They arrived at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington last weekend after months, even years, of soul-searching and prayer – each journey different but all moving toward a shared spiritual home.
Packing the mother church of the Arlington Diocese Feb. 13 and 14, nearly 700 individuals participated in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, a ceremony marking the final period of preparation for catechumens and candidates before they enter fully into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. Catechumens, who are not baptized, will receive the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist; candidates will receive Eucharist and confirmation.
Becoming a wife and mother led candidate Wilmarie Clark, who was raised Catholic, on the path to confirmation.
“I wanted to be a role model to my children,” said Clark prior to the Saturday evening ceremony. “My spirit decided for God.”
During the Feb. 13 homily (the Rite of Election takes place within the Liturgy of the Word outside of Mass), Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde said that God waits patiently to fill all hearts, but that each person must actively accept His love.
He shared a story of an artist who painted an old man knocking at a door without a doorknob. Told that his painting was flawed, the artist responded that the door was a symbol of the human heart, and the man knocking was Jesus.
“There is no doorknob because the human heart can only be opened from the inside,” said Bishop Loverde.
The catechumens and candidates have “heard the Lord Jesus knocking at the door of their hearts,” he said. Strengthened by His grace, they opened the door in welcome.
The bishop reminded all present, from the non-baptized to the lifelong Catholic, that the Lord does “not come to our hearts only once, or even just several times. He comes literally every day, seeking to be more fully present in the innermost part.”
Following the homily, the catechumens were presented to the bishop by Father Paul F. deLadurantaye, diocesan secretary for religious education and sacred liturgy. Bishop Loverde asked the godparents a series of questions about the catechumens’ readiness to be received into the church and asked if the congregation was prepared to support them with prayer and affection.
“We are,” responded the assembly.
Bishop Loverde invited the catechumens to speak on their own behalf. “Do you wish to enter fully into the life of the church through the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist?”
“We do,” they answered.
Parish representatives then stood in front of the altar, each carrying a Book of the Elect to be signed by the bishop and kept on display at their respective churches during Lent. Twenty-one parishes were represented Saturday, 19 on Sunday.
The book is a “sign of the catechumens’ intentions to be fully initiated and of the church’s recognition and acceptance of Gods’ grace at work” in their lives, said Father deLadurantaye in an interview prior to the Feb. 13 ceremony.
After declaring the catechumens “members of the elect,” the bishop invited godparents to place a hand on the catechumens shoulder as “Chosen by God” was sung.
A similar pattern was followed during the Call to Continuing Conversion.
For Clark and her sponsor, Teresa Ratledge, it was an emotional evening, with Rattledge at one point leaning over to give Clark a tight squeeze.
Godparents and sponsors play a critical role in the faith life of catechumens and candidates, said Father deLadurantaye. They show “how to practice the Gospel in their personal and social life,” and they offer support “in moments of doubt or hesitancy.”
Wilmarie said the ceremony was “awesome” and proof that “the Catholic faith is alive and well.”
Her joy spilled over into her prayers for others.
“For all of those (who) may be feeling the tug, a call from the heart – come home,” she said.
