Rite of Election

This Sunday our Catechumens will take the next step on their spiritual journey with the Rite of Sending to Election. Having continued their preparation to receive the sacraments, God now calls them to become “the elect,” those chosen by the Church for initiation at the Easter Vigil. Their godparents stand as witnesses to the progress they have made, and they inscribe their names in The Book of the Elect. They are sent by the parish community to the Bishop who listens to the testimony of their sponsors and then states, “I now declare you to be members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil.” Thus begins the final phase of their journey towards initiation. The entire community is expected to “ surround the elect with prayer, so that the entire Church will accompany and lead them to encounter Christ.” (RCIA 121).

The Elect will come before the community three more times during Lent for rites called “Scrutinies.” These rites “ should complete the conversion of the elect and deepen their resolve to hold fast to Christ and to carry out their decision to love God above all.” (RCIA 141). We are more than witnesses praying for them. We should experience our own ongoing conversion as we witness these rites.

Let us journey with our Elect, asking God to renew and enliven our faith. May their Lenten journey be ours as well as we constantly strive for a stronger and deeper understanding of the place of God in our lives.

In anticipation of our catechumen’s celebration of the Rite of Election with Bishop McGrath, on Tuesday, February 20 at St. Joseph Cathedral Basilica, we will celebrate the Rite of Sending to Election at the 10:30am Mass at Our Lady of the Rosary on Sunday, February 18. 

Susan Lee Olsen, Director of Catechetical Ministry