USCCB has received approval for the OCIA
The Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments has confirmed the revised translations of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and the Ritual de la Iniciación Cristiana de Adultos. The decrees of confirmation were issued on Ash Wednesday, February 14 and were received by the USCCB shortly after.
The final texts have been received and will undergo the review by the Secretariat for Divine Worship before an implementation schedule is recommended to the USCCB President. Those dates, implementation and mandatory usage, will be made known when they are available.
Some items to note so far:
The prayers and ritual language are updated to match the changes in the Roman Missal and other ritual books.
The option for Infant Baptism at the Easter Vigil has been added.
The revised RCIA/OCIA retains the same numbering as the prior edition. The only change to this is that instead of Part I (catechumens) and Part II (special circumstances) it is now 6 "chapters" with chapter one being for catechumens, followed by the chapters that preciously were listed as "special circumstances."
The National Statutes for the Catechumenate, formerly appendix III at the end ritual book, will now be in the front instructional pages.
The other two appendixes remain the same: combined rites and acclamations, hymns, chants, etc.
There is a strong attempt to clarify terminology and to keep that terminology consistent throughout the instructions. Some words were used interchangeably in parts of the current ritual, like catechumen, candidate, inquirer, etc.
The language of the instructions prior to each ritual have been updated to reflect better conversion language as expressed in the Directory for Catechesis.
We will have a full set of trainings on the OCIA when we have all information.
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