Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)

The OCIA is a large umbrella for many needs.  This Rite concerns:

• any child  over the age of 5 and has not yet been baptized.
• any child over the age of 10 who has not yet celebrated his or her First Communion. 
• anyone over the age of 17 who has not been baptized.
• anyone who has been baptized in another Christian tradition.
• anyone who was baptized as a Catholic but has not received religious instruction to make his or her First Communion or to be confirmed.

Sessions are held weekly from late August through the feast of Pentecost.  They are usually held on Wednesday evenings at 7 PM in the Parish Center.  Sessions are held in English, Portuguese and Spanish and there are different sessions for children to the age of 15 and adults over the age of 17.  The celebration of these sacraments usually takes place during the Solemn Vigil of Easter, the Saturday before Easter Sunday.  Our next celebration is Saturday, April 9, 2023.
Participants will be assigned a sponsor as a support for this journey once the Rite of Welcoming has been celebrated.
The Church requires those to be baptized to meet with the Bishop of Worcester by attending the Rite of Election at the Cathedral in Worcester on the First Sunday of Lent since their Confirmation takes place in our parish church at Eastertime.