The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is the process by which unbaptized adults journey to encounter Christ and receive full initiation into the Catholic Church through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist.
The U.S. bishops approved a revised edition of the rite in November of 2021 and renamed the process “OCIA” (the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults). After receiving confirmation from the Vatican last year, U.S. parishes were required to replace the older edition with the new translation at the beginning of Lent this year.
The name of the process has been changed from “Rite” to “Order” because of a retranslation from the Latin edition, said Laura Zoeller, the Archdiocese of Louisville’s consultant for adult formation and initiation, in a recent interview.
The emphasis on “order,” rather than “rite” recognizes that the journey to become Catholic isn’t just a one-time event, or rite, Zoeller said.
“You are formed in the tradition through time. That’s a big part of the process — it organically develops.”
— Barry Mudd, the associate director of the Office of Worship for the archdiocese
“When people see ‘the Rite,’ they think it’s just one rite,” she said. Rather, the process follows an order — it’s a journey that includes three rites and four periods that prepare the unbaptized for the sacraments of initiation, she explained.
The name change also signals an emphasis on OCIA as a continual, year-round process, said Zoeller. Many parishes may have followed the school-year calendar in preparing individuals to enter the Catholic Church — with catechism classes beginning in the fall and the sacraments of initiation the following Easter, said Zoeller.
But the bishops have asked that the process be year-round, allowing individuals interested in Catholicism to be welcomed any time of year, Zoeller said.
Barry Mudd, the associate director of the Office of Worship for the archdiocese, said the name change is about welcoming people to the Catholic Church as family. Joining the family of the church should feel similar to growing up in a family, he said in a recent interview.
Family members aren’t formed in family life through a curriculum or taking classes, he noted. Rather, by living family life, an individual slowly hears the family stories, experiences the traditions and forms relationships with the members, he said.
“You are formed in the tradition through time. That’s a big part of the process — it organically develops,” he said.
The process of becoming Catholic “was always supposed to have been a year-long process, said Zoeller. “That got lost in the shuffle somewhere, and now our bishops are emphasizing that.”
The “Order of Christian Initiation of Adults: Ritual Edition” states that, in ordinary circumstances, the OCIA candidate should participate in at least one liturgical year in the church — starting before Lent one year until Easter the following year, Mudd said.
But the OCIA model isn’t a process where all of the catechumens should start and finish concurrently, he said.
The length of the OCIA process will differ depending on the histories and readiness of the catechumens, Mudd said. An unbaptized husband who has been coming to Mass with his Catholic wife for 50 years would require a different preparation than someone who only recently discovered the faith, he said.
“We want things to be black and white, but everybody’s journey is going to be different,” he said. “They can’t fit into one neat box; they have to be ready. It’s not about how many hoops you’ve jumped through or how much knowledge” you have, Mudd noted.
As some parishes transition to a year-round model, parishioners may notice multiple rites — such as several rites of Entrance into the Catechumenate — throughout the year, or more frequent dismissals at Mass for the catechumens.
Additionally, more parishioners may be needed to facilitate the OCIA process, said Zoeller.
