The Rite of Election

The Rite of Election:  In the Archdiocese of Saint Louis, more than 450 people have been taking classes on the Catholic faith for much of the past year to prepare for receiving the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
This Rite has a rich history that dates back to the introduction of Gentiles to Christianity as the Church expanded from its Jewish roots. Its present form is part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) that was introduced in 1972, translated into English in 1974. The RCIA was made mandatory in the United States by the nation’s bishops in 1988.
Participants in the Rite of Election are unbaptized adults known as catechumens, which derives from a Greek word for “being instructed.”
Our parish has seven catechumens.
Also taking part in RCIA classes are candidates – people who have been baptized as Catholics or in another denomination but who have not been confirmed or received the Eucharist. They will enter full communion with the Church upon being confirmed and receiving their first Holy Communion at the Easter Vigil. Our parish has nine candidates.
The First Sunday of Lent is the day in which the Rite of Election takes place each year. Catechumens indicate their desire to join the Church by signing the Book of the Elect, giving them the title “members of the elect.” The word “election” in this case has nothing to do with politics; rather, it is a discernment that God is present in the life of the Catechumens and is inviting them into a fuller life of the sacraments.
The Celebration of the rite has two parts: a sending and a receiving. First, Catechumens are sent by their parishes. This is a public pronouncement that they are ready to enter a covenant relationship through participation in the sacramental life of the Church. This is done through their presentation to a bishop in a ceremony conducted at one or more parishes in a diocese. Those who are sent can then be received. The bishop of a diocese attends the Rite of Election, accepts the parish community’s judgment, receives the Catechumens and invites them to enter their names in the Book of the Elect. 
Our RCIA at St. Joseph Parish consists of Catechumens & Candidates from the USA, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Colombia and Venezuela. They participated in the Rite of Election on Feb. 18 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis with Archbishop Rozanski.
Catechumens from St. Joseph
Arielle Edwards, Juan Diego Contreras, Camila Valentina Contreras, Maria Camila Zambrano Caicedo, Susan Stephany Zambrano Caicedo, Kalianis Caridad Almaquer Mengana, and Jonathan Alvalado Jaimos.
Candidates from St. Joseph
Wilson Rodrigues Valbon, Dwight Stilley, Blake Zeloski, Dave McCartney, Andres Lozano Sanchez, Jose Cuicas, Jose Eduardo Gomez Licea, Valery Alejandra Caicedo Rodriguez, and Valentina Alatorre.

Greg Barker
Director of Intercultural Ministry, Adult Faith Formation, & Evangelization
 St. Louis Review Article!