What is OCIA?
The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA, is the ancient and living process by which men and women enter the Catholic Church through the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion. If you are preparing for Baptism, you are now called a Catechumen. If you are already baptized in another Christian tradition, you are now a Candidate, preparing to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

The Church confesses in the Creed “one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” A baptism celebrated with water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is never repeated. Baptism is not just a symbol or acceptance of faith — it brings about a permanent change in our very nature. Through it we are cleansed of original sin, made children of God, and incorporated into Christ’s Body, the Church.

The Catechism describes it this way:
“Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit… Through Baptism we are freed from sin and reborn as sons of God; we become members of Christ, are incorporated into the Church and made sharers in her mission.”
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1213)


The Early Church: A Different Way of Life
To understand the catechumenate, we need to look back at the world in which the first Christians lived. Roman society was marked by wealth, power, and self-indulgence. Entertainment often meant bloody games in the amphitheater. Families sometimes abandoned unwanted infants, leaving them to die. Society was sharply divided between slaves and elites.
And yet, in this culture, Christians stood out. They rescued and raised abandoned children. They cared for widows and orphans, giving them dignity. They pooled their resources to feed the hungry and support the poor. They honored marriage and upheld chastity. They gathered in homes for prayer and the “breaking of the bread.”


The Acts of the Apostles describes this strikingly:
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. Awe came upon everyone… All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and distribute to all, as any had need.”
(Acts 2:42–45)

Even outsiders could see the difference. Around 197 AD, Tertullian recorded how pagans looked upon the Christians with amazement, saying:
“See how they love one another, and how they are ready even to die for one another.”
(Apology, 39)

And the anonymous Epistle to Diognetus (c. 130 AD) explained the paradox of Christian life:
“They marry like everyone else, and they have children, but they do not expose their offspring. They share their table, but not their bed. They live in their own countries but only as sojourners… They pass their days on earth, but they are citizens of heaven.”
(Diognetus, V–VI)

The same Roman roads built to conquer and control became the paths the apostles used to carry the Gospel. The forums built for indoctrination became places of proclamation. What empire intended for domination, God transformed into instruments of salvation.


The Catechumenate: Then and Now
Those who wanted to become Christian in the early Church entered the catechumenate — a gradual path of conversion. This was not simply a class or instruction in beliefs. It was a process of transformation. It was about belonging to a new people, living in a new way, and learning to breathe a new spirit.

Catechumens prayed with the Church, listened to the Scriptures, and were mentored by sponsors who walked alongside them as companions in faith. As historian Mike Aquilina explains:
“The Fathers did not see catechesis as mere instruction, but as apprenticeship in a way of life. It was about learning to pray, to serve, to worship, and to live differently in the world.”
(The Fathers of the Church, 2006)

The catechumenate you are entering now continues that same pattern. OCIA invites you to encounter Christ through teaching, to join the Church in prayer and liturgy, and to walk with a community of believers who will support you in faith and in service.


Ordinary Means, Radical Grace
Conversion does not usually happen all at once in a dramatic way. More often, it is like a seed planted deep in the soil, slowly taking root, growing, and bearing fruit. Jesus taught this in the parable of the sower:
“Some seeds fell on the path, and the birds came and ate them up. Other seeds fell on rocky ground… and when the sun rose they were scorched. Other seeds fell among thorns… But some seeds fell on good soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
(Matthew 13:4–8)
The catechumenate exists to till the soil, water the seed, and shield it from thorns — but it is God who gives the growth. Even in your own life — the paths you have walked, the people you have met, the choices made for better or worse — the Holy Spirit can make all things new. God uses ordinary roads, ordinary means, and ordinary people to bring about extraordinary grace.


Your Part in the Journey
This journey is not just about what happens on Wednesday nights. It is about opening your whole life to Christ.
Begin with prayer. Start with the simple Catholic prayers every believer learns — the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. Adding other formal prayers like the Rosary, novenas, and chaplets can be a great help, but it is in the Word of God that we truly hear the Spirit moving in our lives. Invite God into your day by reading His Word. The USCCB will send the daily readings to your inbox, Word on Fire offers short reflections, and apps like Hallow or Amen can read them aloud as you commute or work.
Sacred Scripture is not only salvation history in the past — it is God’s living Word for us here and now. Each day, when you open the Scriptures, ask yourself: Lord, what are You saying to me today?
Lean on your sponsor. Share your questions, struggles, and joys. They may not have all the answers, but their role is to walk with you as a companion. Beyond your sponsor, remember the Communion of Saints — countless men and women who once walked the same road of faith and now pray for us in heaven.
Discover your companions among the saints. God has raised up saints in every age — parents, workers, teachers, students, even men and women navigating the challenges of the digital age. Before our next meeting, choose one saint to learn about. Read their story, pray to them, and ask them to intercede for you.
This process is not about rules and requirements. It is about opening your life to grace, day by day, in prayer, in companionship, and in the communion of God’s people.


Takeaway
You are not joining a class. You are joining a people. You are not beginning a course of study, but a way of life.
The same Spirit who called men and women in the first century — to rescue the abandoned, to serve the poor, to proclaim Christ in the heart of empire — is calling you now.
The catechumenate is about learning to breathe new air, to walk in a new way, and to discover in Christ the life that truly transforms the world.


Key Points to Remember

• OCIA is not a class but a journey. It is the ancient process of becoming Catholic through Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Communion.

• Catechumens are those preparing for Baptism; Candidates are already baptized Christians seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

• Baptism changes us forever. It cleanses us from sin, makes us children of God, and incorporates us into Christ’s Body, the Church.

• The early Church lived differently in the world, not through withdrawal, but presence.  They rescued abandoned children, cared for widows and the poor, and gathered daily for prayer and the breaking of bread.

• The catechumenate is apprenticeship, not just instruction. It is about learning to pray, to serve, to worship, and to live a new way of life in Christ.

• Conversion is like a seed. The soil is prepared through prayer, community, and the sacraments, but God gives the growth.

• Your part in this journey:

  • Pray daily, especially with Scripture.

  • Lean on your sponsor for support.

  • Discover and walk with a saint who can accompany you.

• You are not joining a class. You are joining a people, a communion that stretches across time and space — and the Spirit who transformed the first Christians is at work in you today.

Question:

What is the significance of making the sign of the cross before and after private prayer?

Answer:

The sign of the cross is closely tied to baptism. Jesus told the apostles, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19).

The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us that when Catholics are baptized “the sign of the cross, on the threshold of the celebration, marks with the imprint of Christ the one who is going to belong to him and signifies the grace of the Redemption Christ won for us by his cross” (CCC 1235).

Thereafter, each time we make the sign of the cross we remember that we belong to Christ.
The Christian begins his day, his prayers, and his activities with the sign of the cross: “In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.” The baptized person dedicates the day to the glory of God and calls on the Savior’s grace which lets him act in the Spirit as a child of the Father. The sign of the cross strengthens us in temptations and difficulties. (CCC 2157)