We are so glad that the Holy Spirit led you here! No doubt our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is inviting you into a deeper, more personal relationship with Him in and through His Catholic Church for the sake of your happiness, freedom, holiness, and salvation! Welcome!
Any student who is interested in becoming Catholic is most welcome to join OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), which is the Catholic Church’s formal program of preparation for any person above the age of reason who wants to become Catholic and enter into full communion with the Catholic Church. At Lehigh University, any student who is interested in becoming Catholic should contact the Catholic Chaplain and meet with him to discuss a plan of preparation.
OCIA is essentially for two groups of students: those who are not Catholic but would like to become Catholic and those baptized Catholics who would like to receive the other Sacraments of Initiation (Holy Eucharist and Confirmation). Any baptized Catholics who would like to receive the other Sacraments of Initiation should also contact the Catholic Chaplain and meet with him to discuss a plan of preparation.
OCIA is designed to adequately prepare and form students in the Catholic faith so that they understand what Catholics believe and why. Students are encouraged to bring any and all questions they may have about Catholicism to weekly OCIA meetings. OCIA at Lehigh meets every Monday from 7-8:30 PM in the Newman Center (417 Carlton Avenue, Bethlehem, PA – right behind Holy Ghost Church). To prepare students to become Catholic and enter into full communion with the Church, we watch a series of different videos that are very well-done, interesting, and engaging from various sources (primarily Symbolon, but also the Catholicism Series by Bishop Robert Barron, and some online videos from Aquinas 101, which is run by The Thomistic Institute). After each short video segment, we have an open discussion about what we just watched and students are free to ask any questions they want about the topic at hand.
Students who want to become Catholic and students who are already baptized Catholics who want to receive Holy Eucharist and Confirmation are required to attend all weekly OCIA meetings, which usually begin the Monday after Labor Day and run all the way to Holy Week. If for some serious reason, a student is unable to attend an OCIA meeting, he/she should contact the Catholic Chaplain and simply let notify him.
Lehigh students who become Catholic and students who are baptized Catholics receiving the other Sacraments of Initiation are typically received into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, which is the Saturday night immediately before Easter Sunday. At Lehigh, we celebrate the Easter Vigil at 8 PM at Incarnation of our Lord Parish (617 Pierce Street, Bethlehem, PA), which is very close to Lehigh’s campus.
Depending on the circumstances and the preference of the student, the Catholic Chaplain can bring the student into the Catholic Church at the upcoming Easter Vigil or the student can enter the Catholic Church at their nearest Catholic parish in their hometown on the Easter Vigil.
In both cases of non-Catholic students wanting to become Catholic and Catholic students wanting to receive the other Sacraments of Initiation (i.e. Holy Eucharist and Confirmation), if the student has already been baptized, they will need to give the Catholic Chaplain a copy of their baptismal certificate for documentary proof of their valid Baptism. The Catholic Church does recognize any and all valid baptisms within Protestantism. If there’s any doubt regarding the validity of your Baptism, please consult with the Catholic Chaplain.
Any students who are interested in becoming Catholic or have questions about OCIA and the process of becoming Catholic or receiving the other Sacraments of Initiation should contact the Catholic Chaplain:
Fr. Isaac: sai424@lehigh.edu
Praying for you as the Lord continues to guide you on this journey!