OCIA team member Gerry Garles of St. Mary Parish in Fairfield, holds the Book of the Elect above her head during the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at St. Mary of the Visitation
By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
Simultaneous celebrations of the Rite of Election for catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion for candidates drew hundreds to Sacred Heart Cathedral in Davenport and St. Mary of the Visitation Church in Ottumwa Feb. 22. Bishop Dennis Walsh presided at the cathedral while Father Jason Crossen, vicar general, presided at a bilingual celebration in Ottumwa.
Overall, between the two sites and some Call to Continuing Conversion events in local parishes, there are around 125 catechumens and 170 candidates who are seeking full membership in the Catholic Church at this year’s Easter Vigil. The first group is made up of people joining the Church who have never been baptized. The second includes those who have been baptized in other Christian traditions.
Davenport
In Bishop Walsh’s homily, he referred to the 1999 film “The Matrix” that has become “a modern parable for spiritual life.”
In the movie, Neo is offered the choice of two pills: one blue, one red by mentor figure Morpheus. The blue pill allows Neo to return to his comfortable life — a world of illusions where he can remain asleep, untroubled by the truth. The red pill, however, offers the truth. It leads to the “desert of the real.” Morpheus warns Neo to “Remember, all I’m offering is the truth, nothing more.” Neo chooses the red pill. He chooses to wake up.
Today, Bishop Walsh said, “Catechumenates, as you gather in this cathedral, you are Neo standing before the choice. For months — perhaps years — you have felt something in your mind. A nagging sense that there is more to life than the material world, more to your identity than your job or your past. By coming here today to be ‘elected,’ you are essentially taking the red pill. You are choosing to wake up to the reality of God’s love, even if that reality leads you, as it led Jesus, into the desert.”
“Today we celebrate the Rite of Election,” the bishop continued. “This title is important. In our modern world, we usually think of ‘election’ as something we do — we go to the booth and cast a vote. We choose our leaders.”
“But in the Church, the Rite of Election is not about you choosing the Church. It is about God choosing you. You have been scrutinized by your catechists and godparents. You have been formed by the Word. But today, as your bishop, I act as the voice of the Church to declare that God has chosen you. From this moment until the Easter Vigil, you are no longer ‘catechumens,’ those being taught; you are ‘the elect,’ those who are chosen.”
Bishop Walsh pointed out that Lent is the final period of purification and enlightenment. “As you move toward the baptismal font, you may face doubts,” he said. “You may face temptation to take the ‘blue pill’ and return to a life of spiritual indifference. When those temptations come, look to the cross. Look to Christ who stood his ground in the wilderness so that you would never have to face yours alone. You are entering these 40 days not to prove how strong you are, but to discover how strong he is.”
“As your bishop, I say to you: Do not be afraid. The desert is real. The journey is long, but the destination is the resurrection. You have been called. You have been chosen. Now, let us walk together toward the dawn.”
Ottumwa
Father Crossen told the crowd in Ottumwa that he was honored to serve as the bishop’s delegate. “On behalf of Bishop Dennis Walsh, who at this very time is also celebrating the same as we are in Davenport, (I offer) you his thanks and gratitude to God for all of us gathered here today, recognizing God’s grace at work in the Church, at work in you.”
In his homily, Father Crossen said, “The collect, what is more commonly known as the opening prayer states that, ‘we look to God with mercy, to pray for your chosen ones, for compassionate and protecting help for those who are to be baptized and for those who are already baptized.’”
“Our lives are constantly in motion, even at rest our hearts beat and our lungs pump forth air. The breath of God gave the clay life and the motion of both the physical body and the spiritual soul are in constant movement.”
“All of you are here today as a part of that movement of body and soul,” Father Crossen said. “At some point you recognized the voice … the breath of God in you and your response has brought you here today. Relationships move us to respond and sometimes we make good choices and bad ones.”
He noted Adam and Eve made a bad choice. “They allow the whisper of a lie to lead them to believe they could hide from God and do as they choose to, without consequence. Yet, as soon as they commit the sin, they immediately realize that they are naked. Not just in the physical sense, they are naked without God, spiritually bereft.”
“Sometimes we learn to live without God and we think things are okay,” Father Crossen said, “but deep down, no matter how hard we try, there is something missing.”
“Today my brothers and sisters, as we renew our relationship with Jesus Christ, as the chosen elect are brought forth, let us pray that they may be cleansed and prepared to receive the holy garment of baptism.”
“For our brother and sisters in continuing conversion, grant that their thirst of the living God will grow and find satisfaction in the community and sacraments of the Church,” he petitioned.
“May our sponsors, godparents, catechists and all the faithful renew their devotion to serve Christ in helping the elect and those entering the call to continued conversion. May we be examples of Christ in faith, hope, and love to those entrusted to our care.”
Celebration of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion
Following the homilies, both the bishop and Father Crossen performed the same rites. The names of catechumens were read by a parish representative. After godparents and the assembly affirmation, the catechumens’ names were offered for enrollment. Parish representatives stood in the aisle and raised the Book of the Elect for all to see. The catechumens are now the elect.
For the Call to Continuing Conversion, names of the candidates were read. After affirmation by sponsors and the assembly, an act of recognition took place.
The elect were dismissed to reflect on the readings of the day. Mass continued for those remaining in the church.
Matt Bechtel, a member of the elect through Newman Catholic Student Center in Iowa City, said he liked hearing his name being called out loud and feels the support from the Iowa City community as he continues on his spiritual journey. He felt this was the right time to enter the Church.
Trisha Waterman of St. Alphonsus Parish in Mount Pleasant was among the attendees. She joined the Church in 2015 through St. Thomas More Parish in Coralville.
“This was beautiful,” she said, recalling her own journey into the Church.
Waterman was there as a sponsor for her friend Suzan Harrison. She is married to a Catholic and has attended St. Alphonsus for 10 years. A retreat for women at St. Alphonsus Parish in Mount Pleasant and St. Mary Parish in Fairfield led her to start the process of becoming Catholic. “I felt it was time.”
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