If a person is seeking God, His beloved is seeking him much more.
-St. John of the Cross
What is OCIA?
(formerly known as RCIA)
Do you have an interest in joining the Catholic Church?
If so, OCIA is for you!
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is a series of weekly meetings on Thursdays from 7-8:30 pm in the Upper Social Hall at St. Mary’s. Meetings begin September 19, 2024 and end May 15, 2025.
This is a time to explore and ask hard questions in a safe environment.
People from a variety of backgrounds including agnostics and non-Catholic Christians come to the group and our discussions are friendly, respectful and lively! There is no expectation that participants have any background knowledge of religion, Christianity or the Bible or that they currently desire to become Catholic. Some group participants will be received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass in the spring, but this is not a requirement.
Registration for this year’s OCIA is below.
This is completely optional, but if you would like to get a head start on learning about the Catholic Faith, we have some suggestions:
To Read (or listen to an audio version):
Something other than God - Jennifer Fulwiler (for those from an atheist, agnostic or any non-Christian background)
Rome Sweet Home - Scott Hahn (for those from a non-Catholic Christian background)
Rescued - John Riccardo
Any or all of the 4 Gospels
If you would like a Catholic Bible the following are recommended versions:
To Watch:
Sign up for a free account on formed.org and browse any content that interests you.
Search YouTube for The Journey Home and whatever your background is, atheist, agnostic, Presbyterian, Jewish, etc. Watch any episodes that interest you.
Search YouTube for Bishop Robert Barron and watch anything that interests you.
Contact Jessica Barton at jessicabarton@gmail.com
or 541-829-8585 with any questions.
What People Are Saying About OCIA:
“OCIA was a great experience and a safe place to get my questions answered while meeting others with similar questions.”
- JB
“OCIA was an opportunity for me to learn about the Church, openly ask questions, and interact with others on their faith journeys in a welcoming, encouraging atmosphere.”
-DE
“I found OCIA to be a very valuable experience for helping me to better understand and relate to the Catholics in my life. I very much enjoyed learning about Catholicism and am now able to see a lot of the attraction that the Catholic church presents.”