OCIA is for everyone wanting to:
·    Become Catholic
·    Receive or complete their Sacraments.
·    Desiring to continue to grow in their knowledge of Jesus Christ and His Church.

Ready to start your unique faith journey?

Please join us as we help you begin the first step of your life-changing journey. The journey begins now! Many are called ---few will answer! Will you?

The OCIA process:  Becoming Catholic or completing your Sacraments of Initiation typically involves four steps.

Step 1: Pre-Catechumenate (Period of Inquiry)
How someone comes to the Catholic Church is unique to each person, but it all starts with a personal encounter at the parish. Contact Gary Hilton at [email protected] or click the link below to the OCIA Invitation.

https://www.osvhub.com/holyspiritnc/forms/ociainvitation

After your initial conversation, you may consider joining with others who are on a similar path, meeting with OCIA team members, and starting a period of questioning and discovery. This first step can go on for weeks, months or years – it is up to you and the Holy Spirit!

Step 2: Catechumenate (also includes Candidates)
If after your initial inquiry you would like to move on to a more formal study of the Catholic faith, your OCIA Coordinator will invite you to join the Catechumenate process. This part of the process includes basic catechesis, church doctrine, Scripture, and parish life.

From this point forward, you are a “Catechumen,” if you have never been baptized. You are a “Candidate” if you have been baptized at a Catholic or Protestant Church. The time spent as a catechumen or candidate varies from person to person, however it requires a minimum of one liturgical year.

Step 3: Period of Purification and Enlightenment (Elect)

This part of the OCIA process starts at the beginning of Lent. It is a period of continuing study of God’s Word, becoming more involved with the Parish Community and with the aid of your sponsor discerning your readiness to celebrate the sacraments.
·    Catechumens: occurs at the Easter Vigil
·    Candidates: occurs at the Pentecost Vigil

Step 4: Mystagogy (Neophyte)
Once you have received the sacraments, you are a “Neophytes.”  It is a time to reflect on the commitment you have made to the Lord, the Church, and to the local parish community.

This is not an end to your journey but a beginning – the journey of faith lasts a lifetime. The weeks after Easter are a time for you and your fellow new Catholics to settle into your new parish family.