OPPORTUNITIES TO JOIN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AT SACRED HEART
	"We live in a diverse multicultural society that offers us a rich experience of how the faith is lived, expressed, and celebrated in our own time. We see in this society a widespread spiritual hunger - a quest for meaning and for a deeply personal experience of God and community." US Bishops: Our Hearts Were Burning Within Us. 2000
We invite anyone who is searching for God and is curious about the Catholic faith to attend special Inquiry classes. The classes begin on Sunday, September 19th at 9:30. Registrations are open now and appointments should be made with Marianne Dunne at Sacred Heart Church, 3rd and Edison. These special Inquiry classes are the preliminary steps necessary to enter the Order of Catholic Initiation of Adults, (OCIA).
OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults)
What is the OCIA?
OCIA offers non-Catholics an opportunity to gather with members of the parish community to learn more about the life of the Catholic Church. It is an informal environment in which the inquirers may ask questions and participate in informal discussions. Members of the parish share their understanding and experience of Jesus, scripture, prayer, sacred mysteries, and daily living of the Christian life. The gatherings take place on Sunday mornings from September to December and are called Inquiry. Noel Dunne is the leading catechist for this experience.
For those wishing full membership in the Catholic Church, the sessions become more formal in January. At this time the person enters the period called the Catechumante and begins preparation for Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. This study and preparation culminates in the celebration at the Easter Vigil with Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
Adults who were baptized Catholics as infants, but never received formal education in the faith, are invited to join these Inquiry classes. In January, however, they do not join the catechumenate, as they are already baptized. Both catechumens and baptized adults do participate in some weekly instructions together. These baptized Catholics receive the Eucharist for the first time at the Easter Vigil and are confirmed in the faith on Pentecost.
OCIA FOR CHILDREN 7 - 18 YEARS OLD
Un-baptized children participate in a year and a half of Inquiry before entering the catechumenate. They are enrolled in the religious education classes appropriate to their age. They and their parents or guardians also attend 3 special sessions during both years of preparation. At the conclusion of the catechumante, on Easter Vigil, they are baptized and are invited to the Eucharistic table for the first time. Sacred Heart encourages these youth to join the other youth of the parish as they prepare for the Sacrament of Confirmation.
If the child's parents are also in the OCIA program, the process is shortened so that the entire family can enter the faith community at the same time. These are pastoral decisions that are based on the circumstances of each family.