You’re Invited To Journey Into The Catholic Church
The life of faith is lived in community, with other believers. We are called, by God, to community and communion with others. To be formed in the faith, in part, is to be prepared for life in a community – a life marked by service, humility, and charity. Come! You’re Invited! And most welcome to our Becoming Catholic, Living Catholic Tuesday evenings.
Engaging the mind, heart, and soul
to deepen your faith and strengthen your relationship with God and
our faith community.
Following Jesus and living as a Catholic is a life-long process of conversion, formation, education, and on-going conversion. As adults we should always be continuing to learn and grow, about our faith and the world around us.
How much do you really know about your faith? And, what is the Catholic Church all about anyway? What does it mean to be Catholic? What do Catholics actually believe?
The Catholic Church is extraordinary.
Founded by Christ himself, the Catholic Church is where we encounter God in his Word, his Sacraments, and his Saints. The Church faithfully proclaims the fullness of faith, leaving no truth out. It proclaims the fullness of life, leaving no person out. It calls all to repent and to believe in God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the source of all life and salvation.
Maybe you’ve been Catholic your entire life. Maybe you’re just beginning to explore the Catholic Faith. Wherever you may be in your journey, you are Invited! You will be profoundly moved by the beauty and the richness of the Catholic Church. This evening study is open to all adults, both men and women are welcome as we explore the depth and joys of our Catholic faith. Using the newest study from Ascension Press, Invited!, the Tuesday evenings’ journey begins September 1st. See below for the full Tuesday evening line-up which includes the Invited! study and the Tuesday evening Holy Hours of Adoration.
Please note: the videos and study questions for the Invited! portion of the course available through Ascension Press app, at no cost to you. If you are interested in an actual hard copy of materials, please contact Kelly at kjohnson@stmarygostyn.org to reserve a study set.
Interested in Growing Your Faith?
Following Jesus and living as a Catholic is a life-long process of conversion, formation, education, and on-going conversion. As adults we should always be continuing to learn and grow, about our faith and the world around us.
ALL adult parishioners are invited to learn about our faith and fall more deeply in love with Jesus.
- Whether you are new to our parish, or a member for many years
- Whether you have never been Baptized or Baptized into another faith tradition
- Whether you have been Baptized Catholic but never received your other Sacraments
We invite you to our Tuesday evening sessions, which aim to help all adults in our community:
OCIA Inquiry
If you have never been Baptized or are Baptized into another faith tradition, or if you were Baptized Catholic but never received your other Sacraments, we invite you to our Tuesday evening Becoming Catholic, Living Catholic sessions. These Tuesday evenings, which include the Invited! study as well as Holy Hours of Adoration, are a way to deepen your faith, or, if you are interested, become Catholic. We invite you to embrace the invitation and challenge of an ever-deepening faith in Jesus.
I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. – John 1:12
In a Catholic Parish, OCIA, the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults, is the amazing journey of entering into the fullness of the Catholic faith. Here at St. Mary’s, we will help you to learn, grow, find community, and prepare for the fullness of life that God desires for us all! Find this new, abundant life in Becoming Catholic, Living Catholic and OCIA Inquiry Course!
Becoming Catholic, Living Catholic and OCIA Inquiry Course is a way to ask questions about the faith, deepen your understanding of our faith, and, if interested, become Catholic. It is open to everyone – whether you were baptized Catholic or in another faith tradition, attending Mass because your spouse is Catholic, or never been Baptized. Together, we welcome you to this amazing journey of faith.
For more information, call the Parish Office at (630) 969-1063, or please complete the Becoming Catholic, Living Catholic OCIA Inquiry Course questionnaire.
Dates & Topics
Invited! and our Tuesday Evening Holy Hours comprise our Becoming Catholic, Living Catholic sessions and are a part of our OCIA Inquiry. Together these opportunities for “Adult Catechesis” form dynamic offerings at St. Mary’s.
What is Adult Catechesis? It is an invitation to faithfully and consciously grow in the life of Christ through experience, reflection, prayer, and study. It is to enter into a better understanding of, and participation in, the full sacramental life of the Church. It’s being Catholic!
These evenings are open to everyone since everyone, from life-long Catholics to those inquiring about the faith, should continually learn and grow. Below are the dates and topics for Invited!, and the way in which they work in conjunction with the Tuesday Holy Hours of Adoration. Come for one, come for all. You are most welcome.
Part I: What Do You Seek?
September 1, 2026 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Topic: Introduction & Invited!: What Do You Seek (1) & How Can We Know That God Exists? (2)
Part II: Revelation
September 15, 2026 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: God Reveals Himself To Us (3) & The Holy Trinity (4)
September 22, 2026 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
September 29, 2026 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: If God is Good, Why This Mess? (5) & Salvation History (6)
October 6, 2026 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
October 20, 2026 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: Jesus Christ, God Becomes Man (7) & The Paschal Mystery (8)
October 27, 2026 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
November 3, 2026 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: The Holy Spirit (9) & Prayer (10)
November 10, 2026 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
November 17, 2026 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: The Old Law and the New (11) & The Church (12)
December 1, 2026 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
December 22, 2026 @ 7:00pm in Gathering Place
Invited!: Mary and The Saints (13) & The Last Things (14)
January 5, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
January 12, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: Liturgy And The Sacraments (15) & Baptism (16)
January 19, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
February 2, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: Confirmation (17) & Eucharist (18)
February 9, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
February 16, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
Part III: Living As A Catholic
February 23, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: The Mass (19), Reconciliation (20) & Anointing of the Sick (21)
March 2, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
March 9, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: Holy Orders (22) & Matrimony (23)
March 16, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
March 30, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Mystagogy and Invited!: Liturgical Prayer (24)
April 6, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration
April 14, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: The Moral Life (25) & Social Doctrine and Works of Mercy (26)
April 20, 2027 @ 7:00pm in the Gathering Place
Invited!: Culture of Life (27) & Discipleship and Evangelization (28)
April 27, 2027 @ 7:00pm in Church
Holy Hour of Adoration