Your Parish Needs You as Converts Enter the Catholic Church

How the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) calls the entire parish into accompaniment, especially as conversions are on the rise.

Our Lady of the Mountains Parish in Estes Park recently celebrated the Rite of Entrance and Rite of Welcoming for those seeking to enter the Catholic Church, their first such celebrations in recent memory! (Photo provided)

By Cecilia Dietzler

The number of adults entering the Catholic Church is steadily increasing in the Archdiocese of Denver. The total number of converts (those being baptized for the first time as adults) jumped from 669 people in 2022 to 936 people in 2024, and the numbers are expected to keep rising. Many parishes in our archdiocese have reported their numbers doubling or even tripling since last year. In addition to these, an additional 400 or so adults who were baptized in Protestant denominations have been brought into full communion with the Church each year.  

With this new increase in conversion in our parishes comes a need for greater participation and support from the parish communities these converts are entering. The Catholic Church envisions their entrance into the community (sometimes referred to as OCIA, or the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) as not just a class where they learn about the faith, but an apprenticeship where they experience the faith and the Catholic community they are joining.  

Whether they are a catechumen, someone who is seeking Baptism into the Catholic Church along with the rest of the sacraments, or a candidate, someone seeking to enter the Catholic Church after having already been baptized, the Church desires to incorporate them into the parish community, which means we all have a part to play. 

Representing the Catholic Church as Witnesses 

Within the ritual text that outlines the different periods a convert enters on their journey towards Baptism, there are several points that specifically invite the parish community to be involved.  

The Rite of Entrance, the rite that marks the beginning of formal preparation to enter the Church, requests that “either the entire Christian community or some part of it consisting of friends, relatives, catechists and priests should take an active part in the celebration” (OCIA 45). In this way, the community acts as witnesses and representatives of the entire Catholic Church in welcoming these new converts.  

Other rites and liturgical moments, such as the Rite of Sending, the Scrutinies, and, of course, the Easter Vigil, also request your presence as a parishioner and witness. While these catechumens are not yet baptized, “thus, from that moment [of entrance into the catechumenate], catechumens, whom Mother Church already embraces as her own with her love and care, and who are joined to her, already belong to the house of Christ” (OCIA 47). 

Intercessors in Prayer 

Another way the Church invites us all to be involved in supporting those entering the Church is through prayer. In each stage of the journey, we can pray intentionally. 

For those currently on the journey towards conversion:  

• Pray for their openness to God and for them to have the eyes to see and ears to hear his presence in their lives.  

• Pray for them to accept the invitation to allow Christ to be the center of their lives.  

These are people in our communities whom you may not even realize are curious about the Catholic faith. If you know people in this category (friends, family members, neighbors, coworkers), pray for them by name. If not, that’s okay! The beauty of prayer is that the Lord can use it how he sees fit. 

For those formally in the process of the catechumenate, or for candidates for full communion:  

• Pray for their peace and continued consolation in their journey, for their protection against temptation and spiritual attack, and for wisdom and understanding of God’s plan for their lives.  

• Pray also for their patience and endurance — this period can last over a year in many cases!  

• You will first see these groups at the Rite of Entrance (for catechumens) and the Rite of Welcome (for candidates) during Mass, and their names may be published somewhere by your parish.  

  
  

During Lent, those who are to be baptized during the Easter Vigil will enter the period of Purification and Enlightenment, a more intense period of spiritual preparation for their reception into the Catholic Church.  

Within the three Masses during Lent, they will undergo something called the Scrutinies, which have particular prayer intentions we can offer. 

• First Scrutiny (The Samaritan Woman at the Well): prayers for acknowledgement of sins, to be freed from the spirit of mistrust, for longing for the living waters, and for acceptance of Jesus Christ as teacher. 

• Second Scrutiny (The Man Born Blind): prayers for openness of heart, to be led by Christ and not the world, for their healing and for enlightenment of mind. 

• Third Scrutiny (The Raising of Lazarus): prayers for their encouragement, to be strengthened by faith, to find comfort in Christ amidst loss and for repentance in order to be conformed to Christ in Baptism. 

Finally, for the newly baptized and confirmed Catholics entering our Church during the Easter season:  

• Pray for them for an outpouring of grace to sustain them in their new life in Christ.  

• Pray for them to receive more fully the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to them in Confirmation. 

• Pray that God will give them a deepened understanding of what they have learned in their preparation, now that they can experience the Christian life more fully. 

Friends and Examples on the Journey 

For those who are entering the Church, it is more than just signing up for a class. Becoming Catholic in many cases involves a lifestyle change, learning an entirely new vocabulary and encountering a community of believers they never knew they could have. Our final role as the community is to be just that — a community.  

From the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults manual: 

“Becoming familiar with the practice of Christian life, helped by the example and support of sponsors and godparents, and indeed the faithful of the entire community, [the catechumens] grow accustomed to praying more easily to God, witnessing to the faith, keeping an expectation of Christ in all things, following inspiration from above in their works, and showing charity to their neighbor even to the renunciation of themselves” (OCIA 75). 

As you see these newcomers more, be bold and invite them into the parish in a deeper way. Get to know their names and stories. Invite them to sit with your family at the fish fry. Be examples of Christian charity: if someone looks lost in the parish building, take a minute to stop and ask if they need help finding something.  

Does this ministry stir something in your heart in a deeper way? Consider reaching out to your parish to become a sponsor, a more intentional “friend on the journey”!