Every spring, parish communities around our diocese and the world look forward with great joy to welcoming new Catholics into the Church at Easter. This year, our parishes anticipate welcoming 222 catechumens and 262 candidates into full communion with the Church. We have 77 more people joining the Church here in West Michigan this year than last year. The Spirit is present and working in our diocese! This is the largest number of individuals we have welcomed into the Church at the Easter Vigil since 2014.

Please pray for these individuals as they continue their formation through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) and preparation to join the Church.

Why did Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults change to Order of Christian Initiation of Adults?

This Ash Wednesday (March 5) brought the implementation of a newly translated Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (formerly known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults). Just as the texts of the Mass and other sacraments have been brought closer to the liturgies’ original Latin, the rites that lead adults from their first desire for Catholic faith through the sacraments of initiation or reception into full communion will now speak in the same English and Spanish used by our other updated liturgies. Your pastor may also re-examine the options provided for each rite to make the celebration as fruitful as possible for all participants – those who are becoming Catholic and the parish community as a whole. 

DO YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO’S CONSIDERING THE CATHOLIC FAITH?
Invite them to learn more about Catholicism through the Order of Christian Initiation (OCIA) in your parish (or one near them, visit GRdiocese.org/parishes). It may be helpful to explain that the OCIA isn’t a commitment to becoming Catholic but a process of inquiry and an opportunity to ask questions and explore answers that can help them decide if being Catholic is right for them.

Read more:
From one convert to another: A primer for new Catholics (April 2023 FAITH Grand Rapids magazine)
Seven tips for new Catholics, from one convert to another (America magazine, April 2019)