SCRANTON – On the first Sunday of Lent, the Cathedral of Saint Peter was nearly filled to capacity, as 215 catechumens and candidates gathered to celebrate the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion.
This year’s event was especially significant, as it saw the largest group of individuals preparing to fully enter the Catholic Church locally in several years.
“Everything that I saw was gloriously beautiful,” Austin Chen from Saint Boniface Parish in Williamsport said. “The congregation of people standing together, the claps, the applause. That is why I’m so excited to be Catholic. It is something that is beautiful.”
The Rite of Election is a pivotal moment in the journey of those seeking full initiation into the Catholic faith. After months, and in some cases years, of preparation through prayer, study and reflection, the ceremony symbolizes their formal selection to become members of the church at the upcoming Easter Vigil.
“It warms your heart because there are so many people trying to do right and trying to believe in what is right and trying everyday to do something that is important,” Chen added.
The Most Rev. Joseph C. Bambera, Bishop of Scranton, presided over the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion.
“Your presence here today proclaims that you’ve heard God’s call and have chosen to respond,” Bishop Bambera said. “He’s saying that your life – with all its struggles and joys, with all its blessings and challenges – has a unique place and role to play within his plan.”
During the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, catechumens – those who have never been baptized in the Christian faith – and candidates – baptized Christians who are seeking to enter full communion in the Catholic Church through the Eucharist and Confirmation – were presented by their sponsors to Bishop Bambera to affirm their desire to join the Church.
“I’m excited about it,” Mariah Cabrera of Saint John Parish in East Stroudsburg said.
Cabrera and a fellow parishioner, Gabriella Cecere, both participated in the Call to Continuing Conversion because they have both already been baptized.
“I was asked to be my niece’s godmother. At first, it was more of just a task for me to make my sacraments, but things lately have not been so great in my life, so doing these (OCIA) classes and coming to church, has actually made me feel like I’m on the right path and I’m here for more than just a task to be a godmother,” Cecere explained. “That is why I’m thrilled for the experience and to see what life is like as part of the parish.”
The catechumens were invited to the front of the Cathedral to sign their names in the Book of the Elect, and Bishop Bambera questioned them about their formation and desire to receive the sacraments.
Afterward, the candidates were invited to stand with their sponsors and Bishop Bambera asked the sponsors whether the candidates had received the proper religious instruction and desired to join in full communion with the Church.
Before taking part in the Rite of Election, individuals participated in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA, formerly called RCIA) – which is a gradual process of conversion and initiation into the Catholic Christian community providing individuals the space to encounter God and respond to His invitation to a new way of life in the Catholic faith.
Ed Vanhaute has been a facilitator for the program at Saints Peter and Paul Parish in Towanda for several years.
“I think it is well thought out. I think it’s necessary to confirm and identify the Catholic concept of prayer and life in Christ,” he explained. It is gratifying to bring people along this journey, just as my parents brought me on this journey many years ago.”
As the catechumens and candidates move forward in their preparation for Easter, they are reminded that the journey of faith is a life-long commitment of always turning towards God and his love.
“It was such a consolation to my faith to see this Cathedral full of so many Catholics, the candidates, the catechumens, and their sponsors,” Father Mark DeCelles, Assistant Pastor of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in South Scranton, said. “It is just beautiful to watch people grow in their relationship with the Lord and their relationship with one another.”