Becoming Catholic at St. John Paul II
OCIA stands for Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. The first step to joining the OCIA program is downloading and filling out the below “OCIA form” and emailing it to sjp2office@jp2-mqa.org. We will reach out to you about next steps. We are so excited to have you join the OCIA program!
OCIA Program 2024-2025 Schedule
October 6th, 2024—Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens and Welcoming the Baptized but Uncatechized: The 10:30am Mass on this date marks the beginning of a new step in the faith journey of the inquirers. They will be accepted either as catechumens (those who have not been baptized) or be welcomed as candidates (those who have been validly baptized in different denominations and now seek to enter full communion with the Catholic Church or those who were baptized as Catholics but have never been catechized).
October 2024-February 2025—Period of the Catechumenate: This is the time of nurturing the faith, which already began in the early stage of the pre-catechumenate, and it is the continuation of conversation for the candidates. Every Sunday there will be a Dismissal at the 10:30am Mass. With the help of various catechists, they will learn about the faith of the Church based on the readings proclaimed at Sunday Mass.
March 5, 2025—Ash Wednesday: Period of Purification and Enlightenment: On Ash Wednesday, the Church begins a new liturgical season: Lent. Those in the OCIA enter a period of Purification and Enlightenment, the preparation for the reception into full communion with the Catholic Church intensifying. On Ash Wednesday there is no dismissal, and candidates and catechumens are encouraged to attend one of the Ash Wednesday liturgies with the community. During this liturgy, they will be imposed with ashes on their foreheads to begin a journey of renewal and penance with the Church. Please check the bulletin for the liturgical schedule.
March 8, 2025—OCIA Retreat/Rite of Sending: Candidates, catechumens, their sponsors, and family members (if they would like to join us) will meet from 10:00am-4:00pm for a retreat. That evening, during the 4:00pm Mass, we will celebrate the Rite of Sending of Catechumens for Election. We will pray together and send them to the Cathedral to meet our Bishop, Most Reverend David J. Walkowiak.
March 9, 2025—First Sunday of Lent: Rite of Election: Candidates, catechumens, their sponsors, and family members will go to the Cathedral of St. Andrew in Grand Rapids for the Rite of Election/Call to Continuing Conversion. Time to be announced.
March 16, 2025—Second Sunday of Lent: After the homily during Mass, there will be a Penitential Rite for the candidates.
March 23, March 30, April 6, 2025—Third-Fifth Sundays of Lent: In addition to the dismissals during Mass, we will celebrate the First, Second, and Third Scrutinies with our catechumens. During a weekday Mass (to be announced) there will be other preparation rituals such as handing out the “Our Father” and the “Creed” to the catechumens.
April 13, 2025—Palm Sunday: On this day, the Catholic Church begins Holy Week. All are encouraged to attend Mass with the community and receive palms and experience the richness of Holy Week. There will be a dismissal. Also, join us for the Sacred Triduum which begins with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, continues with Good Friday’s liturgy, and reaches its depth in the Easter Vigil, during which the candidates and catechumens will be received into full communion with the Catholic Church.
April 19, 2025—Holy Saturday: At 10:00am, we will gather for Morning Prayer. Then the rehearsal for the Easter Vigil will follow right after the prayer. At 9:00pm the Easter Vigil will begin during which the Sacraments will be conferred. Please be at Church in the narthex 30 minutes prior to the Vigil so that we know all are present and ready for the celebration of the sacraments. Invite friends, relatives, and loved ones to join us for this important day—you will have NEW LIFE IN CHRIST from this day on! AMEN.
Period of Mystagogy: Now in full communion with the Body of Christ, the neophytes will attend and fully participate in the Sunday Eucharist with us. After Mass, there will be in-depth learning about the meaning of the sacraments, ministries, and involvement in the life of the Church.
Please contact the Parish office at 616-696-3904 or sjp2office@jp2-mqa.org if you are interested in beginning the OCIA process.