Candidates and catechumens from across Archdiocese of Detroit take part in annual Rite of Election at cathedral as Easter approaches

DETROIT — Candidates and catechumens took another step on the road to full initiation into the Roman Catholic Church this weekend, affirming their desire to join the Church this Easter at Rite of Election ceremonies at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Feb. 29 and March 1.

As directors of religious education from each parish in the Archdiocese of Detroit called out their names, catechumens who were about to be baptized enrolled their names into the Book of Life. Later, candidates who were to receive the sacraments of Communion and confirmation were called by a presiding bishop to continue their preparation to receive Jesus, body and soul, in the Eucharist.

“With you coming into the Eucharist, you are coming into the Church in a new and significant way,” Detroit Auxiliary Bishop Gerard W. Battersby told candidates and catechumens on Feb. 29. “St. Paul tell us in his letter to the Ephesians that it’s God’s plan to re-establish all creation in Christ.”

Bishop Battersby, along with Auxiliary Bishops Donald Hanchon, Robert Fisher, Arturo Cepeda and Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, each celebrated Rite of Election ceremonies, as 334 catechumens (those to be baptized), 333 candidates (those baptized in another faith but to receive the Eucharist and be confirmed), and 140 Catholic candidates (Catholics who haven’t been confirmed), prepare to enter the Church.

The Book of Life containing the names of all the catechumens who will enter the Church this Easter Vigil is presented to the congregation.

Bishop Battersby questioned each of the catechumens and candidates on their willingness to join the faith and accept the teachings of the Church.

“We are to become His Body and Blood,” Bishop Battersby explained. “In his letter to the Colossians, Paul makes an outrageous statement: ‘In my own flesh, I make up for what is lacking in Christ.’ Is there anything lacking in Christ? No. But in his Church, among his people, we need the transforming power of the Cross to do his work on earth.”

Kim Mei Sorter of St. Joseph Parish is set to receive the Eucharist and be confirmed at Easter after an urging from her fiancé, Ben Lovell, and Ben’s mother, Debbie Lovell, who is Sorter’s sponsor.

“She (Debbie) was the one who inspired me to come to St. Joe’s and see the Church and learn about the religion and what it meant to come closer to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit,” Sorter told Detroit Catholic. “Sharing the same faith (with my future husband) is a huge part of growing a strong and sturdy relationship; so when Ben and I have children, and we knew we both wanted to be Catholic to raise our kids.”

By receiving the Holy Spirit, each candidate and catechumen is called to preach the Word of God, just as the Apostles who emerged from the Upper Room, Bishop Battersby said.

The faithful extend their hands over those continuing their call to conversion as candidates for confirmation and Communion during the blessing as they remain resolute in their commitment to joining the Church at Easter.

“To pick up our cross and follow after Jesus, sometimes, people say things like, 'Jesus did it, so I don’t have to.' That’s a heresy. Jesus did it so you and I could follow him, so that our own suffering and struggles might join his,” Bishop Battersby said.

Living in the hope of Jesus’ resurrection, and seeing others live in that hope, drew Dylan Earls of St. Joseph Parish in Lake Orion to come into the Church after seeing the change in his father, Lenny, who was baptized last Easter.

“I feel a stronger connection now that we’re getting closer to Easter,” Earls said. “I’m reading the Bible more often, praying every day. Ever since my dad converted, his whole attitude on life has changed; he has become an inspiration and one of the strongest Catholics I know, and he hasn’t been a Catholic that long.”

As catechumens and candidates begin their Lenten journey, Bishop Battersby emphasized their decision to join the Church is a mission from Christ himself.

Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron addresses catechumens after they have signed their names in the Book of Life, marking their intention to join the Church this Easter.

“It’s our own choice to follow Jesus in answering the call Andrew and Peter answered, answering the call many men and women have come to know,” Bishop Battersby said. “What you are doing today at the cathedral matters. It matters to the Father. It matters to Jesus. It matters to the Holy Spirit. It matters to Mary and the saints. It matters to our Church, to the people who don’t know yet the love of Christ, who will encounter him. You are in the process of becoming living tabernacles as you allow yourself to be swept up in the mystery of Jesus Christ.”