OCIA Coordinators’ Weekly Update 11/01/2024
Confirmation is one of three Sacraments of Initiation
November 1, 2024
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There are three sacraments of initiation. Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. In the early Church, these were offered together to initiate adults into the Church.
With the prominence of infant baptism, Confirmation was offered when the bishop was able to visit the parish. First Holy Communion was offered around the age of 12, until Pope Pius X in 1910 instructed parish priests to offer First Holy Communion to children who had reached the “age of discretion,” usually around age six or seven.
For adults, the Church offers all three Sacraments of Initiation in their traditional order: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist.
The restored Catechumenate (period of instruction) which we know as the OCIA, prepares a) baptized Catholic adults who have not been confirmed, b) the unbaptized and c) those baptized in other Christian traditions, to receive the Sacraments of Initiation, usually at the Easter Vigil.
For various reasons, baptized Catholics adults might not have been Confirmed. They are invited to join the OCIA community to deepen their faith and grow in knowledge of the Church.
Saint Clement offers OCIA year-round, so that those beginning their preparation immediately following Easter receive the Sacraments of Initiation in early October.
Our Fall 2024 – Spring OCIA begins on Monday, November 18, 2024, and concludes on Pentecost, June 8, 2025. The Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated at the Easter Vigil, Saturday, April 19. Sessions are scheduled on Monday evenings from 7 – 8:30 pm, with breaks for holidays. You may register here.
For more information, please contact Ed Harasim, OCIA Coordinator, eharasim@clement.org or Fr. Brett Williams, bawilliams@clement.org
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