During the Rite of Election, held Sunday, Feb. 21, at Sagrado Corazon Church, Bishop J. Mark Spalding welcomed catechumens from across the Diocese of Nashville to the phase of purification and enlightenment as they continue their journey to being received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass.
Eighty-four catechumens from parishes across the diocese attended the Rite of Election, said Joan Watson, director of the diocese’s Office of Faith Formation. Attendance was limited this year due to COVID-19 and the recent winter storm.
Catechumens are people entering the Church who have never been baptized. They will receive the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation, and communion – at the Easter Vigil Mass in their parishes.
People entering the Church who have already been baptized in another Christian denomination are called candidates. In most parishes, they will receive the other two sacraments of initiation at the Easter Vigil Mass.
Earlier in the day, the catechumens who are completing the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults signed the Book of the Elect at their parishes during a Rite of Sending. Each parish presented its Book of the Elect to the bishop during the Rite of Election, Watson explained.
