Rite of Election
San Francisco Archbishop George H. Niederauer presided at the Rite of Election March 1 at St. Mary's Cathedral with more than 1,200 people in attendance.
"We are expecting 198 catechumens, 66 candidates for reception into full Communion of the Catholic Church and 165 Catholic candidates seeking to complete their initiation through Eucharist and-or Confirmation," Patrick Vallez-Kelly, director of worship for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, told Catholic San Francisco in anticipation of the day. "They are coming from 55 parishes of the Archdiocese."
Through the Rite, the catechumens become Elect - those chosen by Archbishop Niederauer to be fully initiated - baptized, confirmed and brought into Holy Communion - at this year's Easter Vigil.
The candidates to be received into the Catholic Church are those who are already baptized through another Christian community and who will soon make a profession of faith, be confirmed and join the Catholic Church in Eucharist. "In Sunday's Rite they, along with their sponsors, are called by the Archbishop to continue their journey of faith and conversion, especially during this new Lenten season," Vallez-Kelly said. They may be received into the Church at the Easter Vigil or at another time soon, perhaps a Sunday of the Easter Season, he pointed out.
The Catholic candidates seeking to complete their initiation are generally adults who, for a variety of reasons, did not celebrate their first Holy Communion or were not confirmed as youth. They will be completing their Christian initiation at different times, but many of them at the celebration of Confirmation with Archbishop Niederauer on Pentecost Sunday, May 31, at the Cathedral.
In an opening prayer the Archbishop asked God to "protect those about to become your children and those already in your care."
From March 6, 2009 issue of Catholic San Francisco.
