Trying to figure out who’s who is a common human activity. We like to know who we are sharing our time with and what relationship they have to us. So it is with the Church that gathers on Sunday for Mass.

Many of the faces are as familiar as our own, but as with any healthy group, new faces are to be expected and welcomed. Some of those new faces may be responding to a call to find out more about Christ and His Church. The Church opens its arms to these seekers with the wisdom and rituals of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (the OCIA, known formerly as the RCIA).

People who desire to learn more about the Catholic faith and its mission fall into two main groups: catechumens and candidates. A catechumen is someone who has never been baptized, while candidates are those having already been baptized in another Christian denomination and desire to become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church.

Catechumens and candidates undergo a period of formation involving a number of steps and phases. After this formation, they receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist — usually at the Easter Vigil or in the Easter Season.

For these catechumens and candidates, Lent is a period of intensified spiritual preparation. At the beginning of Lent, the Diocese of Burlington celebrates a special ritual, the “Rite of Election” for the catechumens and the “Call to Continuing Conversion” for the candidates. Based on the testimony given by the sponsors and catechists, Bishop Christopher Coyne will declare the catechumens to be “Elect,” chosen by God for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the upcoming Easter Vigil. The bishop also will recognize the desire of the already-baptized candidates for the sacraments of Confirmation and Eucharist within our Catholic community.

All members of the faithful throughout the Diocese are encouraged to pray for and with the catechumens and candidates this Lent, especially for the new faces you may see in your own parishes.

All are encouraged to join us for the Diocesan Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion that will be celebrated on Sunday, Feb. 26, at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Burlington at 3 p.m.

— Josh Perry is the director of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Burlington.

— Originally published in the Feb. 11-17, 202, edition of The Inland See.