Church welcomes newest members

This was the night that God called, moved and chose Mr. Sutton to be His beloved son through Baptism, to be fed at the table of Eucharist, and to be anointed and sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation.

Two years after entering the process of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) as a catechumen at St. James Church in Albany, Mr. Sutton joined the Roman Catholic community by receiving those sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil, April 22.

Special night

Those participating in the RCIA process traditionally receive the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil; in addition to Mr. Sutton, Laura Stevens and Christian McTighe -- who already had been baptized in the Christian faith -- were confirmed and received their first Eucharist, while Kelly Staruck was confirmed.

At the service, Mr. Sutton resisted the temptation to read ahead in the program given to congregants, but he had some idea of what to expect because "I've attended the Easter Vigils at St. James for the past five years."

In addition to his wife, Peg, others with him at the Vigil included friends and his mother, Betty, who came from Virginia.

New meaning

After a procession to the front and the singing of the Exsultet came the Liturgy of the Word. There were responsorial psalms, prayers, and the singing of the Gloria and "Jesus Christ is Risen Today," an Easter hymn that had new meaning for Mr. Sutton on that night.

"All of a sudden, tonight it seemed like I knew the words, and I made an effort to sing along," he said.

The lights came on during the Gloria, and Mark's Gospel account of Jesus' resurrection and Father Ingemie's homily led to the sacraments that Mr. Sutton had been waiting to receive. Still, he was surprised that this time had already come in the Mass -- and that Leon Cosler, his sponsor, asked him to take off his sport coat.

"I was concentrating on what would happen next," he said. "After the homily, I thought there would be more before I received the sacraments."

Baptism

Father Ingemie blessed the water in the font, asking Mr. Sutton to reject sin and profess his faith in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Then, as Mr. Sutton placed his head over the font, Father Ingemie poured water on his head. Mr. Sutton was given a white baptismal garment to wear and handed a candle lit from the Easter candle.

Confirmation

The Prayer of the Faithful concluded the Liturgy of the Word, and the newly-confirmed brought up the Offertory gifts to start the Liturgy of the Eucharist. Mass proceeded as usual, but this was all new to Mr. Sutton, who normally would have left after the Liturgy of the Word to study Scripture with a catechist.

"The only times I've stayed for the entire Mass in the past two years have been when I'm on vacation and not in my usual church," he said.

Eucharist

His first communion was the last of three sacraments Mr. Sutton received during the Easter Vigil, and different feelings were associated with each one.

"At Baptism, I felt like I was bonding with God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit," he said. "When I was confirmed, I felt like I was part of the Catholic Church. Eucharist was the culmination because I bonded with Christ, but also because it's something Catholics do that no one else does."

Welcome to Church

Mr. Sutton compared the Easter Vigil to one's wedding, which is experienced firsthand. Until last Saturday, Mass seemed to him like someone else's wedding that he participated in but not completely.

From now on, attending Mass "will be very interesting, especially if there are catechumens preparing for RCIA," he said. "I have to remember to stay in my seat."

Conversion

"It's hard to imagine that time before," he said. "The transition has been very smooth, thanks to all of the people who helped me. It was very smooth and natural. A lot of people put a lot of effort into it."

Mr. Sutton's journey isn't finished. He said he must learn to work on "maintaining faith seven days a week and not lapsing into former modes of behavior when I'm not thinking about it actively." He also plans to continue meeting with Mr. Cosler to discuss Church teachings for a few more weeks.

The RCIA preparation Mr. Sutton went through during the past two years, however, culminated with the Easter Vigil, and that was the night when he professed his Catholic faith.

"It's been very nice and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," he said. "On the other hand, it will be nice to be a full member and sit there for the whole Mass."

(Editor's note: Previous articles about Mr. Sutton's RCIA experience ran on Dec. 9, Jan. 20, March 16 and April 6. They can be read at www.evangelist.org.)

(04-27-00) [[In-content Ad]]