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Happening ... in the Local Church
Rite of Election 2008
'A new beginning, and I can't wait'
 John
Smith, a catechumen of All Saints Parish, Logansport: “I used to feel so
empty, and now I feel, more and more, like my life is full of meaning.”
(Photos by Lisa Wilson-Cotillier) |
|
 Catechumens
and their godparents, families, friends and catechists gather at the
cathedral in Lafayette for the Feb. 10 celebration. |
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| Francis Robinson with his wife, Rita, son, Cody, and mother, Clare Robinson. Francis, Rita and Cody Robinson are members of St. Ambrose, Anderson. Clare Robinson is a member of St. Mary, Anderson. | Sponsors and catechumens from St. Lawrence Parish, Lafayette, (front right) stand during the rite. The catechumens will receive the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist) at Easter. |
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| Catechumens sign the Book of the Elect during the Rite of Election on Feb. 10. Signing their names are: above left, Suzzanne Johnson of St. Joan of Arc, Kokomo, and above right, Stephanie Nairne of Blessed Sacrament, West Lafayette. | |
 Bishop
William L. Higi greets catechumen Merry Hoover of St. Patrick Parish,
Kokomo, during the annual Rite of Election at the Cathedral of St. Mary
of the Immaculate Conception in Lafayette. |
|
By Lisa Wilson-Cotillier
The Catholic
Moment
LAFAYETTE — With godparents, family, friends and catechists, more than 100 catechumens from 31 parishes of the Local Church gathered at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Feb. 10. There they signed the Book of the Elect and met Bishop William L. Higi, who affirmed their readiness to enter into full communion with the Church through baptism, confirmation and Eucharist at Easter.
John Smith, 39, a catechumen from All Saints, Logansport, was among them.
“Throughout my life, I haven’t followed a faith at all,” he said. “About a year and a half ago, my marriage ended and my life entered a time of great confusion. I have two children, and I wanted to bring myself back to center. I knew that faith was the way to do that. Two very good friends, Dave Shepler and Andrew Miller (both parishioners at All Saints) knew I was going through a rough time, and suggested that I meet with Father Christopher Weldon. (Father Weldon is former associate pastor at All Saints. He is now associate pastor at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, Carmel). I met with him and found him to be very open and caring. He talked to me about the history of Catholicism. I began going to Mass every Sunday and began RCIA.”
Traveling the road toward becoming Catholic, Smith said, has led to changes in his life.
“Now my kids are excited about going to church, and I’ve had nothing but positive things happen,” Smith said. “At one point, I was having such a difficult time, and I remember Father Christopher telling me, ‘Never underestimate the power of prayer.’ Before that, I had never really prayed. Every night, I would get down on my knees at the foot of my bed and pray. I didn’t know how to pray, so I would just have a conversation with God. The changes that I began to see were amazing. I used to feel so empty, and now I feel, more and more, like my life is full of meaning. I am very excited about becoming Catholic, and I can’t wait to receive my first Holy Communion.”
“Conversion is a process,” Bishop Higi said in his homily. “You who are catechumens have been engaged in that process for some time already. I’ve been engaged in it for the better part of 75 years, and I’m not finished yet. Conversion is ongoing … because surrender to God is not a one-time reality.
“As you catechumens are enrolled among the elect, know that your journey of faith inspires the faith community you are joining. As you respond to the call to conversion to which God has called you, your response urges us to respond to our own call to conversion and holiness. As you intensify your preparation for the Easter sacraments, we will walk with you in our prayers and Lenten works.”
Smith said he is looking forward to his baptism at Easter.
“I’ve always wondered, ‘Am I going to go to heaven because I haven’t been baptized?’” he said. “That is something that has always haunted me. When I am baptized, all of my sins will be washed away. I don’t know how that’s going to feel, but I am eager for it. For me, it will literally be a new beginning, and I can’t wait.”
During the rite, the sponsors were asked to stand and affirm the preparation and intentions of their catechumens. The catechumens then were invited forward with their sponsors to sign the Book of the Elect and to greet Bishop Higi, beginning a period of intense preparation before they enter into the sacraments of initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist) at Easter.
“I now declare you to be members of the elect, to be initiated into the sacred mysteries at the next Easter Vigil,” Bishop Higi said before reciting a prayer over the elect and dismissing the congregation.
Francis Robinson, a life-long Catholic and member of St. Ambrose Church, Anderson, attended with his wife, Rita, a candidate, and his son, Cody, a catechumen.
A catechumen is an unbaptized person; a candidate is a baptized Christian preparing for full communion with the Catholic Church.
While their journey to the Church has been winding and varied, they all share a great sense of awe and peace as Easter nears.
“Many years ago I fell away from the Church,” Francis Robinson said. “When I was young, I went through a lot of changes in my life and made choices without realizing how they would affect me later. As I got older, I felt the need to come back to the Church and I realized how fulfilling it was. My mother was always very supportive, always telling me to go to Mass. My wife and I have been married for about 25 years now. It was closer to 20 years of marriage when I began going back to Mass. We wanted to renew our wedding vows for our anniversary, and I remember telling my wife that I wanted it to be in the Church. I couldn’t see myself doing it any other way.”
The couple renewed their wedding vows in the Church, and last year, his wife and son began RCIA.
“This is a dream come true for me,” Francis Robinson said. “I’ve been going to RCIA with my wife, and I am learning so much. I think one of the biggest mistakes that I made was leaving the Church. It is one thing to pay the price (of leaving the Church) for me, but it is another when my kids have to pay for it. And I see that now. So to see my wife and son entering the Church is very emotional for me. I can only pray that my daughter, who is 22 now, will do the same one day.”
Though she was often prompted by her husband and mother-in-law to attend Mass and to become Catholic, Rita Robinson said she knew she would only go “when I could be fully committed.”
“About a year or so ago, I decided it was time,” she said. “I started RCIA and I began to feel a lot different about myself. I feel like I’ve become a better person. It’s been wonderful, too, that my husband has been so supportive of us. He’s been there to answer any questions we might have. Everyone has been wonderful.
“I think it’s an awesome experience,” said 14-year-old Cody Robinson. “I feel like I’m somebody. And it feels great to know that after Easter I will be able to say that I’m Catholic. I can’t wait to be baptized, because I know that when I die, I will go to heaven to be with Jesus.”
The Local Church of Northcentral Indiana welcomes
ST. MARY, ALEXANDRIA
Brittany Clark
Opal Finan
Andrew Hall
Jessica Hoover
Jon Hoover
Tamara Humphries
ST. AMBROSE, ANDERSON
Jennifer Hagan
Cody Robinson
ST. MARY, ANDERSON
John Drennon
Margaret Drennon
Betty Fey
Susan Lacey
Michael Woods
OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL, CARMEL
Jordan Boone
Elizabeth Cheema
Tom Fagan
Wherly Hoffman
Brian Kersey
Lennie Lawrence
Amber Monteros
Beverly Randolph-Engebretson
Kevin Rodgerson
Ashley Rutledge
Lara Schneider
Kelly Scorzato-Young
ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON, CARMEL
David Bolles
Doug Dillow
Bill Morton
Holly Mueller
Shanaan Shoffner
Diane Szymanski
Nick Szymanski
ST. BERNARD, CRAWFORDSVILLE
Andrew Oppy
ST. JOSEPH, ELWOOD
Susan Melvin
HOLY SPIRIT, FISHERS
Susan Allison
Robert Anderson
Brad Clayton
Dawn Drake
Gregory Hunter
Jeffrey Love
Ben Titus
ST. LOUIS de MONTFORT, FISHERS
Patrick Carter
Suzie Eryman
Andrew Farmer
Julie Holding
Tim Walter
ST. MARY, FRANKFORT
Sally Bolen
ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST, HARTFORD CITY
Lawrence Flemming
ST. JOAN OF ARC, KOKOMO
Patricia Gabriel
Suzzanne Johnson
Bridgette Yeakel
ST. PATRICK, KOKOMO
Bryan Cook
Ray Donham
Paige Hochstedler
Merry Hoover
Allison Miller
Lauren Miller
Heather Santos
CATHEDRAL OF ST. MARY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION, LAFAYETTE
Kaitlyn Bond
Ashlyn King
ST. BONIFACE, LAFAYETTE
Adrianna Brenneman
Amelia Brenneman
Jayne Hudgins
Sophie Jakovljevic
Carrie Johnson
ST. LAWRENCE, LAFAYETTE
Jake Flanagan
Bethany Hitze
Chris Hitze
Dakotah Hitze
Heather Hitze
Jill Kinslow
Deedra Phillips-Lewis
Austin Maier
Jarrett Maier
Mason Miller
Hayley Sowders
Tim Timmons
ALL SAINTS, LOGANSPORT
Lena Dickerson
John Reeser
John Smith
David Spurgeon
ST. PAUL, MARION
Grace Imel
Amber Seasholtz
Martha Turner
OUR LADY OF THE LAKES, MONTICELLO
Richard Cronch
Destiny Douglas
ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI, MUNCIE
Gabriel Carpenter
Staci Corle
Keah Jones
Jake Margraf
Brannon Muncey
Haylie Muncey
Lindsey Muncey
Ray Muncey
ST. LAWRENCE, MUNCIE
Ron Cousins
Jim O’Neill
Kacey Simmons
Chris Snider
Kristen Weems
Jamie White
ST. MARY, MUNCIE
Nicole Bernard
Corey Hardesty
Joan Harty
Stephanie Haskins
Michael May
Dennis Tyler
Sarah Waters
Karissa Watts
OUR LADY OF GRACE, NOBLESVILLE
Alex Bailey
Antonio Baltzell
Jennifer Gance
David Olsen
Emily Olsen
Michael Rodgers
ST. CHARLES BORROMEO, PERU
Jerod Barnett
Dawson Dwyer
Patrick Harris
ST. JOSEPH, PULASKI
Lauren Layer
ST. AUGUSTINE, RENSSELAER
James Oliver
ST. MARIA GORETTI, WESTFIELD
Ted Cummins
Jack Reinoehl
Clayton Rossman
Saylah Rossman
CHURCH OF THE BLESSED SACRAMENT, WEST LAFAYETTE
Jonathan Miller
Trista Miller
Stephanie Nairne
ST. THOMAS AQUINAS, WEST LAFAYETTE
Marisa Buccieri
Cale Burdick
Katherine Fireoved
Alicia Jackson
Allena Page
Patrick Schleck
Michael Simon
Laura Stevens
ST. ALPHONSUS, ZIONSVILLE
Brittany Doversberger
Jeremy Newland