How do I become Catholic?

Welcome. Here is the road.

1. Show up. Go to Mass at a parish near you, even before you believe everything. Do not receive Communion yet; come for a blessing or pray in the pew. Then call the parish office and say, "I'm interested in becoming Catholic." Every parish has a process, and they will be thrilled.

2. OCIA. The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (until recently called RCIA) is the Church's path for adults. It usually meets weekly from fall to spring and covers the Creed, the sacraments, prayer, and the moral life, with a sponsor walking beside you. There is no exam and no pressure; you can leave at any point (CCC 1229-1233).

3. Your starting point matters.

• Never baptized: you are a catechumen. You will receive Baptism, Confirmation, and First Communion together, normally at the Easter Vigil.
• Baptized in another Christian church (with water and the Trinitarian formula): your Baptism is valid and is not repeated (CCC 1271). You are a candidate, and you will make a profession of faith, go to first confession, and be confirmed and receive Communion, often at Easter but possibly sooner.
• Baptized Catholic but never confirmed or long away: you are already Catholic. Go to confession and talk to a priest about Confirmation.

4. Read. The Catechism of the Catholic Church, or its shorter Compendium. Scott Hahn's Rome Sweet Home or The Lamb's Supper. Bishop Barron's Catholicism. And the Gospels, slowly.

5. Pray. Ask God to show you if this is true. St. Augustine's rule applies: "Understand in order to believe; believe in order to understand." The Church is not a club to join but a family to be born into. Two thousand years of saints are waiting to welcome you.