Jason Bryant was full of enthusiasm about attending the Rite of Election ceremony Feb. 21.

“Breathtaking” was the adjective Bryant, a catechumen from St. Robert Bellarmine Parish, Freehold, chose to describe St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral, Trenton. (Click for photos)

Though he had met Bishop John M. Smith on a previous occasion, Bryant was delighted to see the bishop again and found him to be “very friendly” and “welcoming.”

“The bishop likes to smile and he has a way of making people feel very relaxed,” said Bryant.

Like Bryant, the enthusiasm flowed among this year’s 180 catechumens who came to the cathedral along with their godparents, sponsors and catechists for the Rite of Election, for it was an experience that offered them a sense of being part of the wider Universal Church. They truly enjoyed meeting Bishop Smith and probably what many appreciated the most was seeing for themselves the many other catechumens who are on similar journeys of faith to the Catholic Church.

As the Rite of Election is regarded as being one of the most significant evangelization events of the liturgical year, Bishop Smith, in his homily, took on one of his favorite roles, that of a teacher, and talked about how the day is an important step in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults process.

The Rite of Election, he said, is the time when the Church, through the bishop, formally selects or elects those persons to receive the Sacraments of Initiation – Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist – at the coming Easter Vigil which this year will be April 3.

Expressing the feelings of pride and joy he has when he meets the catechumens who come from all corners of the diocese for the Rite of Election each year, a smiling Bishop Smith said, “This is an extraordinary and happy day.”

Held in diocesan cathedrals throughout the world on the First Sunday in Lent, the Rite of Election traces its origins to the early Christian community. The term “election” refers to the notion of the “chosen people” when in Israel’s early history, God chose a people and established a covenant with them. Election, therefore, establishes the names of those who will enter the new covenant through the Sacraments of Initiation. The key moments of the Rite of Election are the affirmation by which the sponsors testify to preparation and worthiness of the catechumens and the act of admission or election by the bishop. The rite also includes the official enrollment of the names of those seeking Baptism at the Easter Vigil. They publicly request to receive the Sacrament and their names have been recorded in the Book of Elect.

Bishop Smith acknowledged the participation of the catechumens in their parish RCIA and the many months, perhaps even years, they have studied, prayed and received assistance and support from parish catechumenate team members and their sponsors. The bishop then thanked the catechumens for their willingness to want to complete their journeys of faith to the Catholic Church.

“Today, in the Rite of Election, you say ‘yes,’ that you wanted to be with us and today, the Church says ‘yes,’ we choose you, we elect you, we want you too,” said Bishop Smith.

The bishop said that each catechumen has a story to share about his or her life and, at some point and in some way, they reached the decision to become Catholic. Some might have been drawn to the Catholic Church by a particular person, others by reading or studying about the Catholic faith, and still others because they find God present among the people of the Catholic Church.

For Bryant, the decision to become Catholic was sparked through his marriage to Elizabeth Fusco Bryant and her devout Catholic faith.

Though Bryant said that he had learned a great deal about the Catholic Church from his wife, he found his participation in the RCIA to be an “interesting and intriguing” experience where he “learned a whole lot more.”

To further simplify his own explanation on the meaning of the Rite of Election, Bishop Smith delighted the congregation by telling a story from his childhood by comparing the Rite of Election to the selection of baseball team members.

When he was about 10 years old, the bishop recalled the youth baseball team in his hometown of Orange and how the team was sponsored by a candy store owner named “Mr. Gasparini.”

When the time came for Mr. Gasparini to elect or choose his team, the players were selected based on their skills, their dedication to attending practice sessions and wanting to become good ballplayers.

But even after Mr. Gasparini chose his team, the players still needed to continue working, attend practice and take pride in their team membership.

“The players were willing to give everything” they had to the team because they proved themselves to be “good enough, knowledgeable enough, dedicated enough” to be chosen, to be elected to play on the team, said Bishop Smith. “This is sort of what the Rite of Election is all about.”

To the catechumens Bishop Smith said, “You have been chosen, you have been elected by the Church to prepare in a very intimate way for that great moment in your life on Easter Vigil night when you’ll receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist and become full members of our Catholic family.”

“That’s why I’m smiling,” said Bishop Smith. “It’s in knowing how blessed this Church of the Diocese of Trenton is to have you as new members of our diocesan family.”