If you have new Catholics joining the Church this Easter look for these rites this weekend

 

Rites of Sending and Election

RITE OF SENDING

The rite of sending is a parish celebration that sends catechumens to the Rite of Election.  At the Rite of Election, on the First Sunday of Lent, the church names the catechumens to be baptized at Easter.

The church must verify the readiness of the catechumens.  We do not baptize based only on their desire. "There should be a deliberation prior to [the Rite of Election] to decide on the catechumen's suitableness."  This is carried out by those who help form the catechumens, by godparents, and members of the community (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults 122).

RITE OF ELECTION

ENLIGHTENMENT: The period of Lent during which the elect are involved in the final stage of preparation for celebrating the rites of initiation. (may also be called illumination and purification).

ELECTION: The process of selecting those catechumens who are considered ready to take part in the next celebration of the sacraments of initiation. The celebration of the Rite of Election takes place the first Sunday of Lent. The bishop declares in the name of the church that particular catechumens are ready and chosen for the sacraments at Easter. The Book of the Elect is presented to the bishop at this celebration.

ELECT: Catechumens who have been found ready by the community of faith to take part in the next celebration of the sacraments of initiation.

BOOK OF THE ELECT: The book the Catechumens for election are to sign at the Rite of Sending in their parish, this book is presented to the bishop at the Rite of Election on the first Sunday of Lent, from there they are ‘elected’ to partake of the Easter sacraments.

ENROLLMENT: The rite of inscribing into the Book of the Elect the names of those catechumens to be elected to take part in the next celebration of the sacraments of initiation.(usually done at the Rite of Sending in the parish, or can be done at the Rite of Election in some diocese.)