Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA)

OCIA is the process by which adults and youth become members of the Roman Catholic Church. This is a nine-month process that culminates at the Easter Vigil when they are received into the Church through the sacraments.

Order of Initiation for Children (OCIC) is a separate but equal, age-appropriate process for children. This program is designed for children in grades 3-8, and runs concurrently with O.C.I.A. meetings.

The 2025-2026 OCIA classes begin on September 3, 2025 on Wednesday evenings in our fellowship hall.

For more information, contact mcatalano@sthenry.org.

PROVIDE A MEAL FOR OCIA - Help provide weekly meals for our candidates and catechumens on Wednesday nights. If you're interested in supporting this ministry, please reach out to Kristin Lombardi via email.

So, why the change from RCIA to OCIA? Well, the official Latin text is titled Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum (“Order of Christian Initiation of Adults”). Earlier English translators in the 1970s rendered ordo as “rite,” but “order” is a closer and more literal translation. The word “rite” often implied a single liturgical event (like a wedding rite or funeral rite). The initiation process for adults is not one event but a series of rites (stages) over time. “Order” better communicates that this is a structured sequence of liturgical celebrations within a catechetical process. The change happened in 2021, and it has taken this long for the new liturgical books to be published.