Last Sunday at the 8:30 A.M. mass, we had the Rite of Sending for our one catechumen, Jackson Ringler. And on that same day in the afternoon, he participated in the Rite of Election, performed by Bishop Malesic at the Blessed Sacrament Cathedral, where after recognizing his desire to receive the sacraments, he is no longer a catechumen but elect. He will continue his journey until he receives the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.

Now we may ask, what is this Rite of Sending and the Rite of Election? These two rites are part of the process for those unbaptized adults who express the desire to receive the sacraments and be part of the Catholic Church. They undergo the process called RCIA (The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) to prepare them and allow them to understand the Catholic faith, the sacraments, Scriptures and other aspects of the Catholic faith. After the catechumen becomes elect, he undergoes scrutiny for three Sundays, within the mass, to ascertain his seriousness into the reception of the sacraments of initiation. In a symbolic way, he will receive the copy of the creed on the Third Sunday of Lent and the Lord’s Prayer on the Fifth Sunday of Lent to give him the tenets of the articles of Catholic Faith, and he has to live out and profess it in his life’s journey.

So we pray for Jackson Ringler as he continues with his preparation to receive the sacrament of initiation at the Easter Vigil.

For us also, as we continue our Lenten observance in preparation for the coming Easter celebration, we have the Stations of the Cross every Friday and an hour of adoration before the Stations of the Cross begins. The Lenten Series, sponsored by the Freeport Ministerium, continues every Thursday at 12:00 Noon. This Thursday, we will host the series in our Fellowship Hall at 12:00 Noon. The speaker will be Pastor Raphael Koikoi from the Freeport United Methodist Church. Also, the Lenten Penance Services in the region begins this week. St. Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Kittanning, will have their Penance Service on Saturday, March 10th, at 12:00 Noon. St. Mary, Mother of God Church, Freeport will have their service on Monday, March 26th, at 7:00 P.M.