“They get to experience the excitement… and they get to hear about what’s awaiting them as Christians.”
Becoming fully initiated into the Catholic Church is a beautiful process marked by formation as well as special liturgical celebrations, including the Rite of Election. Those who will be receiving sacraments at the Easter Vigil anticipate this rite, which will be taking place next month. More than 2,000 catechumens are expected to attend.
“[The community is] essentially declaring in that moment, ‘We welcome you. We await you being able to enter the Church and we send you forward to the bishop with our love and blessing,’” shared Alyssa Yingling, coordinator of the Office of Worship for the Diocese of Phoenix.
Bishop Dolan will hold four Rites of Election throughout the diocese in March, welcoming catechumens personally as the chief shepherd and giving them some orientation to the larger Christian community and Catholic Church as a whole.
As we head into Rite of Election season, The Bishop’s Hour hosts Jennifer Ellis and Joyce Coronel are joined by Yingling on a special segment to discuss all the details.
To listen to the full episode, click here. (Rite of Election segment begins at 34:00)
