Becoming Catholic

So... You want to become Catholic? I'm so excited to welcome you to St. Vincent's webpage! Don't worry if you are a bit nervous. That's totally normal. Here at St. Vincent's we have parishioners who are excited to welcome you and will accompany you through the process.

To start out, it is important that you know a summary about what the Catholic Church believes.

While the Catholic Church is the largest religion in the world, it is sometimes also the most misunderstood.

The beliefs of the Catholic Church and her beautiful teachings are consistent through the ages.

• We believe that human beings were created by God in love and that everything God creates is good and created out of love. While we have the capacity for sin, the Church believes in the dignity of the human person above all else.
• We also believe that goodness infuses all of God’s wondrous creation. All creation, made by God, reflects that goodness. Catholics see the world and its beauty, renewed by the Incarnation, as sacramental – speaking of God’s goodness and love.
• We believe in stewardship. Everything is given to us by God and our Catholic responsibility is to share our time, talent and treasure with those around us.
• We believe in the Holy Trinity, that God has revealed himself to us as Father, Son and Holy Spirit – a communion of knowledge and love – has created us to share in that life.
• We believe in community and a living Church – believers are a part of the living Body of Christ and, as such, we are a reflection of the communal nature of the Trinity.
• We believe that God loved his creation so much that he became human in the person of Jesus to walk among us.
• We believe in the communion of the saints – models of faith who help us and guide us in our daily lives.
• We believe in Jesus’ crucifixion, death and resurrection, and we hope that one day we will rise to new life with him.

Becoming Catholic today means joining an ancient faith, deeply rooted in the teachings and traditions of Christ, that is filled with hope and vibrancy as we continue to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ to all the ends of the earth.

There might be some things in that summary that don't make sense or words that you are unfamiliar with. That's okay. You don't need to know or understand it all before beginning the OCIA process. In fact, that's what the process is for!