ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION of ADULTS
What is “OCIA?”
OCIA stands for the “Order of Christian Initiation of Adults.” It is the process for adults who desire to join the Catholic faith and for those seeking more information on the Catholic Church.
Come and See…
For centuries, the Church has been saying, “Come and see.” And one of the principal ways in which she has done this is through OCIA. OCIA includes classes, but it is also something more. Through lessons on different aspects of the faith, discussion and prayer, field trips and retreats, service and community, OCIA is an opportunity for someone to come to know Jesus Christ.
becoming catholic
Interested in being baptized or confirmed in the Catholic Church?
The first step is to register below. Someone will then reach out to you about setting up an initial meeting with a member of the team.
Want more info? Contact NAMOCIA25@gmail.com
the OCIA team
Fr. Nathan Hall
Coming most recently from Hastings, and following on several years teaching high school, Fr. Hall is overjoyed to be the pastor here at Martyrs. Fr. Hall was an engineer for a few years before hearing the call to the priesthood. He was also in a rock band and still performs from time to time. Fr. Hall does not love sweets, but he does love teaching the faith, counseling souls, and being the pastor here at Martyrs. He is also a chaplain for a ministry very dear to his heart called Eden Invitation.
Ryan Bliven
Ryan has been helping out teaching OCIA for a number of years now. Though raised Catholic, he left the Church for 20 years making his way back to full communion with the Catholic Church in 2016. One of Ryan’s favorite paragraphs from the Catechism of the Catholic Church is §133: The Church “forcefully and specifically exhorts all the Christian faithful . . . to learn the surpassing knowledge of Jesus Christ, by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures. ‘Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ.’” Ryan’s life’s work is to encourage the faithful to embrace this call from the Church and to discover the hidden treasures that await all of us in the Scriptures.
Max Chapman
Max and his wife Molly have been married since 2016 and have several children. After serving for seven years as a Catholic missionary with FOCUS, Fellowship of Catholic University Students, Max founded More Mercy, a Catholic ecumenical apostolate in the Diocese of Lincoln that aims to “Restore Christian unity through Truth and Love.” He loves OCIA and hopes to see you there!
Chance Unger
Chance is a convert to Catholicism and has a great love for those on the journey towards seeking truth and OCIA. He and his wife Lora have five children and have been parishioners at NAM for over a decade. He and Lora co-founded their marriage ministry, The Missionaries of the Holy Spirit in the Family (MHSF), to help provide much needed formation and community for married couples. He also works part time as a physical therapist.
Anna Meduna
Audra Hoffschneider
Warm greetings! I’m Audra. My husband, Paul, and I have been members of North American Martyrs for 25 years, and we have twins who are now off at college. I’m grateful for the opportunity to greet our OCIA participants each week, especially during a time when so many people are seeking to learn more about the Catholic faith. My hope is that everyone who walks through our doors feels welcomed, seen, and supported as they explore the richness of our faith!
Jessica Reeb
Volunteer for ocia
FOOD VOLUNTEERS
Watch the video above to learn how you can help volunteer with food for OCIA!
SETTING UP
Watch the video above to see how you can help volunteer setting up for OCIA!
