Celebrating the Rite of Election
The Catholic Communications Network has efficiently compiled a report of the numbers attending a Rite of Election, held on either Saturday or Sunday of last weekend (1st of Lent) from each of the dioceses in England and Wales. Once again the numbers reveal a consistent response from people who have made an active choice to come into full communion within the Catholic Church, which also affirms and celebrates the process of welcome, accompaniment and formation which is obviously happening throughout the country.
It also reminds us that not all parishes are able to, or chose to, attend the central Rite of Election which means that the ‘numbers’ tallied each year are only a benchmark. They are also somewhat misleading due to the fact that we don’t see the distinction between catechumens and candidates. However, the implication of increasing totals each year can only be Good News.
Listening to the different ways in which the Rite of Election is celebrated led me to reflect on our experience here in Southwark. We begin planning the Rite in October, reflecting on scripture, music and liturgical art options. An invitation is sent to all parishes in January with a Registration form where the names of those catechumens and/or candidates expected to attend are recorded. As the Diocese is quite large we group the registration of parishes and attendees by area: South East, South West and Kent.
The Rite is held at St George’s Cathedral for everyone registered and is a collaborative effort between the parishes, the Chancery and the Auxiliary Bishops, the Cathedral staff, Liturgy & Music Committee, the Christian Education Centre and a wide variety of volunteers.
Because the Rite of Election is a liturgy unlike any other there is a vibrancy and chaos that brings its own joys and challenges. In the planning we remember this may be the first, and possibly only, time that many of those attending will have been in their metropolitan church. Several ‘Preview Evenings’ are held for RCIA co-ordinators, teams, catechumens and candidates in order to give them a sense of the liturgy and what to expect. We receive many positive comments about how helpful these evenings have been.
We use the Combined Rite #547-561 with Election for Catechumens and Call to Continuing Conversion of Candidates. A service booklet is prepared with the hymns, scripture references, prayers and responses. The Book of the Elect is symbolically located in the Baptistery and once the Catechumen has signed it they are seated with their Godparent in a group on and around the sanctuary. Candidates and their Sponsors are seated as a group in the central nave.
Just as the Book of the Gospels has been brought forward in procession and proclaimed, so too is the Book of the Elect. Three readers, representing the three areas, and the Auxiliary Bishop of that area take turns to proclaim the parish name and the person’s name: St Francis, Maidstone Sally Tracey, Robert Stillwell, etc …. It takes ages, but as each catechumen stands with his or her godparent the Cathedral comes alive. The presider then enters into dialogue with the godparents, the assembly and the catechumen. A joyful acclamation is sung to acknowledge the presentation and election of these catechumens and then we repeat the proclamation of parishes and people’s names as the candidates are presented.
The affirmation of the sponsors and assembly and then the Act of Recognition is a powerful witness of ongoing conversion and community support.
This year 88 parishes were represented giving the catechumens and candidates present a glimpse of Southwark’s boundaries while inviting them to see themselves as part of the wider Church.
As we move further into the stage of Purification and Enlightenment let us pray:
Father of love and power, it is your will to establish everything in Christ and to draw us into his all embracing love. Guide these chosen ones: strengthen them in their vocation, build them into the kingdom of your Son, and seal them with the Spirit of your promise. We ask this through Christ our Lord….Amen.
Rejoice All Who Are Chosen
This 3rd Sunday of Advent, Gaudete/Rejoice Sunday, we light the pink candle to deliberately mark the advent and approaching celebration of the Incarnation. For some this might symbolise how quickly the time is passing while counting the many tasks on the list which are to be done before Christmas. Advent reminds us that this is a time of preparation, of considering how quickly time does pass, and the many ways we could be ready for the coming of Christ. During this season we sing in the familiar hymn 'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.' Shall come to you, shall come to me, shall come for all. I rejoice each time I consider that our Lord chose to 'come', to manifest his love and trust in us, to marvel at and with humanity.
This Sunday we have also celebrated the Rite of Acceptance for our catechumens and the Rite of Welcome for our candidates. The RCIA team, liturgy committee and the parish priest prepared a leaflet based on the combined rite (found in the American publication of the Rite) #507-528. The prayers speak of joy and rejoicing, of preparation and the time spent in coming to know Christ more fully. They speak of how God has 'sought and summoned' them in many ways and acknowledges how in response the catechumens and candidates are seeking to know more about and are turning toward God. The assembly were asked if they were ready to help the catechumens and candidates 'follow Christ' and we answered 'We are.' Now that is really something worth adding to the task list.
Like the pink candle of Advent, this liturgy marks a stage in time within the journey that both catechumens and candidates are on in the company of our communities. In the Gospel this weekend we hear of others who were 'filled with expectation and were questioning in their hearts and who wanted to prepare themselves for the Messiah.' Lk 3:10-18 They ask John the Baptist 'What then should they do?' John speaks to them of charity, of acting justly and with integrity and to live faithfully as they prepare for baptism. Echoed in the Rites of Acceptance and Welcome the catechumens, candidates and assembly reflected on the how we are to listen to the Word, to come to know God, to love our neighbours, to gather for prayer and to participate in the service of others.
I thought this was a very appropriate time to celebrate this combined Rite which clearly resonated the Advent message of preparation, prayer and expectation. It is a time to rejoice for all who are chosen to follow Christ. 'Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to you, O Israel.'
Signs of the Times
The recent cultural campaigns asking questions about God’s existence, and whether or not that should matter to us – should matter to us!
You may have seen the bus campaign sponsored by R. Dawkins & friends ‘There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.’ Produced in opposition to the visual Christian messages found in the public domain, the comment seemed to suggest that worry was associated with God while enjoyment wasn’t.
But the statement has also engendered a healthy Christian response, with one local church displaying the sign ‘There is probably no bus; so why not come in and enjoy God.’ Another has used the modern text message of: OMG! adding ‘Learn to say it and mean it’…and I’ve seen www.lookingforGod.come! with an arrow pointing to the church nearby.
The latest Alpha promotion asked several questions including ‘Does God Exist?’ with the familiar method of expressing an opinion in tick boxes of: □Yes, □ No □ Probably.
I saw examples where people had indeed ‘ticked a box’; one was Yes and one was No. The No was on a large billboard, where the person had made a significant effort to climb up and make their mark in a bold lime green. The Yes was in one of the tunnels at London Bridge station, where hundreds of people could potentially see this affirmative sign. The fact that people were stimulated enough by the question to physically express their declaration of belief was very interesting.
It made me consider all those people who are searching, who are asking the same questions and who are coming to our RCIA groups to figure this out: Is there a God?, Does God exist?, What do I believe?, What does it mean to say Yes?, Could we ever be satisfied with .. & How do we respond to… a Probably?, Are we part of transcending a Probably into a Yes?
These larger questions go well beyond ‘What does it mean to be Catholic …..??’ but they are linked to the deepest and innermost questions an enquirer might ask. How do we, as those walking alongside listen, respect the curiosity within the questions…. and wait. The Rite #6 mentions the periods of the RCIA and the steps that are part of the process with 6.1 ‘The first step: where an enquirer reaches the point of initial conversion and wishes to become Christian.’ Until that conversion of heart and mind, we are there to show through our lives, words and actions, the Yes of God’s love.
That waiting may challenge us not to rush to tick our own boxes. Do we turn our RCIA time into an assessment: Have they done this? Do they meet our criteria? Are we trying to give them the big answers too soon? Paul addressed this in his letter to the Colossians 4:4-6 when he suggests that we ’Be tactful with those who are not Christians and be sure you make the best use of your time with them. Talk to them agreeably and with a flavour of wit, and try to fit your answers to the needs of each one.’
Public displays which demonstrate a Christian presence and invitation may be the trigger/ prompt for those who are searching and some groups invest significant funding to promote their option. A 2005 study by the Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics, and Public Life called ‘On the Way to Life’ pointed out that: “If the religious community seeks to evangelise the culture, it must also be aware that it is being evangelised by the culture.”
In the world, in our Catholic communities, and in our RCIA groups, our witness, sincerity and visible Yes may also animate someone’s quest to encounter Jesus Christ, who makes God known to all.