Four years ago, the Newman Center at St. Agatha-St. James Parish in Philadelphia’s University City section had 13 adults enrolled in their OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) program.
That number has almost quadrupled to about 50 adults entering the Catholic Church this year.
“There is something happening that goes beyond our Newman Center where young people are more and more desiring the Catholic faith,” said Patrick Travers, the director of the Newman Center of students of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University at the parish, observing the rapid growth in young adults engaging with the Catholic Church of Philadelphia.
He has noticed that many children are growing up without any religious experience and as they age they are becoming curious, especially when they see their friends converting to the faith or completing their sacraments of initiation.
“I think (the Church) is offering them something that the world cannot offer,” Travers said. “It is offering them transcendence and meaning and truth and goodness. The Church has been learning how to offer (truth and goodness) better.”
The OCIA program at St. Agatha-St. James has adopted a new model for twice-weekly sessions that include 45 minutes of teaching followed by 45 minutes in small-group Bible study, plus attendance at Sunday Mass
Through this new model, which Travers thinks is working much better than the typical one hour of instruction and discussion, participants are able to meet others in their small groups to share questions and explore their faith together.
The approach is aiding the larger size of these OCIA groups as catechists are better able to develop the small groups, strengthen them, and hold them accountable throughout the program.
OCIA programs at all parishes typically meet weekly from September through the feast of Pentecost in the spring, preparing adults to receive the sacraments of baptism, Communion and confirmation as needed. OCIA also helps to provide continuing formation for Catholic adults.
Mihoko Zhang, a recent OCIA participant at St. Agatha-St. James, explained that through her newfound Catholic faith and the program, she now has a community of faithful friends.
“It still feels like a different community than what I had in college,” she said. “It is a much deeper type of friendship because there is something about sharing the same faith. You are seeing each other every Sunday and in a way, you are keeping each other accountable.”
Through the development of this strong community, the OCIA program at St. Agatha-St. James Parish is showing young adults the peace and depth of relationship that can spring from a vibrant Catholic faith.
New participants in the OCIA program are joining thanks to word-of-mouth encouragement from their friends.
Travers believes it is through relationships that people are introduced and led to the faith, which he has seen in some of the individuals that participated in the program over the past year.
He credits the work of FOCUS missionaries (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) for helping bring more college students to the Catholic faith.
“We work with FOCUS missionaries here at the Newman Center and working with them has led to a lot of growth in the weekly Bible study and small-group participation,” he said. “Particularly because more and more students are being equipped to lead their peers.”
One young adult who felt compelled to explore the Catholic faith for the first time, thanks to friends who felt able to share their faith with others, is Jessica Guo.
She started attending Mass with good friends who were Catholic. “Right when I walked into church,” she said, “it felt like a really big hug, like the Lord was really embracing me, a type of love that I had never thought of before.”
Guo enjoyed the structure of the OCIA program, where participants would meet twice a week and attend Sunday Mass.
“We started off with (the Book of) Genesis and talked about what the Church is and why we need the Church, and some of the principles that it is founded on,” she said.
In her classes, Guo loved the practical aspects of Catholicism that were taught, such as better understanding what it means to be Catholic, the obligations of the faith, and learning how to pray.
The OCIA program at St. Agatha-St. James is providing support through strong relationships for young adults engaging the Catholic Church and seeking the peace that only the Lord can provide.
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