52 Catechumens Prepare for Full Communion in Historic Year
For the first time in 25 years of recorded history, Notre Dame’s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program is witnessing a historic surge in participation, with a record number of catechumens embarking on their journey to full communion with the Catholic Church.
Since the last record class during the 1998–1988 school year with 43 participants, this year’s OCIA class at Notre Dame has expanded to 52 participants. Twenty-five participants will be baptized during the Easter Vigil Mass on April 19, and the remaining 27 will complete their full initiation into the Church on April 27 by receiving the sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation.
The Fort Wayne-South Bend diocese is also preparing to welcome a large number of members to the Church, with 383 catechumens and 332 candidates, totaling 715 participants.
For the Rite of Election, all OCIA participants across the Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend (FWSB) gathered together to be presented to Bishop Kevin Rhoades. Since the Diocese houses two cathedrals, there were two services to accommodate everyone—160 catechumens in Fort Wayne and 223 South Bend catechumens.
St. Matthew’s Cathedral in South Bend has a capacity of 600, but even with the Rite of the Elect limited to sponsors and participants, Notre Dame’s OCIA group was asked to sit in the choir loft due to the unusually high volume of participants.
Brett Perkins, Assistant Director for Evangelization and Religious Education at Notre Dame, when asked why so many participants found the OCIA program this year, stated that the only form of concrete advertising used is “literally a little poster that says, ‘Are you interested in becoming Catholic? Interested in getting confirmed or sponsoring someone? Contact Brett.’”
The main reason for the numbers, according to Perkins, can be accredited to “the faithful witness of hall staff, of rectors, of RAs and ARs, of priests and residents, of people who are willing to have the intentional conversation and who can articulate what their experience has been, and invite others into it.”
These numbers are not an isolated trend. Across the country, dioceses are reporting larger numbers of participants than ever before, suggesting that conversions will only continue to increase from year-to-year.
In the United States, the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. grew to over 1,500 participants, up from 1,350 in 2024. The Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan, reported 977 participants with the highest turnout since 2017. The Diocese of Cleveland, Ohio, saw 812 participants—up from 545—and Florida’s Diocese of Orlando added over 800 participants joining, of nearly 200 individuals, with 51 percent of parishes reporting significant growth. The Archdiocese of Atlanta reported nearly 3,000 participants, up from approximately 2,500 the previous year.
Perkins reflected: “Is there something that’s changing in our landscape, on our campus, in our country, in our world, that is allowing that space to explore faith again? Some of the same things that I’m hearing from our participants say, ‘There was a restlessness, there was a lacking, there was something that was missing in my life. And so maybe, is it worth giving this God a chance?’”
Perkins emphasized, “The numbers at the end of the day don’t really matter, right? We’re talking about souls for the Lord. For even the one, it’s worth it.”
Demetrius Hernandez, a Ph.D. student and current OCIA participant, told the Rover, “In a world full of social media, anxiety, stress, and constant noise, people are craving something steady, peaceful, and grounding. The Church offers that sense of rootedness and purpose.”
Theo Austin, a member of the OCIA leadership team who served as an OCIA sponsor last year, told the Rover, “OCIA is a formation in the life of an intentional disciple of Jesus. Our program never forces anything, but is a continual process of discernment and invitation into the mysteries of the Catholic Church, finding their fullest expression in the liturgy and the sacraments.”
He continued, “Even if you’re not convinced that you want to enter the Church in the Easter Sacraments, you are welcome to investigate what the Church teaches and discern this step for your life.”
Ocean Leto, Welsh Family sophomore, told the Rover, “I struggled seeing the varied beliefs Protestant denominations held with the Eucharist and how much was left to interpretation. I would look up Protestant and Catholic apologetics online to find answers, but still left conflicted. I met up with [Perkins] with the original intent to understand the Catholic position, slay misconceptions, and stay Protestant. The more I looked into the Catholic faith, the more God showed me how beautiful and true it is in its most perfect form, and I could not turn back.”
Paige Ellis, Ryan Hall freshman, grew up in a non-practicing, Christian household. She told the Rover, “ I felt a void in my heart, unable to be filled by any other pleasure or material thing. So, I drove to Barnes and Noble one day and bought myself a bible, reading the Gospels for the first time.”
She continued, “I started going to a non-denominational Christian church, discovering that the values of Catholicism aligned with my own values more. When I came across the OCIA stand at the campus ministry fair, I knew I was being called by God to enter into his Catholic Church.”
Hernandez noted, “Coming to Notre Dame—a place where intellectual rigor and faith are combined in a mission to be a force for good—felt like confirmation that this was the right time and place for me to explore the Church more intentionally.”
Ellis continued, “Seeing how far I’ve come, how God has become an integral part of my life, I feel less isolated through my struggles, always accompanied by Christ Himself and the incredible OCIA community, which shares the same ups and downs of the entire process.”
Perkins invites those who have not yet considered Catholicism to “prepare to encounter the greatest love story ever. It is the story of God’s love for you, uniquely. You have been created with purpose, with meaning. You are meant to be here right now, in this world, at this place, at this university, and to come and see the depths of that love, fulfillment, and meaning in your life beyond what you could ever have imagined.”
For any questions about becoming Catholic or the process, please contact Brett Perkins at brett.perkins@nd.edu.
Lydia Poe, a junior studying finance and management, believes ‘beauty is pain’ is not just a euphemism for European travel—it’s a warning. In just 30 hours, her passport vanished, she befriended a degenerate sandwich man, paid to sleep on a stone floor, convinced a stranger she’s been in a sham marriage for 12 years, and missed the last train to Rome. To fund her overworked guardian angel’s career change, email her at lpoe01@saintmarys.edu.
Photo Credit: Sabrina Searl
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