the syllabus. Think of it as your journal. The left margin area is intentionally wide for the author to write notes. Feel free to write your own notes in this area as well. This syllabus will be your journal or notebook.

When using a PDF or online version you will need to keep a separate journal for your notes.

In the printed version of the syllabus, special things to take note of will be highlighted. These areas are to help you pick out important points. Some details or terms may be underscored and perhaps even bolded as well. Quoted material will be printed in blue, except for scripture. The scripture will be in red print.

Footnotes will be references and are very important!

Other Materials

Supplemental materials may become available later in the OCIA program. This may include an appendix to this syllabus which is often offered online.

Note: Besides the supplied syllabus material, the principal resources used are The Bible and the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Note: Be Prepared with a pen/pencil notebook and a highlighter.

¨  Pen/Pencil

¨  Notebook

¨  Highlighter