During this year’s Rite of Election on Feb. 18, 123 catechumens from faith communities in the Paterson Diocese moved a step closer to receiving the sacraments of initiation — baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist — in their respective parishes during the upcoming Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, March 30.
On Feb. 18, the first Sunday of Lent, Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney presided over the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson, where he formally selected — or elected — the catechumens.
This special rite formally sets them toward full sacramental unity with the Church. They are now known as “the elect.” Those in attendance represented a much larger number of those who will become full-fledged members of the Body of Christ this Easter. They include adults, teens, and children.
At the Rite of Election, the catechumens were presented to Bishop Sweeney. Their sponsors and the congregation affirmed their worthiness for the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation. Then, the enrolled names were given to the bishop in the Book of Elect.
The bishop asked the catechumens if they “wish to fully enter the life of the Church through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist?” They each said, “Yes!”
The catechumens have been studying the tenets of Catholicism through their parish’s Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) program, the Church’s official process, which prepares new members for the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist. They begin with a process of catechesis and accompaniment, which usually lasts one to two years and leads to a time of final preparation for full initiation into the Church.
In addition, many parishes have adult candidates who were baptized as infants or children but have yet to receive the sacraments of Holy Communion or Confirmation or were baptized in other Christian denominations. They, too, will be fully received into the Church at Easter. Also, the children in the process of RCIA will be baptized, while some will receive their first Holy Communion.
At the end of the Rite of Election, the bishop dismissed the newly elected to go back to their parish communities to reflect more deeply on the Word of God with the assurances of the prayers of the diocesan Church. Afterward, the newly elected were invited to meet the bishop and take a photo with him.
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Parish, Morristown
Robert Minano
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson
Jacquelin Alvarenga
Derek Barrera
Ilda Cruz-Figueroa
Silvia De La Cruz
Ronny Dume
Luica Gisbert
Csaba Gyorfi
Edwin Infante
Jenniffer Jeffry
Aiyana Lopez
Gabriel Mamani Mesones
Isaac K. Melt
Jonathan Mendoza
Katy Montoya Oviedo
Rolando Ocon Castellon
Stephen Polo
Emeli Reynoso
Evelyn Rivera
Edison Rodriguez
Ada Roman
Alexander V. Taipe
Estefita Terrones
Holy Spirit Parish, Pequannock
Charles J. Duffy
Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Wayne
Louise Ann Freeman
Our Lady of Good Counsel Parish, Pompton Plains
Montana Stabile
Dawn Solari
Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, Paterson
Thierry Desiree
Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Sparta
Randi Platt
Our Lady of the Mountain Parish, Long Valley
Kelly Ochimann
Our Lady of the Valley Parish, Wayne
Meral Toturgal
Our Lady of Victories Parish, Paterson
Julio Mancilla Jr.
Sacred Heart Parish, Clifton
Miriam Vargas
Sacred Heart Parish, Rockaway
Sebastian Mazo
Diane Fox
Jason Pinales
Sacred Heart/Holy Rosary Parish, Dover
Ariella Moran
St. Anthony Parish, Hawthorne
Danielle Iacobelli
Erica Rosenblatt
St. Anthony Parish, Paterson
Amarilis Lemus
David Cervantes
Minerva Mendoza
Emely Cervante
Rafaela Hilares Ramos
Omar Hilares Ramos
Camila Pena
Michelle Rosario
Michael Rosario
Geraldo Rosario
Scarlett Lopez
St. Cecilia Parish, Rockaway
TJ (Tyler Joseph) Gordimer
Charles Linnell
Sara Stevenson
Ss. Cyril & Methodius Parish, Clifton
Kenya Mata
George Terry & Diego Fuenzalida
Kenneth Jun Ong
Gabriel Casas
Anthony Valencia
Shayla Saquicela
Jayden Saquicela
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Clifton
Jordan Hernandez
Stephanie Perez
Troy Stashi
Roberto Pena
Yennifer Rodriguez
St. Gerard Majella Parish, Paterson
Angel Rivera
St. Jude Parish, Hopatcong
Ronald Portz
Timmiko King
St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish, Chester
Molly Florio
Sonia Velasquez
Jose Mata
St. Margaret of Scotland Parish, Morristown
Favian Fernandez
Angelina Aedo
Lucabech Elvin Ramires
Dilsy Gamez
Edward Marquez
St. Mary's Assumption Parish, Passaic
Christian Martinez
Jesus Salas
Santos Vargas
Joshua Tavarez
Kevin Alexander Tavarez
Jose Jaret Godines
St. Mary’s Parish, Denville
Francesco Gencarelli
Rosaria Gencarelli
Michael Mingari
St. Patrick Parish, Clifton
Thomas Ko
Emily Villagran
St. Paul Parish, Clifton
Junior Cuevas
Winston Johnson
Kayla Schepf
Miguel Guzman Fernandez
Elan Monsanto
Daniel Mourjane
Jean Paul Mourjane
Angelique Olortigue
Alexander Ondash
Kiannah Villaplana
St. Paul Parish, Prospect Park
Juddy Murillo
Kevin Palacios
St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Parsippany
Brenda Liz Ramirez
Monserrat Gradeno
Emanuele Vinci
St. Simon the Apostle Parish, Green Pond
Michael Sylvester
St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, Oak Ridge
David McLaughlin
Zachary Smith
St. Vincent Martyr Parish, Madison
Svetlana Jones
William L. Munoz
Andrew Nguyen
Lenroy Samuels
Charles Shushansky
Dylan Stone