BECOMING CATHOLIC

Becoming Catholic is a deeply joyful and life-changing journey. Some receive this grace as infants, while others come to the Church later in life as children, teens, or adults.

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Because people come from different backgrounds, the process is not one-size-fits-all. It is always adapted to a person’s situation and where they are starting from in their faith life.

HOW IT HAPPENS

Full communion with the Catholic Church is lived through the three sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. The path to receiving them depends on your circumstances:

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• If you are unbaptized
  You will need a full year of preparation in OCIA before receiving Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. This is the ordinary expectation of the Church for those entering the catechumenate.

  Your formal journey begins with the Rite of Entrance in January of the year you will receive the sacraments, followed by a year of formation leading to Easter. Even before that, you are strongly encouraged to begin attending OCIA in the summer and fall so you can start learning, building community, and preparing well for the start of the catechumenate.

• If you are already baptized in another Christian tradition
  You are received into the Church through a profession of faith, then receive Confirmation and the Eucharist. Your preparation typically follows the main OCIA year, beginning when the program starts and continuing through Easter.

• If you are already a baptized Catholic
  You complete your initiation by preparing for Confirmation and First Holy Communion through OCIA formation.

THE ROLE OF PREPARATION

OCIA is not just classes, it is a real period of formation and discernment.
 

For those who are unbaptized, the Church expects a full year of catechumenate preparation as the norm. This year begins formally with the Rite of Entrance and continues through the Rite of Election, leading to the Easter sacraments.
 

If you are unbaptized, this means:

• You will not receive Baptism in the first months of joining

• Your sacramental journey follows a full-year timeline toward Easter

• The next official start point is January, when the catechumenate begins
   

That said, you are very welcome and strongly encouraged to join OCIA as soon as possible in the summer or fall. This time is important for getting to know the community, beginning your formation early, and preparing for the formal start of the process in January.

CHILDREN AND TEENS

For children who have reached the age of reason (around age 7) and teens seeking sacraments, preparation follows RCIC or RCIT and is adapted to their needs, usually following the same seasonal rhythm toward Easter sacraments.

A PERSONAL JOURNEY

While the Church has clear structure and expectations, OCIA is also a personal journey. The goal is to support real conversion, steady formation, and a confident, peaceful step into the Catholic Church at the right time.

“I did not fully grasp the importance of the selection of an RCIA class until the day of my conversion. Coming from an academic world, I was drawn to the RCIA class at Lourdes because of its reputation for intellectual rigor cultivated by Father Brian’s nuanced understanding of Church teaching, and, in this sense, it did not disappoint. But standing alongside my fellow catechumens after we received our first communion, I felt an emotional intimacy that is rare in life, let alone from a class. While I didn’t realize it in the midst of our weekly routine in the months leading up to our conversion, this intimacy was quietly growing through shared moments of joy in experiencing spiritual truth, laughter at Father Brian’s jokes, fulfillment through intellectual growth, tears during first confession, and peace in experiencing God’s love. On the day of conversion, it felt as though all of our worldly pretensions were shed, leaving just us with one another and God. Whether you are a cradle Catholic striving for deeper faith, a newcomer pursuing conversion, or an atheist seeking truth, RCIA at Lourdes offers something truly special that I would recommend to anyone. There is also beer.”

Jeanette Goldwaser, MD