CV NEWS FEED // More than 650 people from the Archdiocese of San Francisco are preparing to enter full communion with the Catholic Church this Easter, following the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion earlier this month.
The Rite of Election took place March 9 at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, gathering 384 candidates and 269 catechumens from 57 parishes, according to the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
This milestone marks the final stage in the journey toward their full participation in the sacramental life of the Church.
The Rite of Election is a key part of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Through this process, catechumens — those who have never been baptized — commit to continued formation before receiving the sacraments of initiation: baptism, confirmation, and the Holy Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
Candidates who have already been baptized in another Christian tradition prepare to enter into full communion with the Church through confirmation and the Eucharist.
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During the liturgy, presided over by Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, catechumens signed their names in the Book of the Elect, a public declaration of their intent to become Catholic. The candidates, accompanied by their sponsors, reaffirmed their desire to enter into full communion, with their sponsors affirming their readiness for this next step.
In the coming weeks, the candidates will engage in intensified spiritual reflection known as the Period of Purification and Enlightenment, culminating at Easter Vigil Masses, when they will be fully initiated into the Catholic Church.
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