Thirteen aspiring Catholics affiliated with the United States Military celebrated the Rite of Election in the Nation’s Capital on Feb. 18, 2024, the first Sunday of Lent.
The Rite of Election is the penultimate milestone in a months-long process of catechetical instruction, prayer, spiritual practice, and liturgies for unbaptized adults committed to becoming Catholics. The ceremony, ordinarily held on the first Sunday of Lent, is the third of four rituals observed as part of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). In the OCIA, candidates study the faith, prayerfully discern their calling to Catholicism. After completing the Rite of Election, the Catechumens are called “the elect” while undertaking, throughout the remainder of Lent, a period of purification and enlightenment—the final, intense preparation for the reception at Easter of the sacraments of initiation—baptism, confirmation, and Holy Communion.
