For the second consecutive year, record numbers gathered in the Diocese of Phoenix for the Rite of Election liturgies — an integral part of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) that is celebrated annually during the Lenten season — with some of the highest turnouts in the country. An estimated 1,600 candidates and catechumens, those who will come into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, were personally welcomed at the late-February and early-March liturgies as they enter the final stages of their preparation.
“More and more young adults are coming to participate in the sacraments and the ministry of our diocese,” said Bishop John Dolan. “It is amazing to see so many people coming into the Church and participating in the Rite of Election. It’s a very exciting time.”
Over the past two years, due to the vastness of the nearly 44,000-square-mile Diocese of Phoenix, Bishop Dolan has celebrated the liturgies in multiple locations for the opportunity to personally welcome more of the individuals who are entering the Catholic Church. Last year four liturgies were celebrated — this year there were five.
During the liturgy, representatives from each parish or community present a book to the celebrant which contains the names of the catechumens, those unbaptized who are preparing to come into full communion with the Church. The celebrant receives the book and signs his name before declaring the catechumens to be the elect of God.
The Rite of Election liturgies spanned three weekends and took place at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral in Phoenix (Feb. 22 and 23, celebrated by Bishop Dolan), Immaculate Conception in Cottonwood, Ariz., (Feb. 28, celebrated by Bishop Dolan), St. Thomas Aquinas in Avondale, Ariz., (March 1, celebrated by Auxiliary Bishop Peter Dai Bui), and St. Mary in Kingman, Ariz., (March 7, celebrated by Fr. Matt Lowry, Episcopal Vicar of the North).
Representatives from 83 of the diocese’s 94 parishes brought their OCIA groups to participate in the Rite of Election liturgies, and there were nearly 3,400 people in attendance across the liturgies. This participation increase of 16 parishes from last year alone comes with a recognizable growth in camaraderie among parishes and priests, noted Alyssa Yingling, manager of liturgical events and formation. She commented that several years ago only 30-35 parishes participated in the Rite of Election on a regular basis.
The estimated 1,600 candidates and catechumens in attendance, in addition to numerous others around the diocese, will receive the sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil on April 4.
“I really feel as though there is quite a movement within the body of Christ, the Church,” added Bishop Dolan.
