March 1, 2023 at 4:36 p.m.
RITE OF ELECTION
Each year on Holy Saturday during the Easter Vigil, thousands are baptized into the Catholic Church in the United States. Parishes welcome these new Catholics through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. When a Catechumen and the priest and the parish team working with him or her believes the person is ready to make a faith commitment to Jesus in the Catholic Church, the next step is the request for baptism and the celebration of the Rite of Election. Even before the Catechumens are baptized, they have a special relationship to the Church.
The Rite of Election includes the enrollment of names of all the Catechumens seeking baptism at the coming Easter Vigil. On the first Sunday of Lent, the Catechumens, their sponsors and families gathered at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Albany on Feb. 26. The Catechumens publicly express their desire for baptism to Bishop Edward B. Scharfenberger. Their names were recorded in a book and they are called the Elect.
Source: USCCB.
- Full text: Pope Leo XIV’s Angelus address given June 21, 2026
- Pope Leo venerates heart of Mother Cabrini, calls for more missionaries like her
- Pope Leo prays at St. Augustine’s tomb in Pavia, calling all to be signs of Jesus’ love
- Pope Leo XIV tells American teens true joy isn’t found in ‘endless scrolling’ on social media
- Washington Roundup: US-Iran MOU begins; SCOTUS takes up ICE bond hearings; FDA abortion suit filing
- New Mexico diocese fights to save Mount Cristo Rey from ‘desecration’ for border wall
- Juneteenth ‘calls us forward,’ while urging repentance for sin of racism, say bishops
- Communion, presence and listening mark Pope Leo’s communications style, say experts
- Chicago Catholic’s longtime photo editor wins CMA’s St. Francis de Sales Award
- Panel: Juneteenth, nation’s 250th anniversary shines light on work that remains to address racism in US
Comments:
You must login to comment.