The first threshold rite of Catholic Adult Christian Initiation is the Rite of Acceptance (for the unbaptized) or the Rite of Welcoming (for those baptized in another Christian denomination). It is often celebrated as the combined Rite of Acceptance & Welcoming when both unbaptized and baptized are involved.
This rite marks the end of the Period of Evangelization and Inquiry and the beginning of the Catechumenate (for the unbaptized). The undertaking of this liturgy declares the catechumen's desire to learn more about the Catholic Faith and their intent to be baptized into our community of faith. The community, for their part, accepts them and promises to guide and support them on their journey of spiritual formation as they prepare for the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation.
For those who have been baptized and are seeking Confirmation and Eucharist, this rite acknowledges them as members of the Faithful by virtue of their Baptism. The community welcomes them as Candidates for Confirmation, and promises to guide and support them on their spiritual journey, too.
The Rite of Sending is celebrated before the Rite of Election. In this liturgy, the Catechumens and Candidates are brought before their faith community where their sponsors affirm their desire to join in full communion with the Church. The community then offers their blessing and prayers as they send the participants to go before the bishop in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion.
The Rite of Sending is being celebrated at this weekend's 5:30 Mass. In this rite, the unbaptized, known as Catechumens, are brought before the parish where their sponsors affirm their desire to join the Catholic Church. The parish faith community then offers their blessing and prayers as they send the participants to go before the bishop in the Rite of Election on the First Sunday of Lent. The Rite of Election marks the end of the Catechumenate and the beginning of the Period of Purification and Enlightenment, and the bishop acknowledges them as the “Elect of God” and gives them his blessing as they continue towards full initiation into the Church. Please pray for our Catechumen, Joshua Johnson, as he continues his journey towards the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at this year’s Easter Vigil.
The Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion is celebrated on the First Sunday of Lent at an area parish where the participants are presented to the bishop or an assisting bishop. In the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, there are approximately 1400 Catechumens and 800 Candidates that celebrate this rite each year.
Before this rite is celebrated, the participants are expected to have undergone a conversion with an understanding of Christian teaching that deepens a spirit of faith and charity.
In the Rite of Sending, the
priests, deacons, catechists, godparents, and the entire community should, after considering the matter carefully, arrive at a judgment about the participants’ formationand then offer their blessing and prayers as they send them to go before the bishop in the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion.
For the Catechumens (unbaptized) the Rite of Election is a gateway ritual that marks the end of the Catechumenate (period of instruction) and the beginning of the Period of Purification and Enlightenment (prayer and self-examination). The Church judges their state of readiness and decides whether their dispositions makes them fit to become disciples of Jesus, after which the bishop gives them his blessing to continue the process towards full initiation into the Church. From this point forward, the unbaptized initiates will be known as the Elect.
For the Candidates (those baptized in a non-Catholic Christian church) the Call to Continuing Conversion allows the bishop to greet them and to ask their sponsors to affirm them. Upon hearing this, the bishop invites the Candidates to join in full communion with the Church in a spirit of repentance and to hear the Lord's call to continuing conversion.
For both Catechumens and Candidates, this celebration marks a period of more intense preparation for the sacraments of initiation, during which they will be encouraged to follow Christ with a greater generosity. With deliberate will and an enlightened faith they must have the intention to receive the sacraments of the Church, a resolve they will express publicly in the actual celebration of the rite. After the rite, the bishop may sign the Book of the Elect, where the names of the Elect are written.
In the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, the Catechumens are brought forward to face the bishop and have their names called individually. The Candidates are seated separately and are recognized as a group. This separation indicates their differences: Catechumens are being judged as to their worthiness to become disciples of Christ; by virtue of their baptism, Candidates are already disciples of Christ – they are being called to continue their conversion.
The Penitential Rite is celebrated on the Second Sunday of Lent and is for the Candidates only. In this liturgy, the Candidates receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, by which they confess their sinfulness and contrition to Jesus in the person of the priest, and are joyfully reconciled to the Heart of God and into the arms of the Church. It is a preparation to receive the gifts of the Eucharist and the Seal of the Holy Spirit at the Easter Vigil, and, though it has an element of sorrow, the rite is primarily a joyful celebration, like the reconciliation of the prodigal son in Luke 15.
For the Elect, "the Scrutinies" are celebrated on the Third, Fourth and Fifth Sundays of Lent. There is one scrutiny for each sacrament the Elect seek: Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist. In gist, the Scrutinies are meditations on certain stories from the gospels which ask the Elect to look deeply into themselves and ask God to help and heal them as they prepare for the Easter Sacraments.
The Rite of Christian Initiation (itself) occurs at the Easter Vigil, which is the holiest and most solemn celebration of our Faith, because the core mystery of the Faith was revealed in the Resurrection, which the Vigil celebrates. At this great celebration, both the Elect and the Candidates are fully initiated. The Elect will receive all three of the Easter Sacraments, and the Candidates will receive those which they were lacking in their initiation.
After this, both the Elect and the Candidates are considered "Neophytes" for their first year in full communion with the Church, and enter a period of spiritual growth called "Mystagogia". Ongoing formation and community support should ideally be provided throughout this first year and period of growth, as the parish urges the neophytes to be active in ministries and the community.