We invite you to Encounter Jesus Christ here at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church. 

Do you feel like something is missing deep down in your heart? Do you feel a longing for God and a desire to know more about Him? Do you want a deeper relationship with God where you gradually grow in living faith in the original community that Christ founded in 33 A.D. to encounter the love of his Divine Father? Then we have a process that allows you to “Come and See.” 

The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA).  The OCIA is the new name for the old RCIA. The OCIA is the process by which you can encounter God in the Church Christ founded. Here, you are welcome to ask all of your questions about the Catholic Christian faith while encountering and growing in relationship with God. With God in the fullness of his Church, you will find the deep-down peace and love you are missing in your life.

The OCIA is for three categories of people. Primarily, it is for those who have never been baptized who desire to become baptized into the Catholic Church. Secondly, it is for baptized non-Catholic Christians who desire to be fully received into the Church (which is "one, holy, catholic, and apostolic"). Lastly, it can be and is often used for those adults who have been baptized Catholic who have missed out on receiving their other sacraments of initiation (i.e., First Holy Communion and/or Confirmation) or Reconciliation (i.e. Confession).  

Joining the OCIA does not obligate you to become Catholic until you feel ready to do so. Wherever you are in your faith journey, the OCIA is an inquiry process that welcomes you to explore the teachings of Christ as handed down in his Catholic Church at your own pace. However, baptism and full reception into the Church only occurs once a year at the Easter Vigil Mass. If you are not yet ready to be baptized or be fully received into the Catholic Church, you can always come back the following year!  

The Easter Vigil is the Mass celebrated on the holiest night of the year when the entire Christian world anticipates the celebration of Christ's resurrection from the dead. It is during the Easter Vigil Mass where people in the OCIA around the world will enter the Catholic Church. 

What is the Mass? The Mass is the center of gravity of the life of the Church. It is Christ's worship of the Father in their Holy Spirit. It is the New Testament fulfillment of the Old Testament Passover, that is, the new covenant with all of Christ's redeemed humanity, replacing the old covenant of God's chosen people, Israel. It is the mystical, spiritual, substantially real re-presentation of the historical moment of Christ's obedient suffering, death, and resurrection which reversed the disobedience of Adam and Eve which separated humanity from God, which Christ instituted at the Last Supper. As St. Pope John Paul II called it, it is "the sacramental expression of the Paschal Mystery".  In each Mass, the presiding priest, in the person of Christ, offers himself together with all the baptized faithful present, to God the Father recalling, the obedient sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ at Calvary in 33 A.D. As such, it cannot be compared to non-Catholic Christian services of any kind. ​

Catholic Sponsors Needed for the OCIA. If you are fully Catholic and practicing your faith and want to learn more about your faith and serve the Church in the process, the OCIA is looking for Catholic Sponsors to mentor Catechumens and Candidates for Full Reception into the Church. If you are interested in becoming a part of this important ministry, contact us at the information below. 

Our OCIA classes begin in September. If you are interested in becoming Catholic or being a Catholic sponsor for someone in the OCIA, please contact George Dragan at the information below or the parish office at 269-327-5165.