Stories

Walking alongside students as they move through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) is a gift and a privilege that I am fortunate to be a part of. It is not just a program to guide students through “class,” but a relationship built on trust, patience, and a willingness to enter into real questions. Accompaniment in this space requires openness and vulnerability from everyone involved. It is a reminder that faith is not something we hand over fully formed, but something that grows slowly in the lives of students who are searching.

College is a time of many firsts: being away from home for the first time, creating and managing your time, doing your laundry, and experiencing many other firsts. Students find themselves in new environments without the familiarity of home or their previous schools. It is also a time filled with deeper questions, like, Who am I? What is my purpose? In the middle of all that searching, OCIA becomes more than a class. It becomes a place where students can belong while they are still figuring things out.

Students often come in carrying a strong focus on achievement. Their days are shaped by classes, deadlines, and plans for the future. Through OCIA, there is a noticeable shift from achieving to receiving. Students begin to recognize that they are loved not because of what they accomplish, but because of who they are. They come to see themselves as remade in the image of God, and that realization changes how they approach their daily lives.

Students are not only looking for an emotional connection, a place to belong, but they also want to understand—the intellectual why matters just as much as the personal how. OCIA creates space for both. It helps students make sense of the Church while also inviting them to live differently, even amid very busy schedules.

Fernanda shared that she had always felt something was missing in her experience of church until she found a community centered on Christ. What stood out to her was that she did not have to do it alone. She built friendships and encountered the Church in a way that finally made sense. By the Easter Vigil, receiving the sacraments felt deeply personal and meaningful.

Monica described the experience as a beacon of hope in her life. She found support, guidance, and a sense of calm through the community she encountered. Her faith became something she could lean on, not just something she learned about.

Students often describe feeling lighter as they continue through the process. They face the same challenges, but with a different sense of grounding. What begins as a time of wandering slowly becomes a more intentional journey. To walk with them in that process is a privilege. It is an opportunity to witness how God is already at work in their lives and how that work continues to unfold in ways that give hope and increase faith not only to them, but also to those around them.

 

~ Chris Castaneda, SJ

 

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OCIA | Class of 2026

Aileen Cardena - '28
Christian Compton - '28
Dante Darnell - '29
Fernanda Escamilla - '28
Gloria Hao - grad student - '26 
Irandy Rodriguez-Cruz - '26
Isa Denolo - '29
Isabel Piccini - '29
Litzy Zaldivar - '26
Mason LaFreniere - law student - '28
Matsuko Estrada Nakamatsu
Monica Logan - grad student
Peter Miao - '28
Reinhardt Muljano - '27
Shuning Wang - law student '26

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