OCIA classes are growing at parishes across the country, and many of the people coming into the Catholic Church are in their twenties. Katie Patrizio, director of faith formation at Saint Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines, explains why young adult converts keep pointing to the liturgy and the Church's stability in a rapidly changing world. She and Deacon Mark Campbell also discuss why sacred worship draws people in and how authentic Christian friendship helps keep new Catholics in the Church.
Katie Patrizio, director of faith formation at Saint Francis of Assisi in West Des Moines and host of Sunday Dive, joins Deacon Mark Campbell to talk about the growing number of people entering the Church through OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults. Nearly every pastor and OCIA leader she talks with says this year's group is the biggest yet, and most inquirers at her parish are young, from their early twenties into their thirties. One 16-year-old found the parish website, booked an appointment, and drove himself in to say he wanted to become Catholic.
Katie shares the two things she hears again and again. First, the liturgy: people are joining every kind of parish, which suggests the Mass itself, not any one style of music, draws them in, often in contrast to worship that felt like a concert. Second, stability: in a world where views on hot-button topics shift rapidly, young adults see a Church whose teaching hasn't changed in millennia. Deacon Mark adds that a sense of the sacred, set apart from the world, attracts more than trying to imitate it.
They also look at the next challenge: not just welcoming converts and reverts but keeping them, through accompaniment and holy friendship. For a generation that feels disconnected and is often afraid of relationships, Katie says Christian friendship, rooted in virtue and authenticity, is a breath of fresh air.
Hear Katie's weekly preview of the Sunday Gospel at SundayDive.com or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify.
Heard on the Catholic Morning Show, weekdays at 7 a.m. Central on Iowa Catholic Radio. More at IowaCatholicRadio.com.
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