Becoming Catholic

Sacramental Preparation for Adults Information:  Please contact Deacon Ron at 630-279-7433 (voice or text) or by email at   deaconronmadsen@gmail.com.

 

Learn About Catholicism

One of the best ways you can learn about the Catholic Faith is to visit our Parish and let us know that you are interested in learning more about the Faith.  To get started with an overview of Catholic teaching, you can consult the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults  -- O.C.I.A.

OCIA (The Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) is the process by which one becomes a fully initiated member of the Catholic Church.  The process is one of a total conversion of self to the person of Jesus Christ.  While much of our time looks like a “class,” we also focus on the life of sin and grace, as well as growth in personal prayer.

Our sessions are designed to give participants as broad and deep an understanding of the Catholic Faith as possible in our limited time.  We dig deeply in to the scriptural roots of Catholicism as well as Church History.  We try to answer not only what Catholics believe, but why.  The sessions offer you much information, but are also question-driven.  We want everyone to have all their questions reasonably answered, and to be able to make an educated decision as to whether or not they wish to be fully initiated Catholics.  Each session also explores some of the Catholic tradition of prayer and spirituality to begin developing from Day One.  At no point in the process are you committed to completing all of it, nor of becoming Catholic.  There are also no fees for the sessions.

Who comes to Adult O.C.I.A.?

Some of the most common reasons people attend are as follows:

  • A personal call to join the Catholic Church, whether baptized in the Catholic Church, in another church, or never baptized.
  • A spouse of a member of the Catholic Church who desires to create harmony in the family by becoming a Catholic.
  • Someone who is planning marriage to a Catholic, and is considering joining the Catholic Church to bring unity to the marriage.
  • An individual who is baptized a Catholic, but has not received the Sacraments of Holy Eucharist or Confirmation; or who has stopped practicing the Catholic Faith and wishes to begin again.

If you fall into any of these categories, please take the time to give OCIA some serious consideration. Adult OCIA Classes (18+ years old) generally begin in September.