A declared state of emergency due to an impending snowstorm Feb. 22 prompted the cancellation of the Diocese’s Rite of Election, which was to be held in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold.
PHOTO GALLERY: Rite of Election in St. Gregory the Great Church, Hamilton Square
PHOTO GALLERY: Rite of Election in our parishes
In announcing the cancellation, Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M., delegated pastors or parish priests to conduct the Rite of Election in modified form in local parishes at a time determined by the pastors. So, many of the 400 men, women and teens who were prepared to be with the Bishop in Freehold were instead welcomed in their local parish communities, marking a milestone in their journeys to full initiation in the Catholic Church.
“Many had anticipated gathering for this important celebration,” Bishop O’Connell said in a Feb. 21 email he sent to the pastors. “However, current travel conditions present safety concerns, and safety remains the primary consideration.”
In the homily he prepared for the Rite of Election, Bishop O’Connell asked the catechumens to reflect on a name “that now begins to shape your identity in a profound and lasting way: Christian … Catholic Christian.”
“To be called a Catholic Christian means you have discovered a light brighter than anything the world can offer — a light that pierces every darkness,” the Bishop said. “It is the light of Christ, the grace he pours into your life, the hope that strengthens you, the power that turns sin into forgiveness and death into life. Say his name. Believe in his name. And you will be saved.”
The Monitor is preparing special coverage on this year’s parish-led Rite of Election ceremonies and the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults process that is bringing hundreds of new individuals into the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Trenton. Check back on TrentonMonitor.com and look for the March issue of The Monitor Magazine.