Is Jesus calling you to a deeper relationship with Him? Are you looking for answers to some of life's more profound questions? Do you suspect there is more to life than what you currently experience? Have you been considering "coming home" to the Catholic Church?
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) can give you with the answers to these questions and more. The OCIA is the process by which unbaptized people become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church. It functions in a secondary way for baptized Christians who want to complete their initiation into the Catholic Church. It is for those who...
were baptized in another Christian tradition (non-Catholic).
are Catholics who did not receive Eucharist and/or Confirmation
The OCIA process facilitates a person’s journey with God and faith formation in the context of a welcoming faith community as he / she learns more about Scripture, Catholic beliefs and traditions, Catholic worship, and one's self. The goal of the OCIA is to establish a living relationship with Jesus Christ -- that is, to make disciples. Catholics typically do this through regular reception of the sacraments, conforming their lives to the Gospel, experiencing the bonds of community with fellow believers, and putting their faith into action via charitable works and other forms of service.
The OCIA experience varies from one person to another in terms of the length of time it takes to complete the process. There is no "one size fits all" because it is about the spiritual formation of the individual, and since people come to the program with different backgrounds, needs, expectations, stories, and levels of faith formation, and because the program can accommodate both the unbaptized (participants are called catechumens) and the baptized (participants are called candidates), there is a necessary element of flexibility and adaptation.
We highly recommend that you contact us to discuss your particular situation and what the OCIA process would involve for you based on your circumstances. In general terms we can at least say that the program involves...
...meetings that are usually held twice a month on Sundays after the 10:00am Mass, from September until May;
...some rites that are celebrated in the context of Mass and our parish community;
...at least one rite that is celebrated at the Cathedral-Basilica in Newark;
...the candidate's decision to make a commitment to the process of faith formation.
If you are drawn to the Catholic faith, or if you would simply like to learn more about the OCIA program, please contact our Pastoral Associate, Joel S. Peters, by phone at 201-337-7596, ext. 315, or by e-mail here.
Justin Taylor receives the Sacraments of Initiation at the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help on April 3, 2021.
Please note: Justin is not our most recent OCIA catechumen, but we keep this video on the parish website so visitors can see a real example of what sacramental initiation involves. We simply have not recorded the initiation of other parishioners since his time.