By Joseph Younes
“By being baptised, or by being received into full communion with the Catholic Church, you are becoming part of a community.
“I want to thank you and congratulate you for the courage you have all shown in choosing to take this important step in your journey of faith.”
With these words on 22 February 2024, Perth Archbishop Timothy Costelloe SDB, welcomed 86 catechumens and 62 candidates from more than 30 parishes.
The Rite of Election 2024 Mass, held at St Mary’s Cathedral, Perth, is part of an ancient Catholic tradition where the catechumens, the unbaptised, and candidate, a person baptised in another Christian Church, are prepared to be received fully into the Catholic Church.
Archbishop Costelloe was joined for the celebration by Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton, now former Vicar General, the Very Rev Fr Peter Whitely, and now Claremont Parish Priest, Rev Fr Richard Rutkauskas.
The ritual symbolises a crucial step in the conversion of the catechumens and candidates, inscribing their names in the Book of Elect and the Book of Recognition, as they progress towards receiving the Sacraments of Initiation at the Easter Vigil.
Director of the Office of Christian Initiation and Centre for Liturgy, Dr Carmel Suart, expressed her gratitude and appreciation to all the catechumens and candidates.
“The ceremony was very uplifting. To see so many want to join the Catholic Church was very inspiring.
“Through the Bishop acting in God’s name, it was quite moving to witness the moment when the godparents and then the entire assembly testify to the readiness of the catechumens and candidates to move forward on their journey.
“Our catechumens come from all walks of life and bring unique experiences that have led them to desire full communion with the Catholic Church.
“It is also lovely to witness that our parishes open doors to invite people to come and see what faith offers. Our parishes are doing a great job because many of those who initially come and see, stay, and furthermore, want to belong,” she said.
In his homily, Archbishop Timothy Costelloe also told the candidates that “The call to baptism and the call to full communion in the Lord’s Church are precious gifts which the Lord wants to give you but they are gifts he offers not just for you but so that through you he might continue to offer the gift of faith to others.
“By being baptised, or by being received into full communion with the Catholic Church, you are becoming part of a community. This is one of the great benefits of the RCIA process because it focuses very much not simply on an individual’s journey to faith but on the fact that by becoming, or becoming more fully, a member of the Church you become a part of Christ’s body, a part of a people who are called to be the living presence of Jesus in the world today.”
For more information about becoming a Catholic, please visit: https://initiation.perthcatholic.org.au/
