Convert Program
Our parish Adult Catechism Course is a spiritual journey for many different people at various places in their personal faith journeys. Even if you do not fit into any of the following categories or groupings, you are most welcome to attend anyway. Please come and join us!
- Converts: people who want to become Catholic Christians, whether they are baptized or not
- Reverts: former Catholics who want to return to the Catholic Church or complete their sacraments
- Introverts: Catholics who want to grow more deeply in appreciating their Catholic Christian Faith
- Extroverts: Catholics who want to learn how to share their Faith more confidently with others
What’s in a name? Is it RCIA? Is it OCIA? Is it a Convert Course? Is it Adult Catechism? No! It is Catholic Christianity! We are a faith community of prayer, learning, and service. Please come and join us as Intentional Disciples of Christ! All are welcome!
Our parish convert program consists of regular attendance at Sunday Mass, participation in the life of our parish community, and adult classes. The goal is to encounter Christ personally in our lives, to establish our Catholic Christian identity in community, and to foster authentic Catholic Christian lifestyles as Intentional Disciples of Jesus Christ. We welcome you to pray, learn, and serve with us as Catholic Christians!
Our Convert Course is sometimes called RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) or, more recently, OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults). Whatever you want to call it, we are all called to ongoing conversion in our lives. While conversion is a turning-point in our spiritual lives, ongoing conversion keeps us faithfully on the path of discipleship. So, once a convert, always a convert. Welcome to Catholic Christianity!
Sunday Mass is the spiritual foundation for a daily prayer life that centers on Christ as our Savior and our God. Worship is essential to our lives of ongoing conversion. For the parish liturgy schedule, please click here.
Parish Community provides the context for knowing, loving, and serving Christ as a faithful Catholic Christian. For information about the programs and activities of our parish community, please click here.
Adult Classes provide instruction in Catholic teachings and values so that we can not only understand them, but apply them to our daily lives. For information about these classes, please contact the parish office.
Convert Program. Although our parish convert program regularly begins each September, the actual celebration of the sacraments is discerned with the pastor when each participant is spiritually ready to continue on their next step. This is all part of our parish continuing religious education program, a lifelong journey of prayer, learning, and service. While the annual Easter Vigil is a privileged time to celebrate the sacraments of Christian Initiation, it is not always the right time for each individual person in their faith journey. Through a process of spiritual accompaniment, we will prayerfully discern God’s will for us in this regard together. Since we are all “works in progress,” there is a time and place for everything under the sun – but more importantly, there is a time and a place for everyone under the Son, who is Jesus Christ, our Savior and our God! And even when we are converted, we are always challenged to ongoing conversion in our lives as well. For a summary of our traditional Catholic beliefs and values, please click here. Please come and join us on this spiritual journey. For those seeking to return to their faith, please click here to learn more about the welcoming way back home. We are here to help you every step of the way!
Please reach out to the parish office or introduce yourself to the pastor after Mass for more information about our Convert Program and to enroll in it. In the meantime, please explore the following websites: MyCatholic.Life, CatholicsComeHome.org, and Catholic.com. But, above all, remember to pray daily, to read the Scriptures regularly, and to attend Sunday Mass weekly, as the foundation for our parish Convert Program. For information about joining our parish community, please click here. Welcome to Saint Dennis Catholic Church, serving the greater Lockport area since 1846!
Saint Dennis Church is looking upward in faith, moving forward in hope, and leading onward in love to new life in Christ. As a faith community of prayer, learning, and service, we invite you to join us as intentional disciples of Christ. For more information, please check out the many spiritual resources provided at the CatholicChristian.org website. Together, let us embrace faithful Catholic Christian lifestyles for the new apostolic age of church history.