480 prepare to enter local Church

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Catechumens sign the Book of the Elect during the March 8 Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at the Cathedral of the Madeleine.

SALT LAKE CITY — The 2025 Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion in the Diocese of Salt Lake City took place on March 8 at the Cathedral of the Madeleine

The 281 catechumens and 199 candidates from parishes and missions all over the diocese celebrated the rite, at which Bishop Oscar A. Solis presided. Concelebrating were Father Martin Diaz, the cathedral rector; and Father Tai Nguyen, pastor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish. Assisting were Deacon John Kranz, diocesan chancellor, and Deacon Guillermo Mendez. The music ministry was offered by The Madeleine Choir School choir and the Cathedral of the Madeleine high school choir.

A catechumen is a person who has never been baptized. A candidate is a person who has been baptized in another faith and is seeking full communion with the Church through the sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist, as well as those baptized Catholics needing these sacraments.

During the Rite of Election and Enrollment of Names, the catechumens were presented to the bishop. The godparents and catechists testified that the catechumens were sufficiently prepared to be enrolled among the Elect, and the catechumens affirmed their intention to undertake the Sacraments of Initiation. Afterward, Bishop Solis, speaking in English and Spanish, said that the rite “calls men, women and children from all over the diocese into a new relationship with the Church, with the catechumens indicating their readiness for the sacraments and  the candidates preparing to complete their Christian initiation at Easter.”

The catechumens then each signed his or her name in the Book of the Elect.

The Rite of the Call to Continuing Conversion is celebrated for adults who have been baptized but previously uncatechized and who wish to complete their Christian initiation and be received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

During this rite, the sponsors affirm that the candidates have prepared to fully share in the Church sacraments, and the bishop recognizes the desire of the candidates “to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and to have a place at Christ’s Eucharistic table.”

To the catechumens and candidates, the bishop said, “I am delighted to join you in this celebration of the final stages in preparation for the sacraments of your baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist. It is breathtaking to witness the work of the Holy Spirit bringing so many people to the Church.”

Bishop Solis stated that the rite was also an opportunity for the catechumens and candidates “to manifest your personal response to God’s call, and for that I thank you.”

The bishop also thanked the pastors, deacons, sponsors and religious education teachers for forming the catechumens and candidates in the Catholic faith, adding, “We are all called to profess and share our faith through the way we live.”

The catechumens and candidates have each responded “yes” to God’s call, and “your response means that you have chosen to enter the community of faith called the Catholic Church,” the bishop said, emphasizing that the ‘yes’ “must not be just a ‘yes’ of words but a sign of the conversion of your heart to the essence of a Christian life in order to become true disciples of Christ.”

During the celebration, Bishop Solis spoke briefly of the readings for that weekend’s Mass, pointing out that in the Gospel reading, Jesus called Saint Matthew and the tax collector then followed the Lord, “leading to a transformed life centered on God’s goodness,” which was a good lesson for the catechumens and candidates.

Lorena Needham, director of the diocesan Office of Worship, organized the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, which was celebrated twice on March 8, once for the parishes and missions in the Wasatch Deanery and once for those in all the other deaneries.

“It is amazing to think that every parish in the diocese has a core team of initiation catechists supporting the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults,” Needham said. “They are true missionary disciples. We are all called to share our faith.”