Bishop McDermott Celebrates Rite of Election
On March 9, Bishop John McDermott presided over the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, with 64 people from across the state attending as part of their journey towards entry into the Church at the Easter Vigil.
While the process known today as the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) is fairly new, being first codified in 1974, the individual stages of the catechumenate date back to the earliest days of the Church. The Rite of Initiation held particular significance from the time of the Apostles through the end of the second century, as many converts to the Christian faith were Jewish; the writing of catechumens’ names in a Book of the Elect would be a tradition familiar to Jews of that time. Traditionally celebrated on the first Sunday in Lent, the Rite of Election marks the beginning of a convert’s preparation for reception into the Church.
At this year’s Rite of Election, there were 35 catechumens and 29 candidates; catechumens are those seeking baptism, while candidates are those who, having already been baptized outside of the Church or who have not yet been communed or confirmed, seek full communion with the Catholic Church.