How to Become Catholic: The RCIA (OCIA) Steps and How Long It Takes

November 11, 2026

To become Catholic, the first step is simple: contact a Catholic parish near you and say you would like to become Catholic. The parish will welcome you into a journey called RCIA (the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, now called OCIA in the United States). For someone who is not baptized, it leads through several stages to Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion, usually at the Easter Vigil. How long it takes depends on you: often about a year, sometimes longer.

Maybe a friend brought you to Mass, maybe you are marrying a Catholic, maybe you have been quietly drawn for years. Whatever brought you here, this guide explains the road ahead, step by step, so nothing about it feels mysterious.

The first step: contact a parish

You do not need to know your prayers or understand theology before you call: only a desire to know Christ and his Church. Phone or email the parish office, or speak to the priest after Mass, and say something like: "I'd like to find out about becoming Catholic." Someone on the parish team, a priest, deacon or catechist, will usually meet you to listen to your story and your questions.

That first conversation matters. In the United States, the bishops ask that a parish minister meet each inquirer individually early on, to hear about their faith so far and to talk through anything that could affect their reception of the sacraments later, such as a marriage situation (National Statutes, Norm 2). It is not an exam.

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What is RCIA, and why is it called OCIA in the United States?

After the Second Vatican Council, the Church restored for the Latin Church the ancient catechumenate for adults, a path in several distinct steps (Catechism, 1232). The aim, says the Catechism, is to bring a person's conversion and faith to maturity (Catechism, 1248).

For decades, the English book for this path was called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults, or RCIA. In the United States, a new English translation was confirmed by the Holy See on 14 February 2024, under the title Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, or OCIA. "Order" is a closer translation of the Latin title of the book, Ordo initiationis christianae adultorum. U.S. parishes could begin using it on the First Sunday of Advent, 1 December 2024, and it became mandatory on Ash Wednesday, 5 March 2025. New national statutes for the United States took effect on the same 1 December 2024.

So if your parish says RCIA and your cousin in the United States says OCIA, you are talking about the same journey. The new name is the American translation: many parishes in other English-speaking countries still call it RCIA, and this guide does too.

The steps of RCIA

The journey has four periods, like four seasons, and between them come three steps, celebrated as rites with the community.

1. Inquiry: the Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate

At this stage you are an inquirer. You hear the Gospel, ask your questions, start to pray, and discover who Jesus is. There is no fixed length: the USCCB notes that for some it is a long period of searching, for others a shorter time. You are free to explore without commitment.

First step: the Rite of Acceptance into the Order of Catechumens

When you are ready, you stand before the parish community and say that you want to become a baptized member of the Church, and the community welcomes you. In the new American translation it is called the Rite for Entrance into the Catechumenate. From this moment you are a catechumen: not yet baptized, but already joined to the Church in a special way (Code of Canon Law, can. 206). The Church, says the Catechism, already embraces catechumens as her own (Catechism, 1249).

2. The Period of the Catechumenate

This is usually the longest stage. You learn the faith (Scripture, the Creed, the sacraments, the moral life), take part in the Sunday Liturgy of the Word, learn to pray, and serve others alongside the parish.

Second step: the Rite of Election

When you and those accompanying you judge that you are ready, you are presented to the bishop, usually at the cathedral. Your name is written in the Book of the Elect, and from then on you are called one of the elect: chosen by God for the sacraments at the coming Easter. According to the rite should be celebrated within the Mass of the First Sunday of Lent, though it may be held on another day (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, 128).

3. The Period of Purification and Enlightenment

This period is Lent itself: forty days of more intense prayer and conversion just before the sacraments, more retreat than classroom. On the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent, the parish prays over the elect in rites called the scrutinies, asking God to heal and strengthen them.

Third step: the sacraments at the Easter Vigil

On the night of Holy Saturday, at the Easter Vigil, the elect receive the three sacraments of initiation together: Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist. The Church law says that an adult who is baptized is to be confirmed immediately after Baptism and to receive Communion at the same Mass, unless there is a grave reason not to (can. 866). It is the most beautiful night of the Church's year. To learn more about these sacraments, see our guide to the seven sacraments.

4. The Period of Mystagogy

The journey does not end at Easter. The newly baptized, called neophytes, keep meeting during Easter Time, at least until Pentecost, to unpack what they have received and to find their place in the parish.

How long does it take to become Catholic?

There is no single answer. Here is what the Church actually says:

The inquiry period has no set length. It lasts as long as you need.
The catechumenate can last as long as several years, or a shorter time, depending on the person (USCCB).
In the United States, the national statutes say that ordinarily a catechumen remains in the catechumenate from at least the Easter Time of one year until the beginning of the Easter Time of the next, so at least a year, and preferably beginning before Lent of one year and continuing until Easter of the following year (Norm 4).

In practice, many parishes plan the journey around one cycle of the Church's year, ending at Easter. But it varies from person to person, parish to parish and country to country. The point is not to finish a course, but to grow into a living faith.

Already baptized in another church?

If you were validly baptized as a Christian, for example as a Lutheran, Anglican, Methodist or Baptist, you are not baptized again. Baptism marks a person forever and cannot be repeated (Catechism, 1280). The Church already sees you as a brother or sister in Christ, and your path is different from that of a catechumen. You are called a candidate.

Your preparation takes into account the faith you already have.
You are received into full communion with the Catholic Church: you make a profession of faith, and you are usually confirmed and receive your First Communion in the same celebration. The priest who receives you can confirm you himself (can. 883).
Your reception can take place at the Easter Vigil, but also on a Sunday at another time of the year (USCCB).
Conditional baptism is used only when a real doubt remains about whether a baptism took place or was valid, after a serious investigation (can. 869). Bring any baptism certificate you have.

To understand what you already share and where Catholics differ, see our guide to Catholics and other Christians.

Baptized Catholic, but never confirmed?

Many people were baptized Catholic as babies but never received further formation. You do not need to become Catholic: you already are! After a period of formation, you can receive Confirmation and/or the Eucharist, often at the Easter Vigil or during Easter Time (USCCB). If you were confirmed but drifted away, the way back is simpler still: the sacrament of Confession.

What about children?

A child who has reached the age of reason (around seven) is not baptized as an infant would be. Church law applies the norms for adult Baptism to them (can. 852). The Order of Christian Initiation includes a special adapted form, the Christian Initiation of Children Who Have Reached Catechetical Age, with the same steps at a child's pace, usually alongside other children and with their parents involved. If your child is in this situation, ask your parish what they offer.

Sponsors and godparents

You will not walk alone. Along the way, a member of the parish acts as your sponsor, and before the Rite of Election a catechumen chooses one or two godparents to stand with them at the sacraments and beyond (USCCB). Church law asks that a godparent:

be chosen by you and willing to take on the role;
be at least sixteen, unless the bishop sets another age or an exception is granted;
be a Catholic who has been confirmed and has received the Eucharist, and who lives a life of faith;
not be your father or mother (can. 874).

There can be one godfather, one godmother, or one of each (can. 873). A baptized Christian of another church can stand alongside a Catholic godparent as a Christian witness, not as godparent (can. 874 §2).

Common questions

Do I have to be married in the Church first?

Sometimes, yes, a marriage situation must be sorted out first, which is why the parish talks about it early. In the United States, an unbaptized person in an irregular marriage (for example, after a divorce) can enter the catechumenate, but cannot celebrate the Rite of Election until they are free to enter a valid marriage in the Church (Norm 7). Every situation is different, so do not guess and do not give up: talk to your parish priest as soon as you can. Many such situations can be resolved.

Can I go to Mass before I am Catholic?

Yes, and you should. Everyone is welcome at Mass. Until you are received into full communion, you do not yet receive Communion, but you can join in the prayers, listen to the readings and simply be there. That is already part of the journey.

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