Are you at a point of wanting
to make some major commitments in life,
to set a life direction and destiny?
Are you interested in
exploring the Catholic Faith?
Or are you a baptized Catholic
who has not celebrated communion
or been confirmed?

Adults and children in the age of reason enter the Catholic Church through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), a process of accompaniment, education, reflection, and celebration of the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist.  This was formally known as RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults).

To learn more or join our English Inquiry and OCIA journey,
contact Fr. Ivan at (415) 288-3830 or by e-mail.
To learn more or join our Chinese version,
contact Deacon Simon at (415)-288-3800 or by e-mail.

Inquiry

The first phase to becoming a Catholic is Inquiry. It's a time to ask any questions you may have about faith and to discuss your life in relation to them: Who is God? Who is Jesus Christ? What’s my purpose and meaning in life? What is the Church? What do the Scriptures mean, and how do we read them? What are the Sacraments, and what does it mean to celebrate them?

Inquiry is the time to ask your questions and to hear other explorers or inquirers questions to life. There is no commitment in this phase and folks can come and go as they wish, even exploring other religions at the same time. Drawing an analogy to dating, the inquiry phase would be like casual dating.

Catechumenate

When folks are touched by the beginnings of faith and ready to make an initial commitment to explore God’s call to the Catholic faith, they are invited to move to the second phase of OCIA, called the Catechumenate. Catechumen means "one who studies," and this time is dedicated to a more in-depth study of the Scriptures and the specific teachings of the Church. What do the life and teachings of Jesus tell is about how we should live? How does the life of the Church support discipleship in Christ? Catechumenate lasts as long as one needs in order to make a lifetime commitment or to decide God is calling them elsewhere. If one is new to the Catholic faith, typically one journeys for a full liturgical year in the catechumenate to experience a full cycle of the life of Jesus in worship and to see how walking the life of Jesus helps Catholics grow in faith and fellowship. The catechumenate typically ends with the beginning of the season of Lent in late winter. Lent means Spring and is a period of reflection and preparation for Easter. In the analogy to dating, the catechumenate is like going steady and serious exclusive dating.

 Purification & Enlightenment

Once a catechuman reaches a point of readiness to make a lifetime commitment to Jesus through the Catholic way of life, one is invited to move into the third phase of the OCIA known as Purification and Enlightenment. Participants in the OCIA process are now called the Elect, for they are chosen by God.

They focus on prayer and interior preparation for the reception of the sacraments during the six weeks of Lent. Themes from the season of Lent increase our awareness of the cost of discipleship, and the commitment each of us is asked to make to the call of one bread, one body. It is a period of purifying oneself, recognizing old ways that need to be discarded and embracing virtuous ways, and a period of enlightenment, to better see God working in one’s life and in the church and the world. The period includes a day of retreat sometime before Easter.

The Elect celebrate full initiation into the Church with the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist during the great Easter Vigil on the Saturday night before Easter. Their initiation is part of the whole Church's celebration of new life available to all of us in the resurrection of Jesus. Having passed over into the priestly ministry of God's people, they receive the name of Neophytes, which means "one who is newly planted in the faith."

​Mystagogy

One then enters the final phase of the OCIA, which all initiated Catholics share called Mystagogy. It is a phase for breaking open the mystery of the faith and the mystery of the sacraments. It is not mystery like a crime novel to be solved, but the unpacking and living something beyond the surface that is deep and profound, namely God’s plan for our salvation and fullness of life.

To learn more or join our English Inquiry and OCIA journey,
contact Fr. Ivan at (415) 288-3830 or by e-mail.

To learn more or join our Chinese version,
contact Deacon Simon at (415)-288-3800 or by e-mail.