DIOCESAN NEWS
02/08/08
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Rite of Election returns to cathedral roots
      By JACKSON – The 2008 diocesan Rite of Election will be held Feb. 16-17 at the Cathedral of St. Peter the Apostle. To accommodate numbers three times have been scheduled – Saturday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 17, at 2 p.m., according to Mary Woodward, coordinator of the Rite of Election.
      The Rite of Election is a time for the diocesan church to gather around its bishop as a sign of unity. When the diocesan community gathers around its bishop it becomes intimately connected to the universal church in a profound way, said Woodward. Since the cathedral is the bishop’s home parish and the “mother church” of the diocese, the rite is ideally celebrated there.
      “We live in a state where the Catholic population is about 3 percent of the overall population. In having the Rite in the Cathedral we are connecting the catechumens and candidates with the diocesan church and ultimately, the universal Catholic Church in a concrete and spiritual way. It is a truly Catholic moment for those living in a very non-Catholic environment,” said Woodward.
      “This may be the only opportunity some of our Catholics, catechumens and candidates will have to visit the diocesan ‘mother church.’ It could be seen as a pilgrimage.
      “Celebrating the rite with the bishop in the cathedral is a unique moment in the life of a person. It is an opportunity to be part of something larger than one’s own parish experience,” Woodward added.
      “Bishop Latino travels many miles throughout the diocese for parish celebrations such as confirmations, anniversaries, dedications of altars, installations of pastors, and so on. These are wonderful parish celebrations that are part of the spiritual life of our diocese. The Rite of Election, however, is a diocesan celebration and preferably should be celebrated as a diocesan community with the bishop in the cathedral,” she concluded.
      The rite is part of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). During the rite, catechumens – those who have not been baptized – are presented by their godparents to the bishop. The godparent gives testimony that the catechumen has, “with deliberate will and enlightened faith,” the intention to receive the sacraments of the church.
      Catechumens and godparents will state this resolve publicly during the rite. After their “election” or enrollment of names, catechumens are now called the elect. Their names will be kept in the Book of the Elect in the cathedral until Easter when they will receive the sacraments of initiation – baptism, confirmation and Eucharist in their respective parishes.
      Currently in the Jackson diocese the Rite of Calling to Continuing Conversion is also part of the Rite of Election. This rite is for those who have been baptized in another Christian denomination and are seeking to be received fully into the Catholic Church. “Candidate” is the term used for these individuals.
      “We look forward to three uplifting and meaningful ceremonies,” Woodward said.

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