If you’re thinking about becoming Catholic or have started OCIA sessions, welcome! What a beautiful and exciting season of life.
Recently, I came across a post in an OCIA support group from someone who was just beginning her journey to join the Catholic Church. She asked a simple question that stayed with me:
How can I make my OCIA journey more meaningful?
I loved that question. She didn’t want to simply go through the motions. She wanted this time to mean something—to grow in her faith and draw closer to God. I remember feeling the same way when I began OCIA. More than anything, I wanted the process of becoming Catholic to draw me closer to Jesus.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, OCIA (formerly RCIA) stands for the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. It’s the process through which adults enter the Catholic Church or complete their Christian initiation. But OCIA is about so much more than attending sessions or learning about Catholic beliefs. It’s an invitation to encounter Jesus more deeply and grow in relationship with him and his Church.
There is so much to experience and learn in OCIA—new words, questions to explore, prayers and traditions to discover, and special rites and sacraments. Even with all the beauty, there are times when it can feel a little overwhelming.
So how can you make the most of your OCIA journey?
Here are ten simple tips to help you make it meaningful and personal.
1. Begin With God’s Love
Before you learn a single new prayer or teaching, remember this: God loves you, and he has brought you to this moment for a reason.
You don’t need to be or do or become anything to begin OCIA. Come as you are, with your faith, hopes, uncertainties, and questions. And give yourself permission to grow at your own pace.
Most importantly, keep turning your heart to God. OCIA isn’t simply about gaining knowledge. It’s an invitation to know Jesus more and respond to the love he has already given you.
“We love because he first loved us.” — 1 John 4:19
2. Ask Questions
OCIA is a wonderful place to ask questions, even the ones you think you should already know the answers to.
Why do Catholics do that? What does the Church teach about this? Why is the Mass structured the way it is? What exactly is a sacrament?
Ask away!
Your OCIA team is there to help you understand the Catholic faith, and chances are someone else in the room has wondered the same thing.
You might even keep a running list of questions as they come to mind so you can bring them to your next session. I had a whole section of my journal dedicated to questions—and trust me, I had a lot! My dear sponsor was a saint for patiently answering every one of them.
3. Take Notes
There’s a lot to absorb during OCIA. Taking notes can help you slow down, pay attention, and remember what stood out to you.
You don’t have to write down everything. Instead, listen for the things that catch your attention.
Was there a Church teaching you had never heard before? A Scripture passage that spoke to you? Something that finally made sense? Something you want to learn more about?
Write it down.
Months later, you may be surprised by how meaningful it is to look back and remember those little moments of discovery.
4. Make Time for Personal Reflection
Learning about the Catholic faith is important, but so is reflecting on what you are learning. After an OCIA session, in the quiet, take a few minutes to ask yourself:
What stood out to me?
What am I still wondering about?
How is this changing the way I see God?
What might God be inviting me to do or understand?
Personal reflection helps move what you’re learning from your head to your heart. This is one reason journaling became such a meaningful part of my own journey into the Catholic Church. Writing helped me process what I was learning, notice how God was working in my life, and reflect on how I was responding.
That experience eventually inspired me to create Welcome Home: A Guided Journal for Becoming Catholic Through OCIA. I wanted others to have one place to take notes, reflect, prepare for the special rites and sacraments, and preserve memories from this important season of faith.
5. Build a Habit of Prayer
OCIA is not only about learning about God. It is about growing in relationship with him. Set aside a little time each day for prayer. It doesn’t need to be long or complicated.
Talk to God about what you’re learning. Bring him your questions. Ask for wisdom. Thank him for what he is revealing to you. Sit quietly in his presence… that was my favorite!
You may also enjoy learning some of the beautiful prayers of the Church, praying with Scripture, or spending time before the Blessed Sacrament.
Let prayer become the heartbeat of your journey.
6. Participate in Mass
If you aren’t already attending Mass regularly, make it a priority whenever possible.
At first, some parts of the Mass may feel unfamiliar. Don’t worry if you don’t understand everything right away. Listen. Observe. Pray. Notice the Scripture readings, the responses, the gestures, and the rhythm of the liturgy.
As you learn more during OCIA, you may begin recognizing things at Mass that you recently discussed in your sessions. Little by little, the pieces start coming together.
If you’re not yet able to receive Holy Communion, you can still participate in the Mass through prayer and worship as you prepare for the sacraments.
7. Get to Know Your Sponsor and OCIA Community
You aren’t meant to make this journey alone.
Your sponsor, godparent, OCIA team, clergy, and fellow participants are part of the community walking beside you. Take time to get to know them.
Talk with your sponsor outside of your regular sessions when possible. Share what you’re learning. Ask questions. Pray together. And don’t be afraid to talk about things you may be struggling to understand.
The relationships formed during OCIA can become a beautiful source of encouragement and support.
8. Be Present for the Rites
Depending on whether you are preparing for Baptism or are already baptized, you may participate in different rites during OCIA.
These moments are more than items to check off a list. They are part of the Church’s prayer for you and her way of accompanying you as you prepare for the Sacraments of Initiation.
Before each rite, learn a little about what will happen and what it means. Afterward, take time to reflect.
What did you notice as you experienced the rite?
How did you sense God at work?
These can become some of the most treasured memories of your OCIA journey.
Stay present not only for the rites, but with every step. Enjoy the little moments too, the people traveling with you, and most of all, Jesus at your side.
9. Give Yourself Grace
Every person’s journey into the Catholic Church is unique.
You may have moments when everything feels exciting and clear. You may also experience questions, doubts, impatience, or uncertainty.
Don’t measure your journey against someone else’s.
Spiritual growth isn’t a race, and becoming Catholic isn’t about knowing every answer before you receive the sacraments. In many ways, you are only beginning.
You have a lifetime to grow in your knowledge and love of God. Enjoy getting to know him more, and trust that he is working, even when you can’t see everything clearly yet.
10. Remember Who the Journey Is Really About
With all the new information, vocabulary, rites, dates, and preparations, it can be easy to focus on reaching the finish line.
But the ultimate destination isn’t simply a date on the calendar or even receiving the sacraments.
It’s a Person: Jesus Christ.
Keep returning your attention to him.
Ask Jesus to lead you, teach you, and draw you closer to himself. The sacraments you are preparing to receive are not the end of your faith journey. They open the door to a lifetime of following Christ and growing in his grace.
Treasure the Journey
Your time in OCIA is a season you may look back on for the rest of your life.
Take notes. Ask questions. Pray. Reflect. Stay present. Celebrate the milestones. Notice the ways God is working in your heart.
And consider recording some of it. Years from now, those pages may remind you not only of what you learned, but of the person you were becoming and the ways God was drawing you home.
That is my hope for Welcome Home: A Guided Journal for Becoming Catholic Through OCIA. Inspired by my own journey into the Catholic Church, I created it as a companion to parish OCIA formation—a place to record what you’re learning, reflect on the rites and sacraments, respond in prayer, and preserve the memories of your journey.
Wherever you are right now—full of faith, full of questions, or somewhere in between—keep seeking Jesus.
And welcome home.
Ready to make your OCIA journey your own?
Welcome Home: A Guided Journal for Becoming Catholic Through OCIA is available on Amazon.
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