St. Teresa's

The Pathway of Christian Initiation (OCIA)

Before the followers of Jesus were called “Christian,” they were known as people of “The Way.”

They saw themselves as the new Exodus, a people redeemed and freed by the sacrifice of Jesus

on the Cross, confirmed by his resurrection from the dead.

In John’s gospel Jesus declares “I am the way, the truth and the life,” leading to communion

with God the Father. The early followers were on a journey of living out the teachings of Jesus,

focusing on love of God and love of neighbor in their daily lives, and within their communities.

Some were literally on “the way,” traveling to preach the good news to other towns and cities

across the Mediterranean and beyond. Our Christian identity impels us to share this Good News

of our salvation, so that others might share in Jesus’ life and share it to the full.

We sometimes receive questions about our OCIA “classes.” I prefer to refer to OCIA as a

process. The process of Christian Initiation (OCIA) offers us a pathway (another word for being

people of “The Way”) to creating and sustaining a relationship with Jesus built on prayer,

familiarity with the Scriptures and service of those in need, which is grounded in a faith

community nourished by weekly Eucharist. Our mission is to grow the Kingdom of God. We

celebrate this Kingdom at Mass and are dismissed to take this Good News out the door into the

world.

Our Fall 2026 – Spring 2027 OCIA pathway begins in mid-November. We host two cohorts. The

Thursday cohort will begin November 12, at St. Teresa of Avila, 1950 N. Kenmore at Armitage,

just west of the Brown Line. The Monday cohort begins November 16, at St. Clement, 642 W.

Deming Place.

You may choose either day or indicate that you are flexible for either day. We meet from 7 -

8:30 pm with time off for holidays. Our sessions include Catholic content, discussion, Scripture

reflection and prayer. Sacraments will be celebrated at the Easter Vigil on March 27, 2027.

For those who have already registered, please be patient as Victor Lara and I reach out to

schedule a time to meet with you, hear more about your spiritual journey and offer you our

learning resources.

Here is a link to register:

Fr. Radley Alcantara and Ed Harasim, OCIA Coordinator, eharasim@clement.org

OCIA