Navigating Faith: Lost in OCIA? You're Not Alone.

Have you ever prepared for a class — bringing your notebook, the required texts, and a hopeful attitude — only to find yourself completely lost, even though the teacher handed you a calendar?

Me too.

When I started OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults), I genuinely thought I was ready. I had everything they said I needed. But as the classes unfolded, I found myself confused, overwhelmed, and unsure how each lesson fit into the bigger picture of the Catholic faith. It felt like trying to navigate a forest with a map missing half the landmarks.

So I did something about it.

During my time in OCIA, I wrote a notebook/workbook that set a clear standard for what we were taught and how it was taught. I created 29 chapters — following the flow of our OCIA course — and designed it to be flexible enough to be used in any OCIA program. It offers a high-level overview of Catholicism, especially from a Protestant perspective, helping bridge the gaps for those of us coming from other traditions.

But I didn’t stop there.

I also wrote a companion book called "They Believe...We Believe...What?"
This second resource dives deeper, comparing and contrasting key beliefs between Protestants and Catholics. It’s a conversation starter — not an argument starter — designed to help seekers understand where the differences are, and why they matter, with charity and clarity.

If you've ever felt like you were walking into faith formation blind, know this: you're not alone. And there are tools out there to help you find your way.

Comments

Navigating Faith: Called to Go Deeper

This morning’s daily reading from the Catholic lectionary— Jeremiah 1:4–10 —hit me hard. It’s one I’ve read before, maybe even skimmed. But today, I slowed down and took it in. Jeremiah was afraid. He thought he was too young to be used by God. Too inexperienced. Too small. And in response, God didn’t entertain the excuse. He said to him, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you” (Jeremiah 1:7–8). That struck a chord in me. Later, I saw an Instagram post from a local church. In the photo, a little girl—my former friend’s daughter—was sitting in Children’s Church with her Bible and highlighter on her lap. She looked like she was studying. I don’t know if she was just following instructions or if something deeper was happening in her heart. But either way, I found myself praying for her. In that moment, I understood something: God isn't interested in how q...

Navigating Faith: When you are being SHOVED to become Catholic

This morning after Mass, one of the OCIA teachers walked up to me and asked, “When are you going to do right?” I laughed, caught off guard—I genuinely didn’t know what she meant. She smiled and said, “We just have to bust down those walls so you can officially become Catholic!” I replied kindly, “Well, I am a catholic.” She responded, “I think you mean little ‘c’ catholic.” I nodded and said, “Yeah, but that’s what Jesus founded—a universal church. I don’t believe it was the capital ‘C’ Catholic Church. That structure came years later.” She kept pressing, and in a moment of genuine curiosity I asked, “If we’re truly apostolic, then why aren’t we Jewish?” Silence. She followed with, “Well, you have to be Catholic to take the Eucharist.” Then I gently asked, “Where does the Bible say that?” More silence. I added, “Ya know, that’s just not important to me. Besides, you can’t prove Jesus was speaking literally when He spoke of the Eucharist. ...

Navigating Faith: Received, Not Rewritten: My Quiet Step into the Catholic Church

Priest, me, my sponsor Today, I was received into full communion with the Catholic Church. And if you’ve spent any time around church culture, you already know the responses: everything from the well-meaning (but deeply uncomfortable) “welcome home”… to the confused, “Why weren’t you received at the Easter Vigil?” So let’s talk about it. Not just what happened, but why it happened the way it did. A Little About Me (Especially If You’re New Here) My name is Rai. I’m Southern Baptist by upbringing, a theologian by education, and I’ve served as a Methodist lay minister. My story isn’t one of spiritual emptiness—it’s one of a long, complicated, very real relationship with Christ. It’s also marked by church hurt. I’ve walked through pastoral failure, denominational fractures, and the kind of disillusionment that comes when the Church doesn’t live up to what it proclaims. And then, in December, my mom died. Grief like that changes everything. It strips away what’s perform...

Navigating Faith

Search This Blog