New podcast offers deep dive into OCIA rituals

By DAWN PROSSER
Director of Communications
 
The diocesan Office of Worship and Office of Faith Formation have teamed up to offer a unique tool to assist parish OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) teams. The limited series podcast, OCIA Deep Dive, is available to assist any team member navigating the transition to OCIA.
 
Karmen Bower, director of the Office of Faith Formation, and Father Andrew Galles, director of the Office of Worship, developed the podcast in response to feedback from parish faith formation leaders.
 
“They might be really comfortable with the catechetical side of it. They might be fine teaching a class. But sometimes, those in the position where they’re overseeing OCIA feel daunted by the process itself, by the ritual process,” Bower explained.
 
She noted that although some may think the responsibility regarding the rituals lies solely with the priests, it’s beneficial for the laity to have familiarity with those rituals as part of their OCIA ministry work.
 
“We really want to invite people to go into the text of the rituals themselves. The OCIA study edition has really great information. We wanted to make that process seem less daunting to folks so that they can feel confident to open up the rite itself and learn more about the process they’re accompanying people through,” Bower said.
 
Convenient format
In addition to helping the leaders entering “into the mystery of the faith and the mystery of the sacraments,” Bower and Father Galles wanted to provide the information in a convenient format for the busy ministers.
 
“Feedback I’d received from working with adults through adult faith formation studies in the past has been, ‘We love the videos, we love the speakers, but people just don’t have time to sit down and watch a 20-, 30- or 45-minute video,’” the director said, adding some requested audio-only resources.
 
Already co-hosting the diocesan podcast, Illuminating Catholics, Bower thought a podcast format would fit the bill for what the OCIA team members could use to deepen their OCIA understanding as well as offer convenience.
 
“It really seems to be accessible to people who are living busy lives, who might just want to be able to listen to something while they are doing chores or driving,” she pointed out. “I am excited to be able to offer this format.”
 
Earlier this summer, the two mapped out the format for the six-episode podcast and then recorded the episodes to be released on podcast hosting applications this fall.
 
“We wanted to go through each stage, each period of the process with folks and help them go in deeper,” Bower said of the program’s format. “As we divided it out, in each area we found a couple of themes to offer some reflections into so that as we prepare for everything on a practical level, we’re also preparing on a spiritual level.”
 
The episodes follow the path of those journeying into full communion with the church through the OCIA process:

1. Periods of evangelization and precatechumenate
2. Period of the catechumenate
3. Rite of Election, enrollment of names
4. Purification and enlightenment
5. Sacraments of initiation
6. Mystagogy

 
Each episode begins with prayer and “a reading from the ritual itself,” Bower said. Then the episode will take a “deeper dive” into the ritual.
 “What people might not know is that if they open up the ritual book, it not only has the prayers that might be said during Mass, the responses of those preparing for the church, but it also has a section with each period where it provides the background into the purpose of that part of the preparation, the goals – all of those things,” she explained.
 
Each episode also offers a Scripture passage selected by Father Galles to connect to the OCIA periods highlighted.
 
“For example, a precatechumen who maybe has encountered Christ, has been invited to conversion, Father Galles connected that with Matthew when Christ says, ‘Follow me.’ So, he offers a reflection on that,” Bower said.
 
Sacred artwork is also selected for each meditation “because we know visually, we can often be drawn into a mystery,” she said. These are available at www.scdiocese.org/ocia, as well as reflection questions to contemplate individually, with an OCIA team or for those listening for their own faith formation.
 
Those participating in the three-day OCIA training sessions last week with LTP trainers (see related story), were introduced to the Deep Dive podcast as an option to supplement the practical instruction.
 
“It’s more of a reflection than a conversation and it’s more of a meditation than a teaching,” the director said. “Father Galles wrote them all himself and he did a really fine job with it – they are very beautiful reflections. This study is intended to draw anyone deeper into the mystery of the sacraments of initiation.”
 
Bower encourages anyone interested in taking a deeper dive into the mysteries of initiation to listen to the new podcast episodes and follow up with the resources on the OCIA page (www.scdiocese.org/ocia).
 
“I encourage people to give it a shot if they want to try something different,” she stressed. “I think it’s pretty unique in comparison to what else is out there because it’s not necessarily a conversation or an interview, it’s just a reflection by one of our priests.”
 
Find OCIA Deep Dive podcast wherever you get your podcasts, at scdiocese.org/ocia, the Diocese of Sioux City YouTube channel or https://www.buzzsprout.com/2506139.
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