Develop a friendship with Christ Jesus, Bishop Wester urges during Rite of Election

Friday, Mar. 06, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY — Each year during Lent, those who are preparing to enter the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Salt Lake City celebrate the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, during which the bishop publicly acknowledges God’s work in them, and names them as members of the Order of the Elect (candidates for baptism and full communion). During the ceremony, the catechumens inscribe their names in the Book of the Elect. They now will complete their preparations for the sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist, which they will receive at the Easter Vigil. The candidates for full reception, because they have already been baptized, prepare to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation and, at the vigil, will make a profession of faith, be confirmed, and receive the Eucharist.

This year, 257 catechumens and 142 candidates in the diocese are preparing to enter the Church at Easter, said Ruth Dillon, director of the Office of Liturgy.

The diocese celebrated the Rite of Election three times to accommodate all those who participated; the celebrations were on Feb. 21 and Feb. 28. The Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, presided at the ceremonies, which were celebrated in the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

During these 40 days of Lent, all Catholics and those asking to enter the Church are preparing to celebrate the risen Christ at Easter, Bishop Wester said during his comments at the celebrations, and “one of the best ways to do this is to get to know the Good Shepherd better.”

Toward this end, he suggested that the catechumens and candidates follow Jesus’ example and make time to pray.

“We are called to make that quiet time, this Lent and always, to listen to Christ in our lives,” the bishop said. “God speaks in that tiny whispering sound, and we’re not going to hear it if we’re always talking or if we’re constantly surrounded by noise.”

Examining relationships with friends and family is also a way to prepare for Easter, because Jesus speaks through them, Bishop Wester said.

In addition, “as we pray and deepen our relationships, we’re called to have a special relationship with the poor, with the needy and the vulnerable,” just as Jesus did, the bishop said. “There’s lots of poverty in our world; we too are poor. We must put our faith into action; not just praying about it but doing it. We must be able to combine the monastery with the workplace. In short, we are called to surrender ourselves to Christ, to deepen our relationship with him in prayer, through our loved ones, and in the poor. Then we truly rejoice that Jesus has risen from the dead.”