CV NEWS FEED // One of the largest groups of catechumens and candidates in recent years for the Diocese of Scranton, Pennsylvania, filled the Cathedral of Saint Peter on the first Sunday of Lent, taking one more formal step to enter the Catholic Church this Easter.
According to the Diocese, after months of preparation, a total of 215 catechumens and candidates gathered March 9, almost reaching the capacity of the cathedral, as they prepared to celebrate the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion.
The catechumens signed their names in the Book of the Elect and answered questions from Bishop Joseph Bambera about their desire to enter the church and receive the sacraments.
The Rite of Election is a pivotal point in the journey of joining the Catholic Church for catechumens, or those who have never been baptized in the Christian faith. It symbolizes their formal selection to become members of the Church after months of formation. The candidates, who are already baptized, seek full communion with the Catholic faith through the Eucharist and confirmation. They participate in the Call to Continuing Conversion.
Before this special liturgy, the catechumens and candidates participated in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), formerly RCIA, which provides the prospective members of the Catholic Church with the opportunity to encounter God and accept His call into the Church.
During the Mass, Bishop Bambera told the catechumens and candidates, “Your presence here today proclaims that you’ve heard God’s call and have chosen to respond, 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.”
Catechumen Austin Chen told the Diocese of Scranton that the liturgy was especially moving and furthered his enthusiasm for joining the Church.
“Everything that I saw was gloriously beautiful,” Chen 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.”
Father Mark DeCelles, assistant pastor of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish, described his joy at the number of candidates entering the Church.
“It was such a consolation to my faith to see this Cathedral full of so many Catholics, the candidates, the catechumens, and their sponsors,” he said. “It is just beautiful to watch people grow in their relationship with the Lord and their relationship with one another.”
The prospective Catholics will be fully received into the Church during Easter Vigil Masses throughout the diocese.
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