- Welcome to the Catholic Church
There are 1.2 billion Catholics worldwide, filling more than 221,700 parishes. Each year, many adults are called to join the Catholic faith. How does someone join the Catholic Church? 

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), formerly known as RCIA, is the process in which adults become full, participating members of the Catholic Church. Participants, known as catechumens go through a process of studying the Gospel, nurturing their relationship with God, becoming familiar with the Catholic teachings and practices, professing their faith in Jesus and the Church, and receiving the sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation.

"I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me." (Proverbs 8:17)

- Who can join?
The Church extends an invitation to all who wish to become members of the Catholic faith. Those who go through the RCIA process fall under one of the following categories:
 

• Someone who has never been baptized

• Someone who is of another faith and wishes to convert to Catholicism

• An individual who was baptized in another Christian denomination and wishes to become a member of the Catholic faith

• Someone who was baptized in the Catholic Church, but never received the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation