​Read part 1 from last week here!​

The big day is finally here.

You've spent months, even years, investing in these people.

They don their white outfits.

The church smells of chrism.

You all smile and hug and cry and take pictures.

Retreat high x10 as new Catholics are received into the Church.

Now for the uncomfortable question:

How many of those people will you still be seeing at Mass six months from now?

Both by research and anecdotally, OCIA numbers are trending up around the country, even around the world.

In America in 2025, more people entered the Catholic Church than left for the first time in two decades. (source)

And from what I've been hearing, it seems this year will be on the same track.

Praise God! The Easter Vigil is going to be a PARTY in heaven this year.

So we're doing our job, right? Getting people to convert is the whole goal, right? Mission accomplished!

But people receiving sacraments is only part of the conversion story.

When I did admissions-focused marketing in the higher ed space, we used to track incoming student numbers obsessively.

(Seriously. On Decision Day, I'd just have the incoming class dashboard pulled up on my computer and refresh constantly.)

But there's a less exciting stat that matters just as much, honestly probably more:

Retention.

It's not just about getting new people; it's also about keeping those people you get engaged.

And so we have to ask: How many of those going through OCIA actually stay active in their faith post-Easter Vigil?

There's a number of reasons someone might go through the rigorous OCIA process and then not be invested in their faith.

Some of it could be being open to the Holy Spirit or becoming lukewarm once the dust settles. Some of it could be the way in which they were educated in the faith and how prepared they were for hardships in the faith post-Easter Vigil. Some of it could even be the intention they went into the program with.

But some of it might just be the lack of being top of mind.

During OCIA, they had regular classes to attend.

Built-in community.

People to ask their questions to and get support from.

But kind of like graduation, they now need to be "adults" in the Church without the safety net of OCIA.

And without the regularity and structure that OCIA provided to keep faith top of mind, it can be easy to relegate it to a milestone moment of the past instead of the starting point of a whole new life.

Add that to the fact that they're brand new in the faith and might genuinely not know what to do next, and even the most on-fire convert can become lukewarm pretty quick.

And this is where communications can help.

In marketing, there's something called a customer journey. It's a series of steps we want people to take from first hearing about something all the way through purchase and beyond.

For example, maybe you see an ad on social media for a new independent book shop in town. You click on the ad, go to their website, and follow them on social media.

Then, you see their update a few days later promoting their latest book drop, and you read some reviews about the shop.

Two weeks later, you see that they're one of the sponsors for the local parade.

A week after that, you get a postcard from them in the mail about a sale and decide to stop in and make a purchase.

Great! You made a purchase! That's the end, right?

Nope. They don't want just one purchase; they want a loyal, engaged fan.

So after you purchase, you're on their email list. You get regular emails from them promoting new books in stock, and you begin to visit regularly.

After a few visits, they invite you to become a VIP, where you get an extra discount for each purchase and voting on new genres in the store.

A few more visits, and you start to know everyone by name.

It only takes a few more times to become a raving fan: attending author signings, joining the book club, even repping them at the grocery store with their logo on your reusable tote.

If that book store was smart, every single one of those interactions (and more!) were plotted out and planned.

Because if we don't know what we want our people to do next, neither will they.

We need to do the same with OCIA.

Using the book store example above, having someone go through OCIA is like doing all of the marketing work to get them to shop one time, and then never inviting them to take a next step to become a repeat customer.

We miss out on "converting" them into active parishioners — not to mention the spiritual ramifications on their faith if they "just" get the sacraments and leave.

So how can communications fix this?

Because I believe that having strategic communication touchpoints planned out 1-3 years post OCIA can help keep alumni engaged.

These communication touchpoints could be emails, phone calls, letters, in-person encounters — anything to keep them connecting.

And always answering the question: What they should do next?

Maybe from OCIA they should attend a Bible study or Alpha/The Search/ChristLife.

Perhaps you have small groups or Adult Faith Formation offerings that would help them to continue learning about and growing in their faith.

You could suggest things they should watch on Formed or YouTube.

It could even be an outreach not necessarily telling them to do something, but just seeing them where they are. Knowing that perhaps at the six month mark, most converts start to struggle with x, y, or z, you could simply acknowledge that might be something they're facing and offer some advice or resources to help.

(For example, maybe sending them some advice on how to navigate their first Thanksgiving as a Catholic when they might get questions from family members on their new faith.)

Even a simple outreach to say that someone from the church is thinking of and praying for them, and you'd love to hear from them with any prayer requests or continuing questions they have — that simple acknowledgement can make a world of difference!

The goal is creating communications that support staying top of mind and continually inviting them to go deeper in their newfound faith.

How to Put This in Action

You can easily plot out this plan in 30-45 minutes:

Figure out how often you think you should reach out post-Easter Vigil (I'd suggest minimum of 1 month, 3 month, 6 month, and one year marks).

Then, using your own experience or asking some involved OCIA alumni, ask these three questions for each touchpoint:

1. What would OCIA alumni be struggling with at this stage?
   ​(Either time of year or "honeymoon phase"-wise)
2. What can we offer to them to help them with this struggle?
   ​(Could be an event or program, but also a resource or simply someone to listen/offer advice)
3. What do we want them to do next?
   ​(Either an action/invitation — come to this event — or a personal reach-out, prayer, reading, etc.)

Then, decide when exactly you'll send it, how you'll send it (i.e. email, letter, phone call), and start to design and write it or set calendar reminders for when you'll need to work on these!

Communications might not be able to fix all of the reasons why someone would fall out of participation in their newfound faith.

But it can keep lack of direction and connection from being one of those reasons.

Prayers for all you have been diligently forming to make their sacraments this year. May they always be as on fire with the faith as they are on April 4, and for your wisdom and discernment as you create communications to support that!

For His greater glory,

Emily