What is OCIA at Our Parish? A Journey of Faith, Friendship, and Discovery

What is OCIA at Our Parish? A Journey of Faith, Friendship, and Discovery

An Open Invitation to Explore

Have you ever wondered what Catholics really believe? Maybe you’re curious about the faith but aren’t sure where to start asking questions. Or perhaps you’re already a Christian from another tradition, considering what it might mean to become Catholic. Whatever brings you here, you’re welcome.

OCIA—the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults—is our parish’s way of creating a safe space for spiritual exploration. Until recently, this program was called RCIA, but the heart of what we do remains unchanged: we gather adults who want to understand the Catholic faith better, whether they’re seriously considering joining the Church or simply seeking honest answers to their questions.

At Prince of Peace, we believe everyone deserves a place to explore life’s biggest questions without pressure or judgment. Our OCIA program welcomes people from all backgrounds: lifelong Catholics looking to deepen their faith, Christians from other denominations, people of different faiths, and those who aren’t sure what they believe at all.

Here’s what we want you to know upfront: joining our program doesn’t commit you to becoming Catholic. This is simply where you can find thoughtful, authentic answers about the Catholic faith in an atmosphere of genuine friendship.

Who Should Consider OCIA?

OCIA meets people wherever they are in their spiritual journey. You might be:

  • Unbaptized and curious about Christianity through the Catholic Church
  • Already baptized in another Christian tradition and considering Catholicism
  • A Catholic who never received First Communion or Confirmation
  • A practicing Catholic wanting to refresh your faith while supporting others
  • Someone with questions about what Catholics actually believe

The Church recognizes different stages of spiritual seeking, and we have liturgical, intellectual, and pastoral support designed for each one. Whether you’re taking your first steps toward faith or you’ve been walking with Christ for years, there’s a place for you in our community.

What Happens in OCIA?

When: Wednesday evenings, 7-8p in the Parish Gym
When it runs: Mid-to-late August through Easter

Our weekly gatherings center on the fundamental teachings of the Catholic Church. We’ll explore Scripture and Sacred Tradition, dive into the seven sacraments, discuss moral theology, and learn about the communion of saints. These aren’t lectures—they’re conversations where questions are not just welcome but encouraged.

Our teaching team includes:

  • Sean Chapman, our theologian-in-residence and theology teacher at Saint Joseph’s Catholic High School
  • Our parish priests, deacons, and pastoral associates
  • Guest speakers like Karl Orbon, head of theology at Saint Joseph’s in Greenville

The Journey: Understanding the Process

For those who do choose to become Catholic, OCIA follows the Church’s ancient process of initiation, which unfolds in distinct phases:

The Catechumenate is the initial period of learning and reflection. This stage concludes with the Rite of Election, a beautiful diocesan celebration where individuals publicly choose to embrace the Christian way of life.

The Period of Purification and Enlightenment follows, marked by special rites designed to prepare hearts and minds for the Easter celebration.

Mystagogy begins after receiving the sacraments of initiation. This phase recognizes that becoming Catholic isn’t a finish line—it’s the beginning of a lifelong journey of growing closer to Christ through the life of the Church.

Throughout this entire process, remember that the Church walks alongside you without imposing pressure. We’re here to support your relationship with Christ, even if you ultimately discern that God isn’t calling you to join the Catholic Church.

A Personal, Unhurried Approach

We don’t believe in spiritual assembly lines. Every person’s journey is unique, and we honor that by taking time to really listen to your story, your questions, and your concerns. Our staff is here to accompany you and your family as you discern whether God is calling you toward full communion with the Catholic Church.

Some years we have people who’ve been thinking about this decision for decades; others join us having just started asking questions about faith. Both approaches are perfectly valid, and both are welcome here.

Community That Changes Lives

Each Easter Vigil, we celebrate with a diverse group of people receiving their sacraments of initiation. Their stories are as varied as they are beautiful—spouses supporting each other’s spiritual growth, adult children finally taking steps their parents hoped they’d take, individuals who’ve felt God calling them from unexpected places.

This diversity makes our OCIA sessions rich with different perspectives and experiences. Many practicing Catholics join us each year, and we’re consistently moved by how many describe the experience as life-changing. There’s something powerful about a community united around the shared desire to know God’s will more clearly.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

If you’re curious about the Catholic Church or simply have questions about faith, we’d love to hear from you. There’s no commitment required to begin exploring—just genuine interest and an open heart.

Contact us:

No matter where you find yourself on your spiritual journey—whether you’re taking first steps or you’ve been walking with faith for years—you have a place in our community. The Church exists to serve and accompany people seeking truth, and we’re genuinely excited to learn your story and discover what God is doing in your life.

If you’ve been wrestling with questions about faith, wondering what Catholics really believe, or simply aren’t sure what you believe yourself, we invite you to accept Jesus’s own words: “Come and see.”

Your questions are welcome here. Your doubts are welcome here. You are welcome here.

Advent Confession Times

Advent Confession Times

Our normal schedule of Wednesdays 5-6p and Saturdays 3.30-4.30p. In addition, the following are added for Advent:

  • Sunday, 17 Dec 7.30-9p
  • Monday, 18 Dec 5-7p
  • Tuesday, 19 Dec 7-9a, 11a-2p, 5-9p
  • Wednesday, 20 Dec 7-9a, 11a-2p, 5-9p
  • Thursday, 21 Dec 7-9a, 11a-2p, 5-9p
  • Friday, 22 Dec 5-7p
  • Saturday, 23 Dec 11a-2p & 3.30-4.30p

Confession before Christmas is encouraged in Catholicism to purify the soul and embrace the spiritual renewal symbolized by Jesus’ birth. It allows believers to reflect, seek forgiveness, and reconcile with God, fostering a deeper connection to the essence of Christmas. By acknowledging shortcomings and receiving absolution, one enters the season with a cleansed spirit, ready to embrace the significance of Christ’s arrival. It embodies the spirit of repentance and prepares the heart to fully appreciate the transformative message of hope, love, and redemption that Christmas represents, fostering a meaningful and spiritually fulfilling celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Marian Catechist Basic Catechism Course: Intro Meeting on 7 August at 6.30p

Marian Catechist Basic Catechism Course: Intro Meeting on 7 August at 6.30p

The Marian Catechist Basic Catechism Course is a guided home-study program designed to draw participants closer to God through a systematic exploration of the Catholic Faith.  These 16 lessons follow a straightforward outline to address the fundamentals of the Catholic Faith in order to equip any Catholic, regardless of their vocation, to clearly and confidently express what Catholics are called to believe.

The Marian Catechist Apostolate believes that all Catholics, whether they teach in a classroom or in Religious Education or not, are called to be Evangelists.  Neighbors, friends, and fellow-commuters engage with Catholics every day, and through these interactions all Catholics are asked to, as Saint Peter exhorts us, ‘give a defense for the hope that is in us.’  Because we cannot give that which we do not ourselves possess, the Apostolate’s mission is to equip faithful men and women with a thorough, basic understanding of the Faith so that they may effectively and rightly share it.

The Apostolate is a public association of the faithful, begun by Servant of God Father John Hardon, SJ and currently guided by His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke.  The content in the Basic Course is based on a program developed by Fr. Hardon to help train St. Mother Teresa’s Sisters of Charity to effectively share the Catholic Faith.

The Basic Course is the first component of a Consecrated Catechist’s formation, and while any Catholic can and should participate in the doctrinal formation the Basic Course provides, it is hoped than many will continue through the full spiritual and theological formation provided by joining the Apostolate as a Consecrated Catechist.

The 16 lessons of the Basic Course cover the essentials of the Faith (Salvation History, The Apostle’s Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Seven Sacraments and The Lord’s Prayer). Each student uses a textbook (the Course Manual), the current Catechism of the Catholic Church, and supplementary texts (the Modern Catholic Dictionary) to study and learn the faith before answering questions to gauge how well-prepared they are to accurately discuss the topics in the lesson with others.  Every test is open-book, and questions are carefully designed to help fully digest the doctrines of the Church.

The Basic Catechism Course follows the following outline:

  1. Salvation History
  2. The Apostles’ Creed, Article 1
  3. The Apostles’ Creed, Articles 2-5
  4. The Apostles’ Creed, Articles 6-8
  5. The Apostles’ Creed, Articles 9-12
  6. The Ten Commandments: 1,2 & 3
  7. The Ten Commandments: 4,5 & 6
  8. The Ten Commandments: 7,8 & 9
  9. The Beatitudes – Promises of Happiness
  10. The Seven Sacraments
  11. Baptism and Confirmation
  12. The Holy Eucharist
  13. Penance
  14. Matrimony
  15. Holy Orders & Anointing
  16. Prayer and the Lord’s Prayer

At Prince of Peace, we will be hosting the Basic Catechism Course again this year. An introductory session will be hosted on 7 August at 6.30p. The course will meet Tuesday evenings. The course is designed to be a guided home-study course, so participants may work at their own pace, either using the traditional format and mailing their completed tests to be marked for completion and accuracy, or they may use the Marian Catechist’s Online Course option and submit their work electronically.

The Discussion Groups we host with a consecrated catechist and volunteer theologians provide an invaluable support network to understand and inwardly digest the beauty of the faith, and we are thrilled to offer this resource.  Participants who choose to work independently may join our discussion group nights on campus and ask questions, provided they have already completed the test for that lesson.  For more information, please contact Michael Sandifer in the Parish Office at Michael.Sandifer@princeofpeacetaylors.org or 864.331.3902.

Explanation of the Vesting Prayers Before Mass

Explanation of the Vesting Prayers Before Mass

Please watch our show and tell instruction about what the priest does to prepare to celebrate Holy Mass, so that we may offer our prayers in union with him as he ascends Calvary to re-present the Sacrifice in the person of Christ the Head.  We offer this catechesis as a way to understand better what we experience at Mass.

The Altar

The central focus of the liturgical action of the Mass is the altar of sacrifice where the sacrifice of redemption is renewed.  Here, the bloody total self-gift of Jesus to His Father in the unity of the Holy Spirit on Golgotha is made present to us in an unbloody manner under the sacramental veils of bread and wine, as we share the fruits of that one sacrifice in Holy Communion.  Ordinarily, the altar is made of stone, and has five crosses engraved into it, which represent the fie wounds of Our Lord on the Cross.  Towards the front of the altar, or in the pedestal of the altar, are buried the relics of saints and martyrs who gave their lives for Christ.  In our altar, we have the relics of Ss. Linus and Callistus, two of the successors of St Peter as Pope, as well as St Pius X and St Elizabeth Ann Seton, our first American saints.  On top of the altar are three cloths, which recall the cloths in which Our Lord was swathed in the manger in Bethlehem, the binding cloths which held Him in the tomb and the cloth that was placed over His Holy Face in that sepulchre.  The stone slab of the altar represents the anointing stone and the altar itself the tomb.  Before an altar is set apart for divine worship, the Bishop anoints it with sacred chrism and burns incense upon it to remind us that here we worship Christ – the Anointed One – and that our prayers rise to heaven as sweet perfume before the Lord, in union with the prayers of all the saints and angels in heaven who constantly minister at the throne of Grace.

Also on top of the altar is found at its center an image of the Crucified Lord, to remind us that at Mass we stand at Calvary.  Six candles surround the Cross, all images of the light that comes from the Resurrection so that the altar is ablaze with the light of glory.  On solemnities and feasts, the altar may be further adorned with flowers or with the relics of the saints to add to the Church a greater sense of joy.  The candles are ordinarily of beeswax, and are unbleached during the penitential seasons of Advent and Lent, and bleached particularly when the Blessed Sacrament is exposed for adoration.

The Priest prepares for Mass

Whenever the priest goes to celebrate Mass, he prepares for prayer – with prayer.  He places himself in the presence of Almighty God, and calls to mind the specific intention for which he is going to celebrate Mass.  Although they are optional now, it was common for the priest to pray a number of psalms and prayers to remind him of the sacredness of this action and how unworthy he is to minister at the altar.  When he is ready, he enters the sacristy, the room of preparations for sacred worship.  He washes his hands, and prays, Give strength to my hands, Lord, to wipe away all stain, so that I may be able to serve Thee in purity of mind and body.  The priest of the New Covenant is the inheritor of the fulfillment of the sacrifices of the Old Law, and so he washes his hands before offering the sacrifice just as the Jewish priests and levites performed purification rituals with water before this work offered on behalf of the people, which is what the Greek word liturgy means.

The priest is now in his black cassock, that ankle-length garment whose black color symbolizes death to the world.  The cassock ordinarily has thirty three buttons down the front, one for each of the years Our Lord spent on earth, and five buttons on the sleeves, for each of the five wounds of Christ on the Cross.  The cassock is a reminder that the priest must put sin to death so that Christ can live through him.  It can be replaced by white in tropical climates, and is purple for bishops, the ancient sign of royal leadership, and scarlet for cardinals, for the call to martyrdom and the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

The priest then puts on each of the sacred vestments the Church prescribes for her sacred ministers when they celebrate Holy Mass.  These vestments are the continuation of both Jewish and pagan ceremonial dress, to underscore the continuity of Catholic worship with the liturgy of ancient Israel and the virtue of natural religion.  The inner vestments are ordinarily of linen, but also now are often made in cotton or various blends.  They are white, to symbolize the purity of the baptized soul in Christ.  Over them, are the outer vestments specific to the day, and are ordinarily of silk or some other precious material, as is befitting the dignity of our royal service to the King of Kings.  These vestments come in colors which have been associated since ancient times with various aspects of Christian life.  Green during the ordinary time after Epiphany and Pentecost indicates growth, just as so many living things in the world are green.  Red is for the blood of martyrdom and the fire of the Holy Spirit come down upon the Apostles at Pentecost.  Purple is the ancient sign of both royalty but also of penance, as it is close to black, the color of mourning.  At the midway points of Advent and Lent, purple is muted to joyful rose in expectation of the coming feasts of Christmas and Easter.  White is the color of feasting and purity, for the greatest solemnities and memorials of the saints, and can be replaced by cloth of gold or silver.

The first inner vestment the priest puts on is the amice.  He kisses the cross on it as a sign of reverence and places it momentarily over his head before resting it on the shoulders to protect the other vestments from his own sweat!  It is fastened around him with white or red ribbons, and comes from the Latin word, amictus, which means to wrap around.  As he dons the vestment, he prays that he may be protected from the assaults of the Evil One, whose dominion was destroyed by the reality the Mass commemorates.  He prays, Lord, set the helmet of salvation upon my head, to fend off all the assaults of the devil. 

Over the amice he places the alb, which comes from the Latin alba, meaning white.  It calls to mind the white garment with which we are clothed in baptism, where we are covered by Christ: though your sins may be as scarlet they are now as white as snow.  The alb comes from the Roman toga, the garment proper to scholars.  It is appropriate for the priest to wear this garment, as he is enlightened by sacred truth and commanded to teach it.  The priest prays, Make me white, O Lord and cleanse my heart, that being made white with the Blood of the Lamb, I may deserve an eternal reward. 

The priest than gathers the vestments together with a braided cord of linen called the cincture, which is wrapped tightly around the priest’s waist to remind him of the virtue of chastity.  Gird me O Lord with the cincture of purity, and quench in my heart the fire of concupiscence, that the virtue of continence and chastity may abide in me.  The cincture can be white or colored.

The priest then places on his left wrist the maniple, the first of the outer vestments the color of the day.  The word manipulum in Latin means a sheaf of grain, or something carried in a small bundle.  It is the remnant of a larger more ancient vestment that included a handkerchief to wipe away sweat and tears from the priest’s face at Mass.  He prays, May I deserve, O Lord, to bear the maniple of weeping and sorrow in order that I may joyfully reap the rewards of my labors.  It is a reminder that Christian life in this valley of tears is not our true home, and can be a place of suffering, where the priest in the person of Christ must work hard to show souls beyond the Cross to the Resurrection.

The next outer vestment is the stole, which comes from a Roman symbol of authority.  The stole is the symbol of the fact that the priest receives authority from the Church to celebrate the sacraments, and is, in fact, worn in the celebration of all of the sacraments.  Traditionally, a priest would wear his stole crossed in front, and a bishop would wear his stole straight down, as a sign that only the bishop has the fullness of the priesthood, and that the ministry of the priest is limited by his obedience to the bishop.  Roman judges used the stole as a sign of the authority, but the Church employs it as a sign that the True Law is that of Grace and lived in obedience to the Word of God.  The priest kisses the cross embroidered on it, and prays, Lord, restore the stole of immortality, which I lost through the collusion of our first parents, and as unworthy as I am to approach these sacred mysteries, may I yet gain eternal joy. 

The priest immediately then puts on the largest and most conspicuous of the vestments: the chasuble.  The Latin word casula means “little house”, and is like a shelter thay covers the priest.  The chasuble covers up the stole, and symbolized charity, which must cover all things, even authority.  O Lord, who has said, My yoke is easy and My burden light, grant that I may so carry it as to merit Thy grace. 

The priest then covers his head with the biretta, the scholars’ cap of old, which from its soft form has now hardened into three peaks symbolizing the Most Holy Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit,  in whose Name the Mass is true and perfect worship.  When the People of God have been gathered in the church for Mass, and the acceptable time has drawn near, we leave behind chronos, the changing time of this world, and enter into Kairos, the timeless expanse of eternity whose veil is drawn back just a little bit at every Holy Mass.  He bows to the Cross in the sacristy, and the server rings the bell, the joyful signal to the faith to rise and greet the Lord who comes in their midst to renew the Paschal Mystery in the heart of the Church.  Mass has finally once again begun.

Voter Information 2020

Voter Information 2020

The Diocese of Charleston has provided two documents for the upcoming election:

  • Simply Catholic discusses issues important to Catholic citizenship and your vote (here)
  • Presidential Candidate Comparison 2020 compares candidates on key issues (here)
  • Join us virtually on Monday, 19 October at 7.30p with Michael F. Acquilano, J.D. | Director, South Carolina Catholic Conference. Expect to hear about the obligation Catholics have to certain Catholic teachings, the hierarchy of issues in order of precedence, the critical nature of voting, and navigating an election where no one candidate embodies 100% Catholic teaching. There will be an opportunity for respectful Q&A. Dial in information is below:
  • Join Zoom Meeting
    Meeting ID: 815 3881 1141
    Passcode: 908521
    One tap mobile
    +13126266799,,81538811141#,,,,,,0#,,908521# US (Chicago)Dial by your location
    +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)
    Meeting ID: 815 3881 1141
    Passcode: 908521

     

Sacramental Theology (Online Study)

Sacramental Theology (Online Study)

This 8 week study led by Deacon Gus Suarez promises to deepen your understanding of the sacraments.? Examine what actually happens in each of the sacraments (both physically and spiritually) and explore how these great gifts from God can change our life! The first night begins with an overview of sacramental theology and each subsequent class will cover a new Sacrament.

Begins 11 August at 7.30p and meets weekly on Tuesday for 8 sessions.

  • Zoom Meeting Link
  • One Tap Mobile: +13126266799,,85486168715#,,,,,,0#,,092591# US (Chicago)
  • 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
  • Meeting ID: 854 8616 8715
    Passcode: 092591