Rite of Election testifies Catechumens, Candidates are ready

Bishop Peter F. Christensen greets a family of Candidates at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

By Emily Woodham

Staff Writer

BOISE — More young adults and families with young children are entering the Catholic Church this year than in previous years, Bishop Peter F. Christensen noted during the Rite of Election on Feb. 19 at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in Boise. Hundreds of Catechumens and Candidates are entering the Church this year in the Diocese of Boise.

Catechumens are those entering the Catholic Church who have not had a Christian baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity. Candidates are those entering the Church who have had a Trinitarian baptism. Most individuals and families became Catholic through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) or the Order of Christian Initiation of Children (OCIC).

Bishop Peter greets a toddler and her family at the Rite of Election at the Cathedral. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

“This Rite of Election is not simply a ceremony,” Bishop Peter said in his homily at the Cathedral. “It is not merely another step in a program. It is a sacred moment in which God’s call and your response meet publicly. The Church testifies that you are ready. More importantly, you testify that you are ready — ready to continue this journey toward the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter.”

In the Rite of Election, Catechumens make a public declaration to the Bishop or his representative of their intent to be baptized. Their names are then recorded in the Book of the Elect, and they are from then on referred to as “the Elect.” Candidates declare their intention to be Confirmed in the Catholic Church and therefore to receive the other Sacraments of the Church.

“The Church calls you ‘Elect’ — those chosen,” he continued. “You are not chosen because you are perfect; not chosen because you have all the answers. Chosen because God has been at work in your hearts.”

Bishop Peter told the Elect to consider Isaiah 43:1, where God says to Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name: you are Mine.”

“God has called you by name,” the Bishop said. “Before you ever decided to inquire about the Catholic faith, before you attended your first OCIA session, before you even knew what this journey would require, God was already at work drawing you to Himself.”

In addressing the Candidates, Bishop Peter said that the Rite is a powerful affirmation and a response to a grace that began on the day of their baptism. “Through prayer, study and discernment, you have heard the Lord calling you more deeply into full communion with His Church.”

The “call and response stories” in the Gospels change lives each time, he explained. “Jesus says to the Apostles, ‘Follow me,’ and they leave their nets (Mt 4:19-20). He calls Zacchaeus down from the tree (Lk 19:1-10). He calls Lazarus from the tomb (Jn 11:43-44). That is happening here: Jesus is calling you, and you are responding.”

Bishop Peter signs the Book of the Elect for St. Paul's Student Center at Boise State during the Rite of Election at the Cathedral. (ICR photo/Emily Woodham)

Answering the call is more than receiving the Sacraments. “It is about becoming saints,” he said. “The journey ahead — especially these coming weeks of Lent will not simply be about learning more prayers or memorizing teachings. It will be about conversion, about allowing Christ to examine your heart. It is about trust and surrender.”

The next stage for the Elect and Candidates is the Period of Purification and Enlightenment, Bishop Peter explained. “It is a time of purification because God gently reveals in us what needs healing. It is a time of enlightenment because Christ, who is the

Light of the World, desires to shine fully in your heart. This is not a test you must pass. It is a relationship you are deepening.”

However, those entering the Church do not walk alone, he said. Sponsors, parish communities and the saints in heaven support and intercede for each person. Those choosing the Church are choosing a path that is contrary to the world, which is often full of doubt, cynicism and forgets what love truly is.

“What you are doing takes courage,” he said. “There may be challenges ahead. There may be misunderstandings from others. There will certainly be moments when the path of discipleship feels demanding. But remember: The One who calls you is faithful. As we hear in the Letter to the Philippians: ‘He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion’ (Ph 1:6).”

“The Church needs you. Your faith strengthens ours. Your courage renews ours. Your ‘yes’ reminds us of our own baptismal promises. You are not entering a museum of saints. You are entering a living Body — the Body of Christ — still growing, still striving, still becoming holy.”

“May these coming weeks be filled with grace,” he continued. “May your hearts remain open. May Christ deepen your trust. And may the Holy Spirit strengthen your resolve.”

The Rite of Election will continue through Lent in parishes of each deanery in the Diocese of Boise.