Last year, I got this email from someone who had followed the OCIA promotion strategy I taught in 5 Essential Strategies to Fill Your OCIA Classes. ⬇️

(They went on to have another record year this year, almost doubling the number of people received into the Church from the year prior, which was the previous record.)

In the space of a few years, they got 3-4x the amount of OCIA inquiries - AND 3-4x more people who actually followed through and converted or completed their sacraments.

Now to be clear: This is not just because they implemented a promotion strategy.

OCIA interest is up across the country, praise God! It's probably not just the funnel they implemented that got them those increased numbers.

But it's not just about increasing numbers.

It's about making sure you have the communications in place to HANDLE that increase in interest.

Because yes, more people are interested in Catholicism...but do you have what you need to get them from that first "I think I'm going to become Catholic" all the way to actually sitting in an OCIA class?

There's actually a lot more steps in between those two than you may realize.

Take those 58 people who signed up for the lead magnet (a "10 Things to Know Before Converting" PDF guide), for example.

Signing up for OCIA can feel like a big turning point in one's life, and they might not have been ready to take that step. But anonymously requesting a free guide about it? That doesn't seem nearly as harrowing a step.

So they request the freebie and read it, and it helps to answer some of their questions and feel more open to the idea of converting than they were before.

Then, they received automated emails met them at their level and guided them step by step until they were finally ready for a personal interaction (freeing up the time of the OCIA director to actually have those personal encounters instead of being tied up answering the same logistical questions all day).

But what if that church didn't have the lead magnet? Who knows if those 58 people would have felt comfortable diving right into OCIA inquiry, or if they would have just left the page to "come back to it some other time" when they felt ready (aka never).

Instead, they were able to provide something for them at the comfort level where they were, get their contact information, and journey with them towards OCIA involvement on their timeline - instead of just hoping to reach them at the right moment and proposing such a big life change from the get go.

(Yes, I know OCIA is just the beginning of the discernment process, but it still feels like a huge step for someone in the process of converting because it makes it "real.")

So here's how this church put this strategy in place that helped them 3-4x their OCIA class:

Instead of doing all the work themselves, they used the resources in the OCIA Promotion Pack to set this all up:

Step 1: Lead Magnet/Freebie

Instead of creating their own from scratch, they were able to simply tweak the included "10 Things to Know" Lead Magnet template as a starting point to fit their unique parish.

Step 2: Info Session

Instead of just inviting people to the first day of OCIA class, they had an info session for people interested (I include a suggested schedule for this kind of "come and see" event in the pack as well as a registration page template - it might honestly be my favorite resource in the whole package!).

Step 3: Sign Up Pages

They grabbed some of the copy from the provided Landing Page Templates and created sign up pages for people to sign up for the freebie and info session.

Step 4: Automated Email Templates

Finally, they copy and pasted the text from the Automated Email Templates file included in the pack, put them into their email marketing system, and set them live so they would go out automatically based off of when each person signed up for the freebie, not just when the OCIA director had a spare minute.

Definitely some work (with some reward!)...but way less than they would have had to do trying to come up with this strategy and all of the communications around it from scratch.

You can implement this same strategy too - I teach you how in 5 Essential Strategies to Fill Your OCIA Classes.

But if you want even more help (and saved time!) putting that strategy into place at your own church, you can find all of those templates they used and more in the OCIA Promo Pack here!​
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15% off through tomorrow with code OCIA26

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Inside the OCIA promo pack, you not only get all of the lead magnet, landing page, and automated email templates...

...you also get 20+ strikingly-designed graphics with relatable, convincing writing for promoting OCIA across the bulletin, social media, website, and print materials...

...plus planning resources and additional trainings...

...and new for 2026, follow-up email templates to connect with OCIA alumni for one year following receiving sacraments (to help keep them connected to the parish community and engaged with their faith, as well as requesting their assistance with testimonials, sharing OCIA with friends, and volunteering).

You can absolutely implement this strategy without all of the templates.

But if you want the extra help, plus the knowledge that the strategy is already baked into the promotional materials, the OCIA Promo Pack is here to help you save time and encourage more people to join OCIA!

(And since I know we're approaching the beginning of OCIA "recruitment season," the pack is 15% off through tomorrow with code OCIA2026.)

15% off through tomorrow with code OCIA26
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I can't guarantee that this strategy will quadruple your OCIA class like it did for the church above.

But OCIA is arguably one of the most important offerings we promote at our churches.

So having a plan is worth it. Even if for just one extra soul.

And if the OCIA Promo Pack will take a little off your plate to help you implement that plan, it would be my honor to help you reach and journey with the souls who will be sitting in your OCIA room next month.

For His greater glory,

Emily

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P.S. Want help growing your OCIA class this year? Now through tomorrow, September 1, the OCIA Promo Pack is 15% off with code OCIA2026. Dozens of copy-and-paste-ready promotional templates for your bulletin, social media, flyers, ads, and emails + a strategy to help you make the most of them. Use code OCIA2026 now through tomorrow evening for 15% off!