PATERSON On the First Sunday of Lent, March 6, in dioceses around the world, the annual Rite of Election took place as catechumens moved a step closer to receiving Sacraments of Initiation — Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist — to become full members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 16.
The Diocese of Paterson welcomed 103 catechumens to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here where Bishop Kevin J. Sweeney selected — or elected — them. The Rite of Election formally sets the catechumen on the path toward full sacramental unity with the Church. These catechumens are now known as the elect. The Rite of Election ceremony was coordinated by Father Jared Brogan, diocesan director of the Office of Worship.
To welcome these catechumens at the start of the ceremony, Bishop Sweeney started by leading the applause for these individuals, who will officially become full-fledged members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. “We gather today on this First Sunday of Lent filled with joy because you are here, because you responded to the call of Jesus,” Bishop Sweeney told the catechumens. “As you are preparing and now so close to receiving the life of Jesus in Baptism, the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Confirmation and the Body and Blood of Our Lord in Holy Communion, we rejoice with you.”
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 by which new members prepare for the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist.
The children in the RCIA program will be baptized while some will also receive First Holy Communion. Adults in the process will receive all three Sacraments of Initiation. In addition, some adults who have already received Baptism but previously were not catechized, and who wish to complete their Christian initiation through the sacraments of Confirmation and/or Eucharist will receive these sacraments during the Easter Vigil and be received into full communion in the Catholic Church.
The Rite of Election belongs to the diocesan bishop because his presence makes a fuller manifestation of the Church. This ritual event marked by solemnity and the presence of the Bishop inserts the catechumens into the broader experience of the Church. The experience of the Rite of Election drives the catechumens beyond domestic Church and parish church into the identity of the diocesan Church.
In his homily, the Bishop asked the catechumens, “Why now? Why or how maybe, are you receiving the sacraments in 2022? God works in mysterious ways. Maybe it was through a spouse. Or maybe your children were asking. There are many different reasons. That mystery and beauty of God’s call in God’s time. You receive that call and you have answered that call and somehow in the plan of God you will receive the Easter sacraments in 2022,” the Bishop said.
The Bishop noted that the catechumens will be receiving First Communion during a special year in the Diocese — the Year of the Eucharist — and he also invited them to be a part of the Synod initiated by Pope Francis.
“When Jesus calls us,” the Bishop told them, “did they tell you that you will have to wash people’s feet (as Jesus did during the Last Supper)?,” which gained laughter from the congregation.
“Jesus gives us a mission as well. He doesn’t just say come and relax and hang out and sit back. I called you to send you out, and my dear sisters and brothers, you can help us. You already are. Something happened. There are so many of our sisters and brothers that received the gift of the faith that don’t appreciate that gift that Jesus gives us of himself at every Mass. Too many of our Catholic sisters and brothers don’t appreciate it and give different reasons that they don’t fulfill that commitment, that invitation at least once a week to come together as a family,” the Bishop told them.
Following the homily, the catechumens were presented to the Bishop and both the catechumens’ sponsors and the congregation made an official affirmation of the catechumens’ worthiness for reception of the Sacraments of Initiation. Then, recognition of the enrolled names was presented to the Bishop in the Book of Elect. The catechumens were then asked to stand as an act of admission or election to become the elect.
At the end of the Rite, 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. He also thanked the priests, religious sisters, and parish religious education directors for serving the Church.
After the Rite of Election, each parish was invited to meet the Bishop and take a photo with him.
The Bishop said, “We look forward to the day when we will share fully in the Lord’s Table.”
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Paterson
Kimornie Barnett
Jorge Burdier
Brian Cabrerra
Miriam Estevez
Jim Flores
Justine Flores
Sindi Garcia
Jocelyn Huaman
Jason Lebron
Gileobaldo Ortiz Mazariegos
Carlos Mejia
Miguel Mendoza
Christian Oquendo Soto
Jashlyn Trujillo
Assumption, Morristown
Don Imami
Blessed Sacrament, Paterson
Bryan Efren Castro
Holy Spirit, Pequannock
Rosemary Donnelly
Immaculate Heart of Mary, Wayne
Emily Cheatham
Notre Dame of Mt. Carmel, Cedar Knolls
Tricia Yeung
Our Lady of Good Counsel, Pompton Plains
Arlene Rivera
Our Lady of the Lake, Sparta
Natalie Stefano
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Passaic
Christian Benitez
Karen Gonzalez
Irma Tay Lee
Mia Melgarejo
Stephanie Ramos
Our Lady of the Mountain, Long Valley
Ayleen Ahumada
Christopher Johnson
Mason Pedraza
Seychelle Zavala
Our Lady Queen of Peace, West Milford
Tyler Edgar
Daniel MacIntyre
Holly Palcencio
St. Ann, Parsippany
Jennifer Blair
St. Anthony, Paterson
Maria Beltre
Daniel Gutierrez
Ian Guzman
Jeiren Guzman
Ryan Reyes
Ada Then
Dinesty Ulloa
Pilar Zapatel
St. Anthony, Hawthorne
Carmen Rodriguez
Evelyn Sanchez
St. Anthony, Passaic
Carmen Gonzales
Michel Grau Pujol
St. Cecilia, Rockaway
Daisy Kim
Mong T. Le
St. Gerard Majella, Paterson
Rosamy Perdomo
Rosa Solier
St. James of the Marches, Totowa
Anthony Calixto
Sabastian Irribarren
Julissa Marroquin
Chau Tran
Ayleen Zuniga
St. Joseph, Newton
Daniel Gonzalez
Mikayla Gonzalez
St. Joseph, West Milford
Diana Bakalian
Gabriella Vinin
St. Jude, Hopatcong
Amy Choi
St. Kateri Tekakwitha, Sparta
Patricia Houston
Nicole Mohr
St. Lawrence, Chester
Mohammad Chater
Julie Wilson
St. Luke, Long Valley
Marc Allen
Vincent Lally
Chris Leedy
Colin Orban
Stephen Smith
St. Margaret of Scotland, Morristown
Mauricio Martinez Guzman
St. Mary, Denville
Alexa Angster
Kelly Blake
St. Mary, Dover
Chris Hopping
St. Mary, Pompton Lakes
Rowen Zucker
St. Mary’s Abbey, Morristown
Christian Zebrowski
St. Mary Help of Christians, Paterson
Jair Caballero
Angelica Matos
Yamil Matos
Steve Portuguez
Gianella Salas
Izaac Schiantarelli
St. Patrick, Chatham
Henry Cannon
St. Paul, Prospect Park
Brian Ynfante
Shael Ynfante
St. Paul, Clifton
Monique Bejarano
Loja Casual
Vander B. Dauder
Yamaira Elizabeth
Angela Feliz Jimenez
Adrian Feliz Jimenez
Angelica Mariel Feliz Jimenez
Jeans Luis Lantigua
Jessica Evani Ortiz
Steven M. Peña
Evan A. Perez
Arianna Jandalis Rodriguez
St. Rose of Lima, East Hanover
Codi Nyland
St. Simon the Apostle, Green Pond
Gion Karaoglar
St. Vincent de Paul, Stirling
Drexel Grimes
Kathleen Ruiz
Willow Ruiz
St. Vincent Martyr, Madison
Danielle Gimian
Katie Yip