Hey Deacon

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), the process by which the church brings in new converts and educates catechumens and candidates, has been a staple in Catholic life and lingo for years. But in November 2021, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops changed the name of one of the best-known acronyms in the church, reorienting the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) into the new Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA).

Why was that? The change from “rite” to “order” is in part because of a retranslation of the Latin name into English. The bishops retranslated the Order of Initiation of Adult Catechumens (Ordo Initiationis Christianae Adultorum) from Latin. The USCCB has taken the ‘O,’ which is ‘ordo,’ and switched it back to ‘order,’ instead of the ‘R’ for ‘rite.’ It is not to say that it was a mistranslation, but the new translation is more comprehensive.

According to an article by Daniel Meloy for the Detroit Catholic, “rites are still part of the order, but the new structure is meant to invite candidates and catechumens into a continuous process of spiritual formation as opposed to fixed checkpoints on the path to Baptism, First Communion and Confirmation.” Furthermore, “by making the entire process an ‘order,’ the candidate or catechumen understands the rites received in church or at the parish are just one part of the ongoing journey of discipleship that will culminate with baptism and confirmation — usually during the Easter Vigil — but will continue throughout their lives.”

The new name emphasizes that the process to become Catholic should not be rushed and allows for people to enter the Church at any time. Becoming a Catholic involves a period of intense discernment and prayer, not simply going through the “rites” at fixed points of the year. While most converts enter the Church at the Easter Vigil, this new structure acknowledges that converts could be baptized or welcomed into the Church at any point in the year, even taking a year or more before making their final decision.

In fact, Our Lady of the Ozarks parish is welcoming five members of the Jennings family into their faith community this Sunday, on Pentecost. Four of them will receive all three sacraments of initiation. (We are going to party like it’s Pentecost 33 AD!) Parishes will be adjusting to this new term over the next few years, phasing out the term RCIA and switching over to the use of the term OCIA. And if you are like me, struggling to accept the new name, pray to St. Damien of Molokai – the patron saint to overcome stubbornness.

Author Bio:
Deacon Dan Vaughn