Coming to celebrate Mass in our parish is a heartwarming community event. Saint Benedict Parish is a spiritual home; it’s where we pray together and fortify our lives with the grace of the Sacraments. How do we get there? How do we get home? Some have been guided and fostered in the Catholic faith since their infancy. Others have journeyed through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).

The journey begins with an awakening — a call on the heart. The uninitiated discover within themselves a desire for full participation in the Catholic Church. Often this happens through participation in an evangelical initiative like Alpha. The road to full communion begins at the stirring of this desire.

Last Easter, 24 candidates came to full participation in the church at our parish. The OCIA calendar begins in Advent and stretches out through Lent until the Easter Vigil. This month, Saint Benedict encourages a new group to begin the journey. An info session for all interested will take place on November 25th, with OCIA sessions beginning on December 3rd.

OCIA welcomes three types of candidates. First, some people are unbaptized. They are called catechumens which comes from a Greek word meaning ‘to be instructed or informed’. A second group is those who have been baptized in another faith tradition but want to become a Catholic. The third group is Baptized adult Catholics who have not received Confirmation and/or Eucharist.

Once a participant is registered, they begin a 15 week program of study and prayer called the Catechumenate. Each of them has a sponsor, a person of confirmed faith who will support them at every step of the way. Each Sunday afternoon, the candidates gather with their sponsor in the auditorium. There they watch a video series called Symbolon which helps them come to a deeper, fuller understanding of Catholicism.

On the first Sunday of Lent, the catechumens become ‘The Elect’. Gathered at Saint Mary’s Basilica in the presence of the Archbishop, their names will be inscribed in the Book of the Elect. On the third, fourth, and fifth Sundays in Lent, they will be presented at Mass at Saint Benedict for what are called the Scrutinies. The Scrutinies are celebrated to deliver the Elect from the power of sin, to protect them against temptation and give them strength in Christ — The Way, The Truth, and The Life.

Finally, at Easter, they will receive the Sacraments and be welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church and come home to Saint Benedict Parish. This amazing program is guided by a group of 9 dedicated volunteers led by Angelo George and Charles Cruz. They are supported by Sacraments Coordinator Caroline Dubois.

If you have questions, please plan on coming to the Info Session on November 25th, or email Caroline at [email protected].