What is the Rite of Election, anyway?

Early in the Lenten season each year, a ceremony takes place at the Cathedral of St. Mary in Fargo for those in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process seeking full communion with the Catholic Church.

This combined celebration includes the Rite of Election of Catechumens and the Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates. The celebration is about more than giving catechumens (unbaptized who will receive Baptism, Confirmation, and First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil) and candidates (baptized who will receive Confirmation and/or First Eucharist at the Easter Vigil) a chance to meet the bishop. For both catechumens and candidates, this day signifies a transition in their preparation to receive the sacraments.

The reason for the Rite of Election specifically is given to us in the introduction to the rite itself: “Thus the Church makes its ‘election,’ that is, the choice and admission of those catechumens who have the dispositions that make them fit to take part, at the next major celebration, in the sacraments of initiation” (119).

“From an RCIA standpoint, they’ve been going through this process of the systematic presentation of the faith and at the Rite of the Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, it’s the decision saying, ‘I want to become Catholic,’” said Brad Gray, Director of Marriage and Family Life for the Diocese of Fargo and RCIA instructor at the Cathedral of St. Mary.
“It’s a decision on their end, and it’s a decision of the Church that they are ready to go forward. Meeting the Bishop is an outward sign that the Church formally recognizes their desire for full communion in the Catholic Church,” said Mary Hanbury, Director of Catechesis for the Diocese of Fargo and RCIA instructor at the Cathedral of St. Mary.

During Lent, which focuses on the need for ongoing conversion, the elect and candidates join with Catholics throughout the world in seeking to deepen their faith, grow in holiness, and strengthen their relationships with God and neighbor. Their final time of preparation can be an inspiration for Catholics who, though routine, may lose sight of what they receive at Mass.

“Every single reception of the Holy Communion is enough to make us a saint,” said Gray. “The reason we don’t is because we only receive so much as we’re disposed to receive. This is a time when catechumens communicate to Catholics how we should be preparing to receive the Eucharist. Because we receive the Eucharist every week or every day, there can be a tendency for us, spiritually speaking, to forget the significance, the grandness, of the Eucharist.”

Every Baptized person, even those baptized as infants, was “elected” by God for Baptism. It is a gift that God has chosen us. Let us continue to pray for all those preparing to receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil on April 3.