People preparing to become full members of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in parishes across The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington participated in a key step in their faith journeys on Feb. 26. Hundreds of catechumens and candidates from 49 parishes and campus ministries were welcomed by Cardinal Wilton Gregory and with loud applause by their godparents, sponsors and other members of the local Catholic community during the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

This Easter, about 1,000 people in the archdiocese will come into full Communion with the Catholic Church.

As he personally welcomed the catechumens and candidates preparing to enter and participate fully in the sacramental life of the Catholic Church, Cardinal Gregory said, “The entire Church of Washington rejoices in your public declaration of your intention to receive the sacraments of initiation this Easter.”

The cardinal described the rite as a happy moment and a joyful celebration and told the catechumens and candidates that they offer a sign of hope for the local Church. “It is an annual moment when this wonder of the local Church – together with the universal Church – reaffirms ... our identity as a single community of faith.”

During the homily, Cardinal Gregory said the archdiocese rejoices in being such a diverse and growing family of believers that speak so many different languages, who follow so many different cultural and ethnic traditions, and include people of different races and ages.

“It is a blessing from God himself that we are such a diverse community and yet always united as one family of faith,” the cardinal said.

This rite itself, he said, heralds that gift of the Catholic Church’s unity as it begins the final stages of welcoming those who will become full members of the Church at the Easter Vigil.

“Our catechumens and candidates remind us that God calls each of us personally and individually and by name with the tender love of a father,” Cardinal Gregory said. He added, “We bless and praise God for you and for your desire to join us around the table of the Lord.”

The catechumens and candidates arrived at the basilica with their godparents, sponsors, parish priests, catechists, relatives and friends. 

During the Rite of Election, catechumens – those who have not yet been baptized – are accompanied by their godparents and they are recognized as the elect, as they prepare during the season of Lent to receive the sacraments of Baptism, Holy Communion and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil.

As that rite unfolded, the catechumens were called to the altar by name and presented to Cardinal Gregory. The cardinal asked their godparents and the entire assembly if the catechumens were ready to take this important step. He then asked them if they have the intention to participate in the sacraments and are willing to enter into the life of the Church.

Addressing the catechumens, the cardinal then said, “I now declare you members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil.” After the congregation applauded, Cardinal Gregory encouraged the elect to be faithful to their calling and strive with enthusiasm to embrace the full truth of the Catholic faith that is being opened before them.

During the Call to Continuing Conversion, candidates who have already been baptized are accompanied by their sponsors and recognized as their journey of faith during the Lenten season will culminate in them completing their Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil by being confirmed and receiving their First Communion.

The candidates, joined by their sponsors, were called forward in groups from their parishes and campus ministry programs, and they gathered together behind the altar. Cardinal Gregory welcomed the candidates who are seeking full communion in the Catholic Church and to complete their Sacraments of Initiation. After the congregation applauded the candidates, the cardinal asked their sponsors to continue to give support, advice, care and to be a role model for those being initiated.

The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) is a process by which men and women become full members of the Catholic Church. It provides a forum for shared spiritual growth and a means to explore the Catholic Christian tradition through Scripture, sacraments, Church teachings and social doctrine, all within the communities of faith at parishes and campus ministry programs. Formation includes several areas: Scripture, teaching, prayer, liturgy and mission. The process culminates in the reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil. 

“I pray that, in time and inspired by the Holy Spirit at work within you, you will come to understand the impact of the sacraments on life and appreciate them in a much deeper way. I pray that the same Holy Spirit will encourage you to bear witness to the light of Christ in the world,” Cardinal Gregory told the participants in the rite, who will be welcomed into a family of about 1.3 billion Catholics around the world. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington includes 667,00 Catholics in Washington, D.C., and the five surrounding counties in Maryland.

Some of those participating in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion shared the stories of their journeys of faith.

When Jairon Diaz was a child, he walked an hour to school in rural Honduras. He remembers not being able to make it to catechism classes twice a week. Even though he wanted to, it was not humanly impossible.

Now 19 years old and living in the Washington metropolitan area, he is completing his formation at St. Catherine Laboure Parish in Wheaton, Maryland, so he can be confirmed and receive his First Communion at the 2023 Easter Vigil. 

“Now I feel very happy, learning more about God and getting closer to Him,” said Diaz, one of 25 people from his parish who are preparing to become full members of the Catholic Church. “Now I have a greater commitment, I am making a change in my life, I am maturing,” he said, adding, “I feel welcome, I feel that the parishioners see me as part of their family.”

Luiz Carlos Da Silva, an immigrant from Brazil who was a member of an evangelical Christian faith, was married in the Catholic Church to his wife who is a practicing Catholic. He said that in the early years of their marriage, he became increasingly interested in becoming Catholic, and he eventually participated in the RCIA program at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart in Washington, showing his readiness to receive the sacraments and formally enter the Catholic Church.

Da Silva was among 89 people from the Shrine of the Sacred Heart who participated in the Feb. 26 rite at the National Shrine, 27 of whom were catechumens. That parish group included 40 minors like Anthony Chuga, who is 10 and has Salvadoran and Ecuadorian roots. 

He arrived accompanied by his parents, who explained that he did not receive the sacraments earlier because they thought it was better for the boy himself to make the decision. After two years of catechesis, he has now decided to be baptized and receive his First Communion during the Easter Vigil. “It will be an important moment because I will receive the body of Christ,” he said.

Salvadoran immigrant Alicia Ventura, who is 23,  said she took advantage of the last two years to grow spiritually at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart. “I feel welcome and blessed,” said the woman who has now been formally received into the Church and considers it important. “God is everything, and now I feel a greater commitment to Him,” she said.

Monica Zevallos, RCIA director at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart, said, “It’s a grace, a blessing from God that there are people coming into the Church in these numbers.”

COVID-19, she said, has not cooled the fervor at Sacred Heart. “We never stopped,” she said, referring to the parish’s evangelization efforts, which included offering religious formation programs online during the pandemic. 

Zevallos said the number of couples getting married at the Shrine of the Sacred Heart and the number of adults in the RCIA program there has increased this year. “People are responding, coming back to the parish, more in need of God,” she said. “…They are discovering the need to receive the sacraments and are taking steps to become fully incorporated into the Church.” 

After being formed in her parish, St. Gabriel in Washington, Catherine Cruz, 17, will receive the three Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil, Baptism, Communion and Confirmation. “I felt it was something I had to do,” the catechumen said before the Rite of Election. “Now I am happier, I feel free,” said the young Salvadoran.

At her side was her cousin Gabriela Cruz, 18, who is already baptized and who acknowledged that she was very happy to be presented to and welcomed by the Catholic community. “In the Catholic Church I feel accepted and happy. I have always believed in God, and now I feel that I am closer to Him,” she said.

Cruz, a candidate who will be confirmed and receive her First Communion at the Easter Vigil, said she plans to go to Mass every Sunday and go to Confession regularly. 

On March 5, The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington will have a second Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at the National Shrine, which will include the participation of catechumens and candidates from 44 other parishes.

That rite will be a highlight for Elsy Flores of St. John Baptist de La Salle Parish in Chillum, Maryland, because her five children are preparing to be baptized at the Easter Vigil. “It means a great achievement for the whole family,” she said.

The Salvadoran mother said she grew up Catholic and has all the sacraments and wants the same for her 6-month-old baby, her 8-year-old twins, and the older ones, ages 13 and 15. 

Four of her children have studied catechesis for a year, and in 2024 they will receive their First Communion.

Elsy's five children are part of a group of 10 catechumens and one candidate that St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish will bring to the March 5 rite.

(This article was written by Andrea Acosta, a reporter for El Pregonero, the Spanish-language newspaper of The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. She translated this article into English for the archdiocese’s Catholic Standard newspaper.)