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Gilbert West was among approximately 500 catechumens who signed the archdiocesan Book of the Elect during the Rite of Election on the First Sunday of Lent at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
The special Liturgy of the Word was celebrated Feb. 14 by Cardinal Dolan who told the catechumens—those seeking to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil—they were on their way to becoming “marked” men and women.
“What do I mean by that?” the cardinal rhetorically asked in his homily. He explained that as many Catholics were marked on their forehead with ashes on Ash Wednesday as a symbol of the faith, the catechumens, in receiving the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and First Holy Communion later this Lenten season, will receive a more profound spiritual mark in their souls from the Lord.
Catechumens have participated in the catechumenate, or Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA), at a parish and are ready to receive the sacraments of initiation at Easter.
During the early afternoon Rite of Election, Cardinal Dolan declared in the presence of the community the Church’s approval of the 481 catechumens from 91 parishes in the archdiocese.
West, 36, a member of St. Raymond parish in the Bronx, said he decided to join the Catholic Church on Christmas Day 2014, when he realized that although he and his family were not lacking materially, “I was missing something…So my first day back in the church was Jan. 10 of 2015, the Baptism of the Lord. I was so moved, I was in tears. I’ve been going to Mass every single Sunday since then. I had to wait until September for the RCIA class. This has been such a blessing.” West, a software engineer, is a married father of two.
Emily Oustecky, 33, was another catechumen at the liturgy; she is a member of St. Francis Xavier parish in Manhattan. “In September, I decided to join the RCIA and become a Catholic. I always felt a natural pull toward the Catholic Church,” Ms. Oustecky said, noting that she looks forward to receiving Holy Communion and being an active Church member.
“The cardinal is so personable. I really feel a connection with the Church through him,” she said. Oustecky works in marketing in the cosmetics industry.
Luz Marina Diaz, director of religious education at St. Francis Xavier, said, “I always like when he (Cardinal Dolan) addresses the catechumens and the candidates. He’s very smart—he touches their hearts.” Ms. Diaz said she always tells the candidates and catechumens that this is a season of “profound reflection” and that receiving the sacraments is the beginning of an ongoing spiritual journey.
In his homily, Cardinal Dolan explained that by the word “marked” he also meant Catholics are looked upon by the world for their virtue, but that unfortunately sometimes Christians are also “marked” for persecution, as they have been in the Middle East.
He noted the beheading of Coptic Christians, whom he later learned had a cross tattooed on their wrist, a mark of their faith. He learned that, he said, upon visiting a Coptic-Christian Egyptian community on Staten Island.
“You are the author of our renewal,” Cardinal Dolan prayed to the Lord, and he noted to the catechumens, “Sometimes the world marks us with derision and rejection.”
The cardinal also emphasized that the catechumens will be marked by the grace of God, by the mercy of the Lord. “People look to us for virtue…You are welcomed here,” he said as he prayed to the Lord, “We ask that you bless your new witnesses, those who will become new Catholics.”
Cardinal Dolan thanked the godparents and catechists for helping the catechumens in their sacramental journey. In all, at least 1,596 candidates and catechumens will take part in the Rites of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion in the archdiocese during Lent.
Sister Joan Curtin, C.N.D., director the archdiocesan Catechetical Office, said in an interview, “We want to thank them (the catechumens) so much for responding to God’s call to be baptized and to responding to the grace. It’s a great, great moment in their lives; they’ll never be the same.”
Sister Joan added, “I want to assure them of all of the prayers of the Church of New York—all of the people of God, and to always remember God’s love and God’s mercy. We congratulate them.”
Oscar Cruz, director of the catechumenate, said some of the catechumens were elderly, and some were children as young as 8 years old. “This is a wonderful celebration of the work of the Holy Spirit,” Cruz said.
On Sunday, Feb. 21, the Second Sunday of Lent, 1,116 candidates representing 103 parishes will participate in the Rite of Calling Candidates to Continuing Conversion.
The Call to Continuing Conversion is for candidates who have already been baptized, who have participated in their parish catechumenate and who are preparing to complete their initiation in the Church. They will receive the sacraments of First Holy Communion and confirmation at Easter.
The cardinal will preside at the Rite of Calling Candidates to Continuing Conversion at 2 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Cathedral with 732 candidates from 56 parishes.
The Rite of Continuing Conversion will also be offered at 3 p.m. that day at the following churches:
