Florida Catholic | Rite of Election

Rite of election begins final stage for Catholics to be

The rite is held on two dates in two locations because of the “dual see” designation of the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

PEGGY DEKEYSER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC PENSACOLA-TALLAHASSEE BUREAU EDITOR

Published: 02.22.08

PENSACOLA | They’ve been preparing for months, asking questions and soul-searching. On Feb. 10 and 17, they took one more step toward becoming full members of the Catholic Church at the Easter vigil in each of their parishes. Ninety-three catechumens and 190 candidates from 29 parishes, along with their sponsors, families and friends, filled the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart on Feb. 10 and the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More on Feb. 17 to participate in the Rite of Election.

In his homily, Bishop John H. Ricard, SSJ, referred to the Gospel for the first Sunday of Lent, the temptation of Jesus in the desert by the devil. “The traditions of Lent are very firmly rooted in the Scriptures, biblically based,” the bishop said as he enumerated the many instances in which time periods of 40 days or 40 years were used by God to purify his people, to give them an opportunity to repent and turn toward him. He encouraged the catechumens and candidates to likewise take advantage of the period of preparation as they approach the Easter sacraments.

“The devil began his temptation of Jesus by trying to convince him that it was OK, it was all right to give in. He tells Jesus that he has the power to turn stone into bread. We try to do the opposite all the time. We try to turn the stones of possessions, power, money, addictions, into the bread of love, of comfort, of solace, of relationship. … And in the end, when we finally approach the judgment seat of God and present our stony hearts to him, he will ask us when we have given bread to the poor, when we have given love, comfort, solace and relationship to those in need. And through the bread that came down from heaven, Jesus Christ, he will again soften our hearts with his love, his comfort, and his solace,” the bishop said.

As the catechumens were presented, parish by parish, to Bishop Ricard, their teachers and sponsors vouched for the seriousness with which they are undertaking this conversion. Catechumens are those who have not been baptized. At the Easter vigil, they will be baptized and confirmed and receive holy Communion for the first time. Representatives of each parish placed the names of the catechumens from their parish into the Book of the Elect, which was presented to the bishop.

After the introductions and witness by the sponsors, the bishop said a prayer over the catechumens, and invited the faithful present to participate in the final steps of the process and to support them in their faith journey. Then the sponsors placed their right hands on the right shoulders of the catechumens, now to be known as the elect, as prayers marked the end of that portion of the ceremony.

Following the rite of election, those who are candidates for reception and full communion in the Church were presented in a similar fashion. Again, sponsors and catechists witnessed to the care with which the candidates have been preparing. Candidates are those who have been validly baptized in a Christian faith, but who wish to complete their initiation into the Catholic faith. They may be people who came to Catholicism from another faith tradition, or they may have been baptized in a Catholic Church and for one reason or another, never completed their sacraments of initiation (baptism, holy Communion and confirmation).

Because the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee is a dual see, the rite of election was repeated in Tallahassee at the Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More Feb. 17.

Dual see?

The Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee is a “dual see” diocese. A diocese is an ecclesial jurisdiction in a geographic region that is led by a bishop. The “see” city is the center of governing of the diocese over which the bishop has jurisdiction. The Holy See is Rome, and the bishop of Rome is the pope. Because we enjoy the good fortune of having two such cities — Pensacola and Tallahassee — each year the bishop presides over the rite of election in both cities. Likewise, each year he celebrates some of the important liturgies of the year in each location.

In addition to the rite of election, which is celebrated in both see cities, the bishop typically divides his time during the Christmas and Easter seasons between the two cathedrals, celebrating the liturgies of the seasons with the people in the two far-flung see cities of the diocese. In addition, each year the jubilee marriage Mass and the Scout Mass are celebrated in both cities.

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Rite of election begins final stage for Catholics to be

Dual see?

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