We value the Lordship of Jesus Christ!

We acknowledge Jesus Christ as the head of our church and fully submit ourselves to His will. In every aspect of our ministry our goal is always to honor and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.

We value Bible-centered Preaching and Teaching!

We believe the Bible is God’s inspired authoritative and trustworthy rule of faith and practice for Christians. Therefore, we submit ourselves to its teaching, commit ourselves to do what it says, and yield our lives to become what Christ desires for us to be.

We believe in the power of prayer. Therefore, the ministries and activities our church will be characterized by a reliance on personal and corporate prayer in all areas of our lives and ministry.

We value Evangelism and World Missions!

We believe in the Great Commission commanded to us by Jesus Christ and we are committed to reaching unsaved and unchurched people locally, nationally and worldwide. We will use every available Christ-honoring means to pursue, win and disciple the people in our sphere of influence.

We believe God ordained the family to glorify him. We are committed to cultivate an atmosphere which promotes spiritual growth within the family by reaching families with the gospel, discipling them in Christ-like character and teaching each family member how to fulfill their God-given role.

OCIA – St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church

Order of Christian Initiation of Adults: OCIA

Following the motto of Pope Leo XIV, “In the One, we are one!”, and encouraged by his vision of unity in our Lord, St. Francis Xavier would like to invite anyone who is interested in learning more about the Catholic faith or is considering becoming Catholic to join us in our OCIA program.

What is OCIA?

The Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, which has its roots in the early Church, is a process of catechesis and spiritual formation designed to give participants an understanding and experience of the depth and breadth of the Catholic Church through its teachings, worship, prayer life and service to the community.

Our program consists of weekly presentations aimed at offering a firm foundation of the Catholic faith. This includes topics on the basic tenets of Christianity such as Reason and Divine Revelation, Jesus, the Trinity, Grace and Redemption, Sacred Scripture, and Church History as well as Catholic Moral Teaching, the Sacraments, Prayer, the Mass, Mary and the Saints and Catholic Social Teaching. We also spend time in prayer during each session using the many prayer forms that the Catholic Church offers. In addition, there are several liturgical Rites in which our group participates, marking the steps of discernment and conversion that lead to reception into the Catholic Church.

Whether unbaptized, baptized in another Christian tradition, or baptized in the Catholic Church but never confirmed, all are welcome to journey with us in studying the Catholic response to God’s invitation to follow Him. Sessions meet on Wednesday evenings beginning in early-September, culminating at Easter Time when those choosing to become Catholic are received into the Church.

For more information or to register, contact Nancy Heck or Deacon Neal Kay at ocia@sfxbirmingham.com or 205-803-5427.