Diocese hosts practical OCIA workshop

By DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
 
“The People of God, represented by the local church, should always realize and show that the initiation of adults is its own concern and a matter for all the baptized,” from the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults #9.
 
As part of a continuing effort to prepare parishes and staff to transition into Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) programs, the diocesan Office of Faith Formation is offering a workshop for OCIA ministers and their teams this fall.
 
An Introduction to the OCIA: The vision of Christian initiation ministry will be offered Sept. 27 at Storm Lake St. Mary Parish from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., presented by Liturgy Training Publications (LTP) staff. There is no cost to attend and the workshop is open to all.
 
Karmen Bower, diocesan director of faith formation, pointed out that she attended the same LTP workshop which was offered in Kansas City last summer. She found the training to be helpful and practical.
 
“I was pleasantly surprised with the way they presented the information,” she said. “It’s very practical and it does not remove any of the richness.”
 
The trainers provided realistic guidance for attendees to evaluate their parishes and discover how to better welcome people as a way of “reinvigorating their parish life.”
 
“I thought that approach was very encouraging. The trainers who led it both had parish experience. They had actually walked the walk, they had lived it and they had accompanied people. I think that lived experience is invaluable in trainings,” the director said.
 First communicant at the 2025 Easter vigil at the Sioux City Cathedral of the Epiphany.Julie Krogh, parish life director for Sioux City Cathedral Parish, also attended the training in Kansas City last summer and found it helpful as she was learning more about the process for her parish.
 
“It provided a framework for the foundational principles of OCIA. It was particularly helpful to me because in a large parish, there were a number of factors that we needed to consider in how we were to move forward,” Krogh said. “I came away with new knowledge, questions, hopes, concerns and optimism about the coming challenges in the months and years ahead.”
 
The parish life director pointed out there needs to be a shift in mindset of the faithful from the former Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) to “a holistic approach to formation that provides a ritual process,” for the initiation of adults that OCIA stresses.
 
In the past year, the Office of Faith Formation provided a variety of resources and opportunities to assist parish initiation staff and volunteers to prepare to implement OCIA in their parishes. Using the office’s The Conversation video platform, an OCIA overview webinar was offered with Father Andrew Galles, director of worship.
 
Four regional on-site trainings, “Entering the Heart of the Church’s Mission,” were offered in January and February in Carroll, Algona, Sioux City and Alton with Father Galles and the faith formation staff to continue education on OCIA.
 
Staff prepared a landing page on the diocesan website last fall with numerous OCIA resources and links at www.scdiocese.org/ocia.
 
Bower pointed out that some parish staff felt overwhelmed with the new OCIA information, especially following the regional meetings. The LTP workshop in September will provide a good next step for those in charge of initiation.
 Catholics joining the church Easter 2025 at St. Mary Church, Rock Valley, Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.“It was a lot of information that had to be covered in a short amount of time,” Bower said. “So, I would encourage people if they were a little uncertain or maybe felt a little intimidated by the amount of information to give this day a try as well.”
 
With the foundational information provided in the last year, parish staff will find the upcoming LTP workshop helpful with success stories and practical advice offered by the trainers.
 
Those working and volunteering with initiation programs in the diocese, as well as those interested in learning more about OCIA, should set aside the Sept. 27 date for the Storm Lake workshop. A registration link will be published closer to the date.
 
Bower said the upcoming LTP workshop is a unique opportunity for those involved in initiation.
 
“The quality with the amount of expertise of the people leading this event will be something we can’t provide, we can’t replicate. They have a very polished, very well researched series of presentations that I think people will find useful,” she explained.
 
As part of the effort to provide additional OCIA training for Christian initiation, workshops for clergy and parish faith formation directors are also scheduled this fall.
 The New Translation of the OCIA: Changes in translation, opportunities for renewal workshop will be offered as part of the fall clergy day Sept. 25 for priests and deacons. The session will be focused on the OCIA liturgical rites.
 
The OCIA adapted for children program will be presented to parish catechetical leaders and faith formation directors on Sept. 26.
 
As parishes continue to see an increase in unbaptized students in faith formation programs and Catholic schools, Bower said it was important to provide the youth-based option for the faith formation staff.
 
“Every family is on their own faith journey,” she pointed out. “We should welcome them with open arms and we want to be able to do that in a cohesive way that supports them, makes sense for them and is also nourishing spiritually.”
 
For more information on the workshops or to be contacted when registration opens, contact Bower at [email protected].