Order of Christian Initiation of Adults

Common card · No. 205252

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (Latin: Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum), or OCIA, known as the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) in many English-speaking countries, is a process developed by the Catholic Church for its catechumenate for prospective converts to the Catholic faith above the age of infant baptism. Candidates are gradually introduced to aspects of Catholic beliefs and practices. At the Second Vatican Council, the fathers of the Council announced that "the catechumenate for adults" was to be restored and used at the discretion of local bishops. The basic process applies to adults and children who have reached catechetical age. In the United States, the name was changed from Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to the OCIA in 2021 to reflect greater fidelity to the original Latin, and this change was approved by the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. Priests "have the responsibility of attending to the...

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