Catholic Transcript Online

A catechumen signs the book of the elect as Archbishop Henry J. Mansell and her sponsor look on. (Photo by Mary J. Tunison)

HARTFORD – Two hundred and seven catechumens and candidates, accompanied by their sponsors, gathered at the Cathedral of St. Joseph on Feb. 21 to be presented to Archbishop Henry J. Mansell during the annual Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion.

The celebration is held during Lent for those who are studying the Catholic faith during a period of preparation prior to being received into the Church at the Easter Vigil.

Catechumens are people who have never been baptized into any Christian church. Candidates have been baptized as Christians  (including as Roman Catholics) but have not received the sacraments of reconciliation or the Eucharist.

The ceremony is a milestone for them as they draw near the end of this one-year process of learning about their faith in a program known as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA).

Archbishop Mansell welcomed and thanked parishioners, family and friends for attending the ceremony. Pointing out the light shining through the cathedral‘s stained glass windows, he said each person is called to shine his or her own light of faith to the world. "Jesus is our light," he added. "He is at the heart of all we do."

He reminded the congregation that Lent is a time to slow down, reflect and extract noise from our lives so that God’s life can more fully radiate through us as we find our true identity in Christ and become rooted in the divine life.

The Lenten themes of Christ’s crucifixion, death and Resurrection were also highlighted in the Archbishop’s homily. "It is that which we celebrate as we come together recognizing the fundamentals of our lives, and that God is our ultimate destiny," he said.

Representatives of each of the 53 parishes that participated in the ceremony were called individually to the front of the cathedral. Each person was called by name, and each was individually welcomed by Archbishop Mansell.

The Book of the Elect, placed in the sanctuary, includes the names of those asking to enter fully into the life of the Church.

Archbishop Mansell addressed the catechumens, asking them to declare their intention to fully enter into the life of the Church through the sacraments of Baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist. They then came forward with their godparents and placed their names in the Book of the Elect.

Their signatures in the Book of the Elect serve as a sign of their willingness to prepare themselves for full incorporation into the Church.

After they signed the books, the Archbishop announced, "I now declare you to be members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil."

Maylene Nemdharie of St. Luke Parish in Hartford said becoming a Catholic means becoming like Jesus.

"I can do good things. God has a plan for me and I want to follow it. I feel very special and closer to my God. My Jesus is calling and I am answering. I am so ready for the holy Eucharist," she said.

The journey through the RCIA program helped Ms. Nemdharie find herself, she explained.

"It helped me decide how I want to live my life." She went on to say that when she attended Mass, she really didn’t understand much of what was going on. "Going to the RICA class makes me want to do the things even more because now I know the meaning behind the action. This program changed my entire life, seriously. My relationship with my family is now closer than ever."

Ms. Nemdharie is a native of Guyana whose mother died when she was 10. One of nine children, she came to America six years later. Although she didn’t know many fundamentals of the faith, she believed in God and knew God was there for her.

"Every time I would get in a bad situation I would pray, and my prayers were always answered," she said. "I was one of those people who always told myself that I didn’t need to go to church to have God in my life," she admitted. "Now, all that has changed. I want to show my God that I am sorry for not going to church and to serve him the way I should."

Ms. Nemdharie came away from the Rite of Election feeling closer to God. "It confirmed how special I am," she said. "I felt a step closer to God. I realized how much he loves me, and I just want to love him back. My heart is full of joy."