The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults is a process of conversion whereby adults become full participating members of the Catholic Church through the sacraments of initiation. OCIA intends to instruct catechumens both spiritually as well as intellectually. The typical time of preparation is one year. OCIA is for:
Those who have not been baptized or were baptized in other faith traditions and now feel called to become Catholic.
Fully initiated Catholics seeking deeper catechetical knowledge of their Catholic Faith.
We meet on Thursday evenings on a weekly basis, other than in June, July and August when we will meet once a month.
Our new cohort will start Thursday, May 1, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. and meet in the Newman Center, but people can enter at other times as well. During these sessions we explore the essentials of our faith: our understanding of God (Jesus, the Holy Trinity), Christian morality, how to pray as a Catholic, etc.
Questions? Contact ocia@stmichaelportland.org
In the meantime, here are some resources that we have found helpful in coming to better understand the Catholic faith:
Brant Pitre’s Books: The Case for Jesus, Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, and Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, and many others
Conversion Story of Scott Hahn (and any book by him!)
‘The Journey Home’ series from EWTN
Read The Light of Christ: An introduction to Catholicism by Fr Thomas White
We also recommend wordonfire.org and YouTube videos by Fr. Mike Schmitz or Bishop Robert Barron