People in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington who are preparing to enter into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter gathered on the First Sunday of Lent at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception to profess their willingness and desire to become full members of the Church.

“All of you chosen ones have your own unique heritage and stories, however the Spirit of the Lord had guided you to this moment,” Cardinal Wilton Gregory said. “Welcome. We welcome you from the heart. We honor your heritage and your stories. We rejoice that you have come to join us.”

Hundreds of catechumens and candidates from parishes and campus ministries throughout The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, along with their sponsors and family members – more than 2,000 people in all – attended the Feb. 18 Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion.

Catechumens are those who have not been baptized and are preparing to receive at Easter all three of the Catholic Church’s sacraments of initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist. Candidates are those who have already been baptized in the Catholic faith or who have been baptized in another Christian faith and who are preparing to receive the sacraments of Confirmation and Holy Eucharist.

Cardinal Gregory called the annual rite, which was conducted in both English and Spanish, “a very tremendous occasion for the Church in the (Roman Catholic) Archdiocese of Washington.”

“We gather with great enthusiasm, accompanying our brothers and sisters in the process of their conversion,” he said. “The one who has first loved us has chosen us all … He is the one who has invited us, so we are all welcome.”

This Easter, about 1,350 people in The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington will enter into full Communion with the Catholic Church. Because of the great number, the ceremony is being held on two successive Sundays. In addition to the Feb. 18 rite, a second Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion will be held Feb. 25.

Looking out over the congregation as he delivered his homily, Cardinal Gregory noted that “so many splendid people have come here in faith to enrich our faith.”

Celebrating the diversity of people seeking to enter fully into the Church, Cardinal Gregory urged the catechumens and candidates to “remember where you came from …  hold on to your heritage and make this family of faith richer by your presence.”

Stressing to the catechumens and candidates that “we are God’s sons and daughters through adoption,” the cardinal reminded them that it is “the Lord that has brought you to the fullness of life in Christ… We are all here because God first loved us and commanded us to love one another.”

During the Rite of Election and the Call to Continuing Conversion, parish and college campus ministry representatives read the names of each catechumen, who, with their godparents, entered the National Shrine sanctuary to greet the cardinal. After the greeting, they publicly confirmed their desire to enter into the Catholic faith.

Cardinal Gregory then declared the catechumens “to be members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil.” From that point until their reception into the Church, they are called the elect.

The cardinal’s declaration was greeted with a sustained applause from those at the National Shrine. Cardinal Gregory urged the elect to “be faithful … and strive courageously to reach the fullness of truth, which your election opens up before you.”

In a similar fashion, the candidates – those who are already baptized and are preparing for the additional sacraments of initiation – were also called to greet Cardinal Gregory.

He told them that “the Church recognizes your desire to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and to have a place at Christ’s Eucharistic table,” and urged them “to be faithful to your baptismal covenant.”

Praying over the elect and the candidates, Cardinal Gregory asked God to “guide these chosen ones, strengthen them in their vocation, build them into the kingdom of your Son and seal them with the Spirit of your promise.”

During the ceremony, prayers were also offered for “those who are far from the Lord” that they would “hear Christ’s call and join our community as brothers and sisters.”

Sara Blauvelt, the secretary for catechesis for The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington, said the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion is not just a formality.

“They (catechumens and candidates) have been on a journey of faith and now they have come to say, ‘I am ready to join the Catholic Church this Easter’,” Blauvelt said. “This is their first public declaration to their bishop who is their chief pastor.”

She stressed that the rite is not just important to those preparing to enter into the Church at Easter, but for all Catholics.

“Our family is growing – why wouldn’t we celebrate that? Today is a celebration that our family is getting bigger and it is getting richer through diversity,” she said. “This is an occasion of pure joy.”