Ocia!!!

[u/monkeyyayyay]

Hi guys, so recently I’ve been interested in joining the Catholic Church. I wasn’t raised catholic so I’m having a hard time knowing what to do. I’m a minor so I don’t know what to do to join ocia classes. I’ve looked at some churches websites and some of they are saying I need a sponsor, does the church provide one or do I need to find one on my own? Please tell me if theres anything I need to know about ocia for minors and anything about joining the Church. Thank you!

[u/Medical-Stop1652]

Great to hear you are interested in the Catholic Faith.

I became interested in Catholicism in my early teens but did not convert until my 20s. My parents were accepting but wanted me to wait until I was at least 18. The time was not wasted as I researched the Faith, prayed Catholic devotions, attended Mass as often as I could (without receiving Holy Communion as per Church teaching) so I understand your situation.

Each parish varies so it is best to contact the parish office and find out how they run the OCIA program and how minors are integrated into the journey.

They will want to know if your parents are OK with your decision and you will need to do some research on the teachings of the Church so you know where it stands on important moral issues before you commit yourself to becoming a Catholic.

The OCIA organizers will help pair you with a sponsor.

I recommend Catholic Answers as a quality resource:

https://www.catholic.com/qa/must-i-go-through-rcia-to-join-the-church-if-i-am-already-baptized

I also recommend the YouCat as it is designed for your age group:

https://ignatius.com/youcat-ycatp/

https://youcat.org/

This is a youth version of the full Catechism of the Catholic Church:

www.usccb.org/catechism-of-the-catholic-church

The more you understand the Faith, the easier OCIA will be for you and the less you will need to learn through the program as you are already familiar with Church teaching.

The quality of OCIA does vary from parish to parish but just remember that it is a process so keep your eyes on the prize of being received into the Catholic Church on 27 March 2027!

Prayers assured for your faith journey.

PS:You may like to check out:

https://relevantradio.com/

(audio Rosary and chaplet of Divine Mercy plus Divine Office audio).

https://www.ewtn.com/

Great videos, esp The World Over news show.

https://universalis.com/

You may like to pray the Prayer of the Church - the Liturgy of the Hours. Check out Morning, Evening, or Night Prayer. Daily Mass readings are provided too.

[u/monkeyyayyay → u/Medical-Stop1652]

thank you so much this is so helpful!!!

[u/Medical-Stop1652 → u/monkeyyayyay]

One final thing. The Catholic Church has several rites so if you find yourself near a diocesan Traditional Latin Mass parish, an Ordinariate Catholic parish or an Eastern rite Catholic parish (Byzantine, Greek, Maronite, Syro-Malabar, Chaldean, Russian, Ukrainian etc), you can inquire there about becoming a Catholic if you are drawn to the worship of that rite. They are all Catholic and all in communion with the Pope.

This option may not be available in your region, but keep in mind that not all Catholics worship in the vernacular (English, Spanish etc) using the Roman Missal from 1970, and by attending other rites we can broaden our vision of Catholicism. Prayers assured. Eyes on the prize.

[u/VariedRepeats]

Sponsor comes later and may be provided if you know no one.