Rite of Election to be celebrated Feb. 22
July 29, 2019 at 12:37 p.m.
The Rite of Election, an ancient ceremony of public acceptance for those men and women journeying towards full acceptance in the Catholic Church, will be celebrated Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, will preside over the ceremony during which 163 men and women hailing from 52 parishes in the Diocese, will publicly profess their faith and desire to join the ranks of evangelists of the Gospel.
The Rite of Election, a joy-filled rite celebrated before sponsors, family, godparents and the broader community of believers, is held on the First Sunday of Lent. It marks an important milestone for these adults, known as catechumens, who wish to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, to be celebrated this year on April 4.
The Rite of Election stems from an ancient Christian practice wherein those preparing to be initiated into the Church, the catechumens, announce their intention at the start of the Lenten season. The “Election” refers to the covenant by God with his chosen people of Israel. The rite is the beginning of the final phase of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, or RCIA, the process through which adults become members of the Catholic Church.
During the Rite of Election, the Church affirms these men and women are prepared and worthy to be admitted into the faith, and their sponsors also testify to their worthiness and eligibility for admssion by the Bishop or his representative. At his acceptance, the catechumens are publically declared as “the elect.”
The rite also includes the official enrollment to the names of those requesting Baptism at the Easter Vigil; the candidates’ public request is coupled with the recording of their names in the Book of the Elect. Their signing of the Book, which occurs during the Rite of Sending, takes place in a separate parish ceremony prior to the Rite of Election.
Others who will be taking a significant step in the life of the Diocese have been baptized as Catholics or in other Christian faiths. These individuals, referred to as candidates for full communion in the Church, will make a profession of faith, be received into the Church and complete their Sacraments of Initiation with the reception of the Sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. The Diocese of Trenton has 499 such candidates, 128 who are non-Catholic and 371 who have been baptized as Catholics.
The Call to Continuing Conversion is a ceremony that may be celebrated in the RCIA candidates’ home parishes on the Sunday before or the First Sunday of Lent. During this ceremony, those already baptized as Christians are seeking full communion with the Church. They are called to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and Eucharist during the Easter Vigil.
St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral is located at 149 North Warren Street, Trenton.
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The Rite of Election, an ancient ceremony of public acceptance for those men and women journeying towards full acceptance in the Catholic Church, will be celebrated Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. in St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. Msgr. Thomas N. Gervasio, diocesan vicar general and moderator of the curia, will preside over the ceremony during which 163 men and women hailing from 52 parishes in the Diocese, will publicly profess their faith and desire to join the ranks of evangelists of the Gospel.
The Rite of Election, a joy-filled rite celebrated before sponsors, family, godparents and the broader community of believers, is held on the First Sunday of Lent. It marks an important milestone for these adults, known as catechumens, who wish to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil, to be celebrated this year on April 4.
The Rite of Election stems from an ancient Christian practice wherein those preparing to be initiated into the Church, the catechumens, announce their intention at the start of the Lenten season. The “Election” refers to the covenant by God with his chosen people of Israel. The rite is the beginning of the final phase of the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults, or RCIA, the process through which adults become members of the Catholic Church.
During the Rite of Election, the Church affirms these men and women are prepared and worthy to be admitted into the faith, and their sponsors also testify to their worthiness and eligibility for admssion by the Bishop or his representative. At his acceptance, the catechumens are publically declared as “the elect.”
The rite also includes the official enrollment to the names of those requesting Baptism at the Easter Vigil; the candidates’ public request is coupled with the recording of their names in the Book of the Elect. Their signing of the Book, which occurs during the Rite of Sending, takes place in a separate parish ceremony prior to the Rite of Election.
Others who will be taking a significant step in the life of the Diocese have been baptized as Catholics or in other Christian faiths. These individuals, referred to as candidates for full communion in the Church, will make a profession of faith, be received into the Church and complete their Sacraments of Initiation with the reception of the Sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. The Diocese of Trenton has 499 such candidates, 128 who are non-Catholic and 371 who have been baptized as Catholics.
The Call to Continuing Conversion is a ceremony that may be celebrated in the RCIA candidates’ home parishes on the Sunday before or the First Sunday of Lent. During this ceremony, those already baptized as Christians are seeking full communion with the Church. They are called to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation and Eucharist during the Easter Vigil.
St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral is located at 149 North Warren Street, Trenton.
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