By Lois Rogers | Correspondent

On the First Sunday of Lent, Dean Lentz took a giant step toward honoring a promise he made 23 years ago.

Photo Gallery: Rite of Election 2018

It was then that he promised his future mother-in-law that he would become Catholic before he wed her daughter, Melissa. However, an overseas deployment with the Army got in the way. Then, weekend schedules of his law enforcement career kept him from committing to the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, the Church’s official process for preparing adults to enter the faith.

When he recently learned that St. Barnabas Parish, Bayville, offered RCIA on Wednesday nights, he was eager to fulfill his promise.

Lentz beamed Feb. 18 when his name was called during the Rite of Election held in St. Robert Bellarmine Co-Cathedral, Freehold, as he realized his desire to become Catholic was coming to fruition.

Lentz was among 185 catechumens from around the Diocese who gathered with their godparents, family members and parish ministers for the ceremony, presided over by Bishop David M. O’Connell, C.M. The catechumens will enter into full Communion with the Catholic Church, receiving the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist – at the Easter Vigil, which this year falls on March 31.

Called by Name

The Rite of Election is a significant milestone in the faith journeys of all men, women and youngsters who participate in RCIA. It is the occasion when they gather, along with their godparents, sponsors and family members, to publicly declare their intention before the bishop to become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church.

In his welcoming remarks, Bishop O’Connell declared the public witness of their intention to do so “one of the happiest days in the life of the bishop and pastors. It is a sign of hope. Our community looks forward to welcoming you into the Church and thanking you for accepting the Lord’s invitation to be born anew.”

In his homily, the Bishop drew from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, where the Lord God says, “Do not fear … I have called you by name, you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1)

The name focused on in the Rite of Election, he explained, is “that of Christian, Catholic Christian,” a name that means follower of Christ and carries a depth of meaning, purpose and identity.

“You have been called,” he said, assuring the catechumens to have no doubt or fear. “You have been chosen by God for that name. God has taken this initiative, and the Church surrounds you today with joy and love as a witness.”

“To be a Christian, to become Catholics and to be known by that name means something to you who are catechumens,” he said. “Catechumen is a Greek word … you know what it means? ‘One in whom the Word echoes.’ The Word of God. The Word made flesh in Jesus Christ.

“Your election today … God’s call and your acceptance – also means something to your godparents and sponsors. It means something to this community of faith who surrounds you … with their witness and prayers and support and to our local Church of the Diocese of Trenton.”

“You belong to Jesus Christ,” the Bishop said. “You have been elected, and you have been elected to be part of his Church. To be a Catholic, one of God’s chosen ones.”

“As good and as wonderful as your life has been up to now, your new name and new life in Christ signal that his ‘joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.’ … The time has come for you to tell, for you to show the world what that name truly means and who you really are.”

Inscribed In Faith

Following the homily, the Rite of Election ceremony continued with Stephen Bulvanoski, diocesan RCIA coordinator, presenting the catechumens to Bishop O’Connell.

“Most Reverend Bishop, Easter is drawing near, so the catechumens whom I now present to you are completing their period of preparation,” he said. “They have found their strength in God’s grace and support our community’s prayer and example. Now they ask that after the celebration of the Scrutinies, they be allowed to participate in the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist.”

Bishop O’Connell then addressed the godparents and the assembly, who affirmed that the catechumens were sufficiently prepared to be enrolled among the elect.

After the catechumens formally declared their wish to enter fully into the life of the Church through the Sacraments, their names were enrolled in the Book of the Elect. As a member of the parish RCIA team read the names aloud, another team member presented the Book of the Elect, which included their inscribed names. The Book of the Elect was signed by the catechumens earlier in the day in their own parishes during the Rite of Sending ceremonies.

Personal Journeys

After a time of sharing and picture taking with Bishop O’Connell, the new elect attended a reception in Father Dentici Hall.

Lentz spoke of the blessings that he had already received from the Church, most especially, the fact that his daughter, Sophia, had been baptized as an infant by then-Pope John Paul II during his overseas deployment. “You don’t get too many chances” to receive a blessing like that for a child, he said.

He said he was overjoyed to have embarked on this faith journey.

“I liked the step-by-step approach to everything and that from the beginning, it was easy to understand,” said Lentz, who added that he was looking forward to being with his wife, now 18-year-old daughter and son, Dean Jr., at the Easter Vigil.

Laura Gargiulo and Melissa Isaacs of St. Joseph Parish, Keyport, said they were profoundly moved by the support they had received from the RCIA team and parish. Isaacs said that when she moved to the area from Brooklyn more than five years ago, she was looking for a way to feel at home in her new surroundings. She found that in St. Joseph Parish.

“I made friends there. It felt so right,” Isaacs said, adding that the warm reception she received encouraged her to take the necessary steps to become a full member of the Church.

Gargiulo, who was happy to have her small daughter, Chiara, at her side during the reception, said RCIA was life-changing. The youngest of four sisters, all born five years apart, noted that she was the only one who hadn’t received her Sacraments.

“My mom was Jewish and my father was Catholic. We were allowed to decide what faith we wanted to practice,” she said, explaining that her sisters received their Sacraments. “It was always something I wanted to do.”

As an adult, Gargiulo said she felt called to “turn to the Lord.” In St. Joseph Parish, she found the encouragement she needed.

“I wanted to feel better,” she said. “I wanted to feel whole. I went to the classes, and I learned more about the faith. I’ve been down, but now, every day, I feel better. I thank the Lord every day. I have been growing closer to God and now, I am one step closer.”

“When RCIA is over, I definitely want to keep learning,” she said. “I want to keep going [to adult education classes]. I want to keep up to date with my faith.”