By Michael Gresham
The Texas Catholic
Over two weekends in February, hundreds of catechumens from parishes across the Diocese of Dallas gathered at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the Rite of Election, a pivotal step in their journey toward the Sacraments of Initiation in the Catholic Church.
Bishop Edward J. Burns presided over the celebrations Feb. 21 and 28, celebrating two liturgies each Saturday to accommodate the growing numbers. In total, four Rite of Election liturgies were held, and the cathedral was filled to capacity with catechumens and their sponsors at each liturgy. Family members and guests filled the cathedral’s Grand Salon, underscoring the scale of participation and support surrounding this year’s celebration.
The Diocese of Dallas reported 1,800 catechumens, unbaptized persons preparing to receive baptism, and 763 already baptized candidates seeking full communion with the Catholic Church this year.
The Rite of Election marks the moment when catechumens are formally recognized by the bishop and become known as “the Elect” as they enter the final period of preparation before receiving the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.
Across the diocese, more adults have been entering the Church each year, a pattern that ministry leaders say has been building for years.
“In general, the Church in the Diocese of Dallas continues to grow,” said Jeanne Marie Miles, director of the office of Worship for the Diocese of Dallas. “Numbers of those entering the Church, either through Christian Initiation of Adults or after having been baptized in another Christian church, continue to trend upwards, and have for many years.”
While some of the increase mirrors North Texas’ overall population growth, Miles said she believes there is more behind the rise.
“I think it also reflects a growing desire for authenticity and for faith — things that can only be truly found through a relationship with Jesus Christ in his Church,” she said.
A process, not a program
Miles emphasized that the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults, the process by which adults prepare for baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, is not simply a religious education course.
“Becoming Catholic through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist is not simply about the acquisition of information or the ability to ‘pass the Catholic test,’” Miles said.
Instead, she described it as a gradual transformation rooted in relationship.
“Christian initiation, at its heart, is the fostering of growth and development of the relationship between an individual and the Triune God through Jesus Christ as incarnated in his Church and expressed in a parish community,” Miles said. “A faith formation class may be one element of a person’s formation but is not by itself a substitute for the network of interpersonal relationships that are grown through participation in the life of a parish — relationships that lead to better knowledge of God and deeper relationship with him.”
That emphasis on relationship is why the Church understands Christian initiation as a journey rather than a program, she added.
“Conversion cannot be calendared. Transformation of a life cannot be squared off and finished up,” Miles said. “Indeed, we are all expected as Christians to continue to grow and mature in our faith until our death. We are never ‘done.’”
The Rite of Election is one of several required liturgical steps in the initiation process. Others include the Rite of Entrance into the Catechumenate, the Scrutinies celebrated during Lent, the Rite of Handing on of the Creed and of the Lord’s Prayer, and the celebration of the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Throughout the process, prayer and worship play a central role, Miles said.
“Prayer is the essential manner by which we form an individual relationship with God,” she explained. “Through prayer, we come to know Jesus Christ. When we know Jesus Christ, we want to be closer to him; we want to experience his love and grace in the sacraments.”
Although catechumens do not receive Communion until the Easter Vigil, they are encouraged to participate fully in the liturgy through prayer, singing, and listening to Scripture and the homily.
Lent and prayers
During Lent, the Scrutinies focus the parish community’s prayer on the Elect as they prepare spiritually for baptism.
“The Scrutinies are opportunities for the gathered community of the faithful to pray for the Elect as they prepare spiritually for their initiation,” Miles said. “We see around us every day the influence of evil in the world. The Scrutinies are opportunities to pray that evil remain far from those who are to be initiated and that the Holy Spirit come close to them and guide and protect them as they approach the altar of God.”
Godparents play a vital role in the initiation process, Miles said, representing the Church to the catechumen and the catechumen to the Church.
“They testify to the readiness of the person under their care for the sacraments of initiation and publicly declare that the catechumen has been growing in their relationship with God and with the parish community,” she explained.
Miles said the entire parish shares responsibility for welcoming new members.
“The Church teaches us that all the people of God are responsible for Christian initiation of new members,” she said, “not just the pastor, not just the faith formation director, but all of us.”
As parishes prepare to celebrate the Easter Vigil, when the Elect will receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist, Miles said the Easter season serves as a time for mystagogy, for reflecting on the sacraments of initiation celebrated at the vigil and “unpacking” them spiritually.
“Christian initiation is truly life-changing, and it can take time for all the ways in which we have become new creations to be realized,” she said. “The season of Easter is a first step in understanding and living into our baptismal call.”
Cutline for featured image: Catechumens from Good Shepherd Catholic Parish in Garland fold their hands in prayer while one of the members holds their Book of the Elect after the Rite of Election Mass on Feb. 21 at the National Shrine Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe. (BEN TORRES/Special Contributor)
