BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY
It is always a blessing to hear and share the “Good News” of the Gospel. It is also a great privilege to be able to share good news about “The Good News.” With the renewal of the Church that began at the Second Vatican Council, we have re-captured an important part of the Church’s life and growth from the very beginning.
Through a process we have called the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (the RCIA), parish communities welcome adults (who are not Catholic or Christian) who are interested in becoming Catholic. After some initial contact, those adults who wish to become Catholic begin a process of catechesis and accompaniment. This process (during which they are called “catechumens”) usually lasts one to two years and leads to a time of final preparation, not only to be baptized but to be “fully initiated” into the Church. This initiation occurs when they receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Communion at the Easter Vigil. Many parishes also have a group of adult “candidates,” either who were baptized as infants or children but never received the Sacraments of Holy Communion or Confirmation or who were baptized in other Christian denominations and will become Catholic by being “received into full communion” with the Church.
The good news about “The Good News” that I am happy to share with you today concerns this RCIA process. At two gatherings this past weekend, this year’s catechumens and candidates gathered as part of their preparation to receive the “Easter Sacraments.” Both gatherings testify to the “good news” that our Diocesan Church is “alive” and growing. You can read more about these gatherings in The Beacon next week, but I would also like to share some personal reflections.
Although I was not able to personally attend the RCIA Retreat on Saturday, Feb. 26, at our St. Paul Inside the Walls Center for Evangelization. I was blessed to hear the “good news about The Good News” as Father Paul Manning, our vicar for Evangelization, and Father Yojaneider Garcia, the director of our Office of Catechesis, shared details of the day. They let me know that they hosted a maximum capacity crowd, with 250 catechumens, candidates, catechists, and RCIA coordinators from 33 different parishes. Parts of the day were conducted together, and parts were conducted in breakout sessions in Spanish and English.
As part of the RCIA process, on the First Sunday of Lent, parishes send catechumens to be presented to the Bishop. Their catechists and sponsors, who make the presentation, also testify to their readiness to enter the “final stage” of their preparation. In a ceremony called the “Rite of Election,” the Bishop receives that testimony and then asks the catechumens if they “wish to fully enter the life of the Church through the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist?” This last Sunday, 139 catechumens from nearly 50 of our faithful communities said, “Yes!” They represent just a portion of the total number, including the candidates for full communion, who will become full-fledged members of the Body of Christ this Easter!
It was wonderful for me, as Bishop, and I trust for all those in attendance, to hear each of the catechumens “called by name” as their names were entered in the Book of the Elect. It was also encouraging to hear the names of so many parishes that are welcoming these new members and accompanying them and their families on this journey of faith. We use the word “evangelization” to describe that “missionary” call that each of us receives by virtue of our own Baptism and which is expressed in Jesus’s words to His apostles before his Ascension:
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
Mt. 28: 19–20
The RCIA journey is one of the ways that we continue, as the Church, to be “missionary disciples.” We can share in the work of evangelization and share the Good News of the Gospel in many ways; welcoming new members is a very clear sign that we are continuing the mission and ministry of Jesus.
All of the members of these parishes who have Elect and Candidates will be invited to prayerfully support and accompany these new members as they complete their preparation and move closer to receiving the Sacraments at Easter. The Retreat Day and Rite of Election are not only opportunities for the Elect and Candidates to experience the support of the whole Diocese but also reminders to all the current members of the Church of our Diocese to pray for these new members at this time. In those parishes that do not have Elect or Candidates this year, it is still important for us to pray for those who will become a part of our Diocesan Church.
Finally, sharing this good news about “The Good News” can itself be a way of sharing in the work of evangelization. The more that we share this good news, the greater the chance that someone who has thought about becoming Catholic might decide that “now is the time.” It could also help someone who has never thought about becoming Catholic to think about it for the first time. I am very happy to share this good news with you. I hope and pray that you will share it with others.