September 20, 2026 - Pastor Message
September 19, 2026ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS PART 2
ORDER OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
PART 2
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles…Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying favor with all the people. And every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:42-43, 46-47).
Continuing our reflection on the OCIA, the Order of Christian initiation of Adults, the normal way by which adults who are not Catholic enter into the Catholic Church, we look this week at the latter stages of that Order, understanding the word “order” here again as both an organized process and a group of people within the broader Church, in this case the Order of Catechumens, those who are learning the faith together on the road of initiation. While technically this term applies only to those who have not yet been baptized, in practice, most parishes include those adults who have been baptized but have not yet been fully initiated into the Catholic Church, commonly referred to as candidates.
The season of Lent marks a special time in the life of catechumens and candidates as they enter a more intense period of conversion and formation known as the period of Purification and Enlightenment. This begins with the Rite of Election or Enrollment of Names, which normally takes place in our diocese the first Sunday of Lent. This is the definitive declaration by those seeking initiation that they believe the faith in Christ they have been taught throughout the catechumenate, and they literally sign their name on the dotted line in the Book of the Elect. It is also a ritual by which the Church, represented by the bishop, accepts their act of faith and elects them to proceed to initiation at Easter, based on the testimony of their sponsors and catechists.
The season of Lent began as a time of penance and conversion meant to prepare catechumens for full admission into the life of Christ and his Church, rejecting sin and the empty promises of the world through prayer, fasting, and alms giving. In time, the Church recognized the value of such a time of spiritual exercise for all Christians, regardless of where we are on the journey to the kingdom, and so we have the modern season of Lent today, during which catechumens and candidates journey through the period of Purification and Enlightenment, and we journey with them through our acts of penance. The journey reaches its climax at the end of Lent, during the holiest time of year for us as Christians, the Sacred Triduum, which we will look at next weekend.
Fr. Marc Stockton
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