What is the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)?

Host Dr. Brian Reynolds, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Louisville, welcomes Art Turner, Director of the Office of Faith Formation, and Michael Leggett, a new convert to the Catholic Church. Art explains what OCIA is and what the program entails. Michael shares his journey of faith and what brought him to the Catholic Church.

Transcript

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Hello everyone, I'm Brian Reynolds, the Chancellor with the Archdiocese of Louisville. Welcome to our podcast series, What's New in ArchLou. This show highlights the people and ministries of the Archdiocese, the Catholic Church in Central Kentucky. Join us each month as we welcome new guests to discuss our local church and invite you to get more involved as you deepen your own Catholic faith. This program is brought to you by the ArchLou Podcast Network. Welcome to June, everybody. The year keeps moving by quicker than I can imagine. I hope you're ready enjoying summer months. Now, throughout the year, but especially during Lent, you hear the words um catechumenate, catechumen, uh candidates, uh order of Christian initiation of adults, OCI uh OCIA. We'll get used to that phrase today, and those kinds of things. So we thought we'd have a program about that topic. So I have two guests here today to talk about the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. First is Art Turner, and the other one is Michael Leggett. Now, Art has been the director of the Office of Faith Formation for the Archdiocese since 2013. Prior to that, Art was the pastoral associate at St. Stephen Martyr from 2005 to 2013. And before that, director of faith formation and education at St. Pius X from 1997 to 2005. And he was a teacher before that at Trinity High School. So Art has a wide variety of deep experience in talking about our faith, our Catholic tradition. So Art is married to his wife Tammy for 36 years, and they have two three three grown children and two grandchildren. So Art, I'm glad you could be with us. Thank you. Glad to be here. Michael Leggett is has just entered the church. He entered the church this year at the Easter Vigil, having completed the OCIA process that we're going to talk about in today's show. He did that process at St. Patrick's here in Louisville. He was born in central Kentucky and has lived in Louisville for the last 10 years, where he works in the cybersecurity industry as an engineer. Michael recently joined Holy Trinity Parish and is engaged to be married. So welcome, Michael. Thank you for having me. Glad you're here. Okay. I want to thank you both. This is the topic that the words float around in everybody's parish, and we make an assumption everybody understands what they are. We're going to try to get that clear today. And we're doing it off-season, so by the time next year comes around, you're all up to date. So, with the besides what I've already shared about you two, how about tell us a little bit more? Art, what else can you tell us about you? Well, uh, I'm not a native Kentuckian. I was actually born in San Angelo, Texas. Uh for the first 10 years of my life, I was an Air Force brat. My dad was in the military, so we moved around a lot. He was from Columbia, Kentucky. So when he retired, we came to Kentucky when I was 10 years old in 1975. So that landed us in the Archdiocese of Louisville. And we attended Good Shepherd Parish there. So I did part of my growing up in South Central Kentucky. Uh graduated from Adair County High School. I was in seminary for the Archdiocese from 83 to 89, discerned out and married Tammy. And we've been uh we were St. Dennis parishioners for a long time, and now we're at Mary Queen of Peace. Very good. Okay, Michael, how about you? What else can you tell us about you? Yeah, I've moved around quite a bit as well, grew up in central Kentucky, but I've spent time in Boston, Chicago, Louisiana, Arkansas, and then ended up here back home where I've been for the last uh 10 years or so. And when I'm not at work or at church, you can find me having my heart broken by the University of Kentucky Wildcats or uh, you know, watching a movie or reading a book, something like that. We can we'll have another show about the sports. People like to tell us about their sports favorite teams and so forth. And that's not always a happy conversation. Anyway, okay. Um, many of our listeners, of course, remember these the program that was referred to for years as RCIA, you called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. Art, can you tell us why that changed and what are we into these days? Yes. Uh a few years back it was decided that the uh RCIA text process should be updated. And so uh one of the obvious things that was changed was the title of the text and the program. So it was called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. And there was a recognition that uh the title fell short because really uh the text has multiple rights. So, order of Christian initiation of adults was a more accurate description. It was more reflective of the process, and it was also uh keeping with uh the rest of our liturgical text, uh, the order of baptism of children, uh, the order of confirmation. So there was also that recognition of what as well of a of a consistency in how we label our ritual books. Was it mostly a title change or was there a content change too? There was some content changed uh as far as some nuances. The overall process remained intact. So there were nuances in some of the language, there was some nuances in naming the rights themselves, uh, but the overall process remained the same. Within the text itself, probably the one of the major changes had to do with the norms uh that were placed in the back of the original text. There were 37 norms, guides for for how to celebrate the rites. Those norms were reduced to 18 and moved to the front of the book uh to emphasize their importance. So one of the norms, for example, that uh uh people uh were were uh made more aware of was the idea of the word catechumen, which we get we use a lot, would be solely applied to those who were unbaptized. So that's like norm number three. Okay. So it's it the norms basically reflect things that are not in the text, not necessarily in canon law, but things that people need to know. So this process, which is basically how a person, uh in this case adults, uh move into the church. Of course, some are coming in as you're just suggesting there, already baptized in a Christian tradition. Others are are coming in not baptized. Yes. And there the other words people are used to hearing during Lent is rite of election and call to continuing conversion. Now, these are big words and it can sound jargony to folks, but they are important under this words of order of initiation. Just those two things. Yes, so that's a good example of two different rites that are present within this process. So the rite of election is celebrated the first Sunday of Lent, and this is when uh we welcome those people who are unbaptized, those who are part of the catechumen. Uh, and we go through this ritual of recognizing them as people who are now prepared to enter into what is called the elect. So they've been going through this process of formation, they are ready for the next stage, and the archbishop accepts their commitment, ratifies their commitment, saying that these people are now ready for the sacraments of initiation, baptism, confirmation, and eucharist. And so it within the ceremony, which is done within the context of the liturgy of the word, uh, their names are presented to the archbishop, and they are called by name to the front of the church, uh, being recognized again publicly for the commitment that they're making. So it's a transition for them, moving from the catechumen or the period of the catechumen now to the period of enlightenment, of purification and enlightenment. So this is it's an important transition within the process. Okay. And just one more, the the continuing conversion. Yes, the call, yes, that's it's different. The call to continuing conversion is uh another rite for those who are baptized in another Christian tradition. Uh, there is the option of combining those two rites. This year we made a point of separating those two rites. Uh, that rite of continuing conversion is actually an optional rite that can be practiced in the parish. So we know that some of our pastors did celebrate that rite with the folks who were already baptized. And they were separated because it was important to recognize that uh when it comes to this journey and initiation, uh, you are dealing with two journeys. Uh you have those who are not baptized, who perhaps don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ, they really don't have a relationship with the church. Uh and so the catechumen is about helping to establish that initial relationship. With the candidates, they already have a relationship. They are baptized, and we recognize that they've already been on a journey. So it was important to distinguish uh those two journeys. And the text itself also emphasizes that even if we mix these rights together, we have to make sure that we honor and recognize that the catechumens are on one journey, the candidates are on another. Very good. Now, our listeners are saying, why are we talking about this in June when we started by talking about Lent, which starts back in February usually? And the reason is we really wanted to have an opportunity to introduce our listeners to someone who just went through that process just a few weeks ago or a few months ago. It depends on when you listen to the show. So, Michael, um uh I'd like to ask, we could focus on your journey. Can you tell us first of all, what attracts anybody, but what attracted you to enter the OCIA process? Sure. I I think for me, and this was consistent with the people that went through the process with me, is that there felt like something missing within our lives. And you couldn't quite put your finger on it, couldn't quite articulate it, but you were searching for something that that you knew was missing. And I think there's a calling towards the faith, and it really is just a matter of listening to that calling, and that's what leads someone into OCIA. But the journey to get there looks different for everyone. So for me personally, it wasn't some one moment that made me think, oh yeah, you know, this is for me. It was more so a series of um interactions with folks, experiences that I had over the course of time that led uh a breadcrumb trail to to where OCIA could uh further my faith. I like that imagery of breadcrumb trail. That's very good. Um part of that same spreading of the breadcrumbs, I suppose. Okay, listen, um how about um we we refer to this as a process of conversion. Um we sometimes picture uh Paul getting struck or falling off his horse. But the conversion doesn't usually happen that way for most of us, as you suggested there. So can you share just a little more about your process of conversion and and even if you didn't call it that, and and did you be any resistance when you started to thinking along those lines? The only resistance I met uh I met was was self-inflicted. Okay, you know, because I think sometimes the hardest thing to overcome is the idea uh that we have about ourselves or the version we have about ourselves. So if you had told me 10 years ago that I would be Catholic, I would have said, You've got the wrong guy. You know, no chance in France, couldn't be me. Um I I wasn't raised in uh in a religious household until the age of I'd say about 30, I was a non-believer of any kind. So for me, it was a slower process. But now as I look back and reflect, there were a lot of small moments that sort of led me here. Um, the first being when I was probably 17, I guess, um, junior year of high school, my parents enrolled me into a Catholic school. Oh, really? For purely academic reasons. And it I got a lot out of that from an academic sense, but also it was my first exposure to the Catholic faith. And uh one of the things that first took me was mass. I loved going to mass, even though I was like, I don't know if I believe this, but I always feel better after coming out of mass. I loved the reverence that was shown there. I love the period for reflection and the order. So there was something to that. And then senior year of high school, we had a class in philosophy, and that was the first exposure that I had to any piece of theology or philosophy that spoke to me. And that was John Paul II's Veritata Splendor. Um, and now as a you know, as a practicing Catholic, one of the ways that I try to deepen my faith is through the intellectual tradition that's been laid out through the Catholic faith. So um that also inspired me to study philosophy in school. And even at that time, I was kind of thinking about my role in the world, why am I here, what's this all about, looking for answers at the time. Now looking back on it is kind of kind of how I see that. I I've heard people over the years describe it to me as an experience of both head and heart, kind of what you just said, the intellectual thought processes, but your personal experiences of comfort, enjoyment when you attended mass, those kinds of things. Is that a helpful analogy as an art? Absolutely. Absolutely. And then, you know, there's there's certain interactions that you have in your life that aren't by chance, like that you're you're being called to this, and that a lot of times is is playing both on the heart and the head. So meeting my fiance who was Cradle Catholic, and then getting to know her family who are who are deeply um religious and getting to know them more and seeing how the faith impacted their lives really inspired me to you know take that next step, even though I was uh attending church intermittently and things. It wasn't until I really had conversations, especially with her father, um, learning about how faith had impacted him, and he encouraged me to get into the OCIA program, and so glad I did. Very good. Uh uh strange question, maybe. Did anything surprise you when you were going through the process? A lot of things surprised me when you're going through the process. Yeah. So can I pick on one or two? Just tell us one or two surprises. Sure. I would say from the actual process itself, I was surprised by how much I was impacted from just the volunteers at OCIA. Like I knew that I was going to be learning a lot about the faith from the people that were coming and speaking about it. But some of the things that resonated with me the most were just the stories and experiences that the volunteers brought forward. They raised their hand and said, you know, here's how this has impacted me. And, you know, this happened seven or eight months ago. They've probably forgotten they even said it. It was just a casual thing that they said. It was like, that changed the course of my life, you know. So I think for people that are converting to the faith, it's really helpful to have concrete experiences about what this oftentimes what can seem as sort of this um ethereal type situation can mean in the practice and day-to-day and how that can impact you. Um that's really rich. That's great. What when you were when you were going through the process, um, did people ask you who weren't Catholic, um, why are you doing this? Yes. Can I ask about that exchange? Sure. I I think for most people in my life, they just assumed that I was, you know, I was in a relationship with someone who was cradle Catholic, therefore I was going to convert for that. And that was not the case at all. Um for for me, I was explaining to them that, hey, this has been a long time coming and like this is uh the next logical step for me. And you know, it really what it's done is it's opened up a lot of conversations for folks that I didn't think had any interest in the faith. And then you start talking to them about your experiences, and I'm kind of in some ways giving to them exactly what the volunteers in OCIA are giving to me, which was talking about how this has been impacting my life for the better and the changes that it's made within me, and um, you know, hopefully that can inspire them to do the same. So you're hearing lots of people witnesses, and then you get to, I guess, be a witness to other people then. Absolutely. Very good. Maybe something for both of you. There's been an increase in the last few years of people going through the OCIA process, both in our diocese and around the world. Obviously, the process of entering the church has been throughout our 2,000-year history. But uh just more recently, as I said, the numbers are seem to be increasing. Um I wonder from both of you, uh what do you think is causing that uptick? Art, can you help us? Any thoughts? I think I have two thoughts. I think uh Pope Francis and now Pope Leo, I think, have had a major influence on the uptick. Uh we have two popes that have a very pastoral approach. Uh Pope Leo, the you know, being from the United States, born in the United States, the way he is presenting the faith, I think, is moving people. Uh so I like to think that what we call the Francis effect and the Leo effect, I think has a major influence. I think the other thing too is, and Michael talked about this a little bit, I think we're in a place right now where people are looking for something. Uh we're right now there's just a lot of uncertainty. Uh, I think since 9-11 there's been a sense of uncertainty on so many levels. And I think people are are looking at the faith again. They're looking at Christianity, they're looking at Catholicism again as a way of embracing hope. And I think the message of hope that Christianity, especially Catholicism, has given, uh, is finding a place in a in a lot of people's minds and hearts now. So I think that desire to find something that gives meaning, it gives direction, um, I think that's also at play here. So God's working somewhere in there. Yes, indeed. So, Michael, how about you? What wait any idea why why you think there might be an uptick? You're part of the uptick, I suppose. Yeah, I I think to Art's point, people are are looking for something that they can't find in the secular world. And I think what the Catholic faith offers is not only the truth and and an understanding for you know your purpose in life, but it also provides community in an ever-divisive world. Um, you get to be part of a tradition in a long history in a world where things are becoming increasingly ephemeral, like things come and go so quickly. And then I also think that, especially for the younger generations, they have now lived enough life to understand that the things that were promised to them by the secular society about here's what you need to do to be happy, they've tried those and it hasn't worked. And a lot of people and things that have been propped up as institutions or individuals have failed them. And that creates the sense of, well, maybe there's something else out there that can provide me those things that I'm looking for, and they're attracted to the faith. So looking for a deeper meaning and all those things. Okay, very good. Art, you know, you as you know, you've been involved in OCIA or RCIA before that for almost 30 years. First through your work in the parishes you served, and then in the archdiocese. What what over this course of time, this has been a big part of your professional career, but also of your life's work. So what tell us a little bit about what have you experienced as you look over those 30 years of that type of ministry? I think one of the experiences I've come to really appreciate, and this is a gift from doing this for so long, is encountering people who went through the process 10, 20 years ago, 30 years ago, and encountering them now and seeing how that faith has grown and to see what they're doing uh in the church and for the church. So, you know, for example, um in 2012, I was at St. Stephen Martyr and I was the OCI RCIA coordinator, and I had a team that represented five parishes. It was Stephen Martyr, Holy Family, St. Therese, St. Elizabeth, and our Mother of Sorrows. Within the Holy Family group, there was a couple that came through and uh wonderful couple, and uh of I kind of lost track of them uh after a year or so. Uh a few years ago, I was doing a catechist retreat at um uh one of our parishes, uh St. Francis Xavier in Bullock County, and lo and behold, there they were, catechist attending this retreat. Uh and so, and they're still uh the mom in particular, the wife, Mia, her n is her name, uh, she's still a very active catechist here uh in 2026. So to have those moments of encountering folks that you know I've I've lost track of and then discovering, you know, they're continuing to live their faith and not only living their faith, but they have found a ministry. You know, uh as you as you know, sometimes people who enter this process or or they may not actually even have a connection to a parish, but they get but they feel a sense of call or connection. Um I want to talk about that with you again, Michael, in a minute, but sometimes it's because of a relative or a spouse uh who is Catholic or or that their own children are in Catholic school and they're they get their children actually influence their parents' decision into the process. For people who don't have those connections but want to become Catholic, how do how do we go about making them feel welcome? Because I know we hear stories of people um who had no connections, they would come into church on a Sunday and they they look at the Catholic um gymnastics stance at kneel uh d say certain words at certain times, and everybody seems to know the script and they're like, Oh, what did I walk into? So that's the worship side. But then beyond that, the Catholic the people who aren't Catholic have Perceptions about what the church actually believes and teaches, but uh until they're made to feel welcome, we can't break that open. How do we make people feel welcome? Uh you know, I think one of the challenges for uh Catholics in general is that ability. I think it's a little different, I think, for those who go through the OCIA experience, but I think for those of us who have been around a while, uh sometimes it's difficult for us to take the initiative uh and share faith with another person. Uh so if you look at the worship side, for example, um, many of us who go to mass, we tend to sit in the same place and we go to the same mass time. So I'm a four o'clock person at Mary Queen of Peace. I have my particular spot that I like to sit. Uh, you know, do I pay attention to people who are new, who are maybe just checking us out? You know, do I take the initiative to introduce myself, to welcome them? Some of our parishes are very good about welcoming people. Uh, others, you know, that's something that we still need to work on. But, you know, do I take that initiative to find out, well, who is this person? Are they a guest or are they someone that's really searching? Uh so I think that's that's one part of it. The other part of it, too, I believe, is Catholics being comfortable in their everyday lives, entering into conversations about faith. I know a lot of my Catholic friends over the years, they talk about being hesitant when faith comes up at work or when there's a particular group of friends or whatever. There may be people that are engaging this conversation that want to know more. They are searching. And so having that ability to engage and to share faith and to do what Michael's kind of doing here, maybe give a little witness. Uh, you know, why do you go to Mass? Why do you like your parish? Uh, why is that important to you? Those simple questions um can say a lot. And I think it's a it's a matter for all Catholics to to meet that challenge, to be comfortable to talk about why the faith is important. I I think a lot of cradle Catholics take that for granted. Yes, yes, they do. The research tells us at almost every parish, almost every weekend, there's new people showing up who are invisible. Yes. Uh, and but they're almost every you can make an assumption there's somebody in this church this Sunday who's new here. Yes. Uh and that's something to think about. Yeah. Uh Michael, how about you? I I know you mentioned before that the even your uh future father-in-law was influential to you. Um people who are who we call sponsors, some are official sponsors and some are less official sponsors. Talk about people who influenced you in that process. Yeah, there's a lot of different people throughout my life that have that have influenced me. Again, my father-in-law, uh, Tammy Kessler, uh, the director of faith formation was obviously very important. But then just, you know, friends in my life, when I started talking to them about, hey, I'm going through this process, they started sharing with me their experiences with it as well. And that can be really helpful. So to Art's point, I think being comfortable talking about your faith in a manner that you're comfortable talking about, it can go a long way. Um, I also think it's important that when we talk about messaging or anybody with any sort of platform or position of power that wants to speak to this to influence and emphasize the parts of the faith that are the most attractive to people that are looking to convert, which is that sense of belonging, that sense of unity, that sense of purpose, uh, and focus on those areas as opposed to giving airtime to the the four or five hot button issues that seem to dominate the conversation on the internet, which are not helpful for anyone. Yeah. Um so tell us, uh, you you've been a Catholic uh for just a few months. You you've I I I like to uh observe from your story your your Catholicism was nurturing up in those encounters with other people, encounters with Jesus over your life, but but officially stamped Catholic is a new thing for you. So so tell us what what's the first few months been like? It's been fantastic. It it this process has been more impactful than I could have possibly imagined. And I I feel like sometimes Creole Catholics can have a hard time understanding what it's like for someone to have nothing and then have this. Like imagine if throughout your entire life you didn't know that prayer was there for you, and now you do, you know, or um you know, just having a sense of community and having a sense of of peace and understanding that comes from uh being in service to something larger than yourself. So it's been it's been great so far, and I'm I'm looking forward to see what uh transpires for the the rest of time here. How did how did the other sacraments, Eucharist, reconciliation, confirmation, how did those by because nurture this too? Yeah. So, you know, going through uh Easter Vigil, I was mentally preparing for how intense and overwhelming the process could be, especially for baptism. So I was mentally prepared for that. Uh sitting in the pew about to receive the Eucharist for the first time was when it really hit me, and I was like, oh, this is an intense experience, you know. Um, but it's you know, I I've I've continued to go to mass regularly, obviously, and and continue to experience that. And I never want to lose sight of the fact that that is uh a gift that I've been given, and um I never want to take that for granted. Yeah. Um I'm jealous uh when I hear someone say that they they experience as an adult first Eucharist, because they I hear that same phrase the the uh enthusiasm, the encounter of that. Little kids appreciate that too in the second grader. Um but that has sometimes to do with with uh other things than that. But but the the the journey you were on to enter into that first eucharist must have been really powerful. Tell me, Michael, um and our listeners. Um when when if there's people hearing us today, and I'm sure there are, who wonder about joining the church, what would you say to them that they should be thinking about as they consider this journey? I would say if you're listening to an archdiocese podcast, you're probably pretty curious and you should take the next step. Okay. If if you're looking for a sign, let let this be that. Um but what I want to impart upon those people is that the OCIA process is very low pressure. No one's trying to get you to commit to anything you're not comfortable with. It really is just a more structured means by which you can um learn more about the faith and understand that curiosity that's clearly pulling you towards it. And I think you will find that it will be very gratifying. I I loved when you added before that that when you discovered prayer, even that these are just basic, basic things that not only do people take for granted, but how how wonderful um to hear you tell other people to look for that and those opportunities. Maybe a question for both of you before we wrap up our show today. Um we're always asked um by church documents, by the Holy Father, by our pastors to to engage all of us in evangelization and to uh evangelize others and to build on the growth that we've seen in the church in the last few years. Um what more can you think, and I I'm gonna give you a chance to talk not just for ourselves sitting at this television conversation, but for um for the church. What more can the church be doing to evangelize? Well, I think the way that people discover the faith comes in a variety of different forms, but we would be remiss if we didn't put an emphasis on how the younger generation interacts with the world at large, which is largely through social media. So having channels that can profess the faith, uh, and again, emphasizing the areas that promote the unity and sense of peace and those sorts of things through those channels can be really important and really impactful. Um so I I would encourage the continued use of those platforms in order to do so. That's why we're on a podcast. That's right. There you go. Art, how about you? What more can we be doing? Well, uh, you know, considering that evangelization is about the proclamation of the good news and it's about bringing people closer to Jesus Christ, I think one of the best ways of evangelization is living the faith in an authentic way. Uh people watch, uh, people watch us who claim to be Christian, who claim to be Catholic. So in our words, in our actions, those moments can be moments of evangelization. It may not be just the conversation, it may also include action. What are our actions? How do we behave? How do we treat other people? Uh how authentic are we when it comes to living the faith? I think that's an aspect of evangelization that we forget about. Uh modeling the faith is a way of evangelizing. Well, that's that's a great way to wrap us up. Uh listen, it's a it's a it's a pleasure to talk to both of you. Art, I want to thank you for your decades of service, of calling the parishes of our diocese to do this process authentically and deeply because it's important and it's powerful and it's meaningful uh I want to thank you, Michael, for being here today and and for for giving the church its hand a chance and to respond to that call from Jesus, from the faith community, from your your from your fiance, from the world around you to consider how to uh deepen your encounter with Jesus and the faith. Uh so may God bless you and our you for your service and you for being a new member of our church. You're you're both real blessings to us, and I really appreciate our conversation today. And to our listeners, how's that for an invitation to think about how you can deepen your own faith? If you're considering joining, go contact your local parish. If if you're not, think about how you could help your parish do more of this. Thank you all, and we'll see you again next month.