THE BISHOP'S CROZIER: The Rite of Election should inspire hope in all of us

By Bishop James R. Golka

On the first Sunday of Lent, I had the great blessing of celebrating the Rite of Election with those who are in the OCIA process from all of the parishes across the Diocese.

OCIA, formerly known as RCIA, is the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults and is for those who are seeking baptism and full communion with the Catholic Church. The Rite of Election is a pivotal moment in the OCIA process, as it begins the final stage of their preparation for the Easter sacraments.  As a bishop, this rite is one of my favorite events of the year.  

This year, we had 206 catechumens who are preparing for baptism and 159 candidates who are already baptized but are preparing to come into full communion with the Catholic Church by receiving confirmation and the Eucharist.  This is an impressive number of people from a diocese of 39 parishes! It is very moving for me to see how the Holy Spirit is bringing so many into the Church throughout the diocese. It is a very powerful moment when all of the catechumens are called forward by name and enroll their names into the Book of the Elect. This happens because, when they receive baptism at the Easter Vigil, they will become part of the Elect of God as described by St. John in the Book of Revelation: “After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: ‘Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.’” (Rv 7:9-10)

Then, seeing so many of the candidates who have already been baptized stand and express their desire for full communion in the Church filled me with even more joy. It was humbling as a bishop to be able to greet each one personally and to welcome them to this final preparation for their reception into the Catholic Church. I could see the joy on their faces, and I could sense the peace in their hearts. I became convinced that God had called each of these persons in a particular way — and they have responded with great faith and generous hearts. 

I am also filled with great gratitude for all of the people in the parishes, such as pastors, deacons, catechists and sponsors, who give so much of their time and of themselves to journey with these catechumens and candidates throughout the OCIA process. I know that this can be a long journey, and I am thankful for each one of you and your witness of faith.  You are truly fulfilling the command of Jesus at the Great Commission to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”  (Mt 28:19-20)

While most people did not witness this holy event, I wanted to share this with you to make you aware of how the Holy Spirit is continuing to work with great power in our diocese and to again remind us of our mission to evangelize through our word and witness.  As I wrote in my pastoral letter “Christ Our Hope,” “the fields are ripe for the harvest”, and “this is truly our Catholic moment and what the Church has been prepared for by the Holy Spirit — to bear witness to Jesus Christ as the answer to the ultimate meaning of life and to the pressing questions that modern men and women are asking.” I am certain that many of those catechumens and candidates at the Rite of Election were there because someone had witnessed Christ to them in some way that brought them to a deeper longing for Christ and the Church. 

The Rite of Election, and witnessing the desire for baptism by so many, is also a reminder of our own baptism. Even though many of us may have been baptized as infants, our baptism was the most important and consequential moment in our lives. At our baptism, not only were we freed from original sin, but we became a new creation in Christ, and we no longer live for ourselves but for Christ and his Church.  As St. Paul teaches us, “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.” (2 Cor 5:17) Our baptism makes us members of the mystical Body of Christ the Church, and we come to share in the mission of Christ as priest, prophet and king.  We also need to be aware that, even though our baptism was a one-time event, the grace of our baptism is always with us, especially in the theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity and the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit that help us to daily live our lives as missionary disciples of Christ. St. Paul VI powerfully sums up the wonder of our baptism when he teaches, “To be a Christian, to have received holy Baptism, must not be looked upon as something of negligible importance. It must be something which thrills the baptized person to the very core of his being. He must look upon it with the eyes of the Christians of the early Church, as an “illumination” which draws down upon his soul the life-giving radiance of divine truth, opens heaven to him, and sheds upon this mortal life that light which enables him to walk as a child of the light toward the vision of God, the wellspring of eternal happiness.” (Pope Paul VI, “Ecclesiam suam,” 39) 

So, as we continue to journey through the season of Lent, let us with great gratitude contemplate the grace of our baptism and how the Lord is calling us to be “servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor 4:1) Let us also keep in our prayers and support the catechumens (now called Elect) and candidates in our parishes as they prepare to receive the Easter sacraments.