The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA-formerly RCIA) is a formation process for adults and children over the age of 7 who desire to learn about the Catholic faith and who are considering joining the Catholic Church.  

• Those who have never been baptized.
• Those baptized in another Christian faith tradition who may be interested in becoming a Catholic.
• Catholics who were baptized but have not celebrated all of their Sacraments (those under eighteen in this category will go through a different process-see button below).
• Anyone who is not Catholic who wants to learn more about the Catholic faith. Perhaps you are engaged or married to a Catholic and want to know more about your fiancé or spouse's religion. Maybe your children are being raised as Catholics and you want to better understand the faith tradition they are learning. Or, perhaps you have attended church with a Catholic friend and would like to know more.
• PLEASE NOTE: Children age 7-17 (or still in high school) will need to go through a two year process.  The first year is a foundational year in one of our Faith Formation programs for children and youth and the second year is OCIA adapted for children/teens.  Parents should contact our Registrar, Ruba Kaiser, for more information about registering for the foundational year at [email protected].

Please use the navigation menu to see other pages which include an overview of OCIA at St. Laurence and a description of the steps involved in the RCIA Journey.

We are no longer accepting new Inquirers for the 2025-26 OCIA process, however, you are welcome to contact Justin Frato to inquire about joining OCIA in the future. If one of the descriptions in the buttons below describes your situation, please click for more details.


For adults baptized Catholic who have received First Communion but not Confirmation
For unbaptized children under the age of 7
For children/teens baptized Catholic 7-17

A Guide to Navigating the OCIA PDF