SAN DIEGO — A massive crowd of more than 4,760 people recently filled the Jenny Craig Pavilion at the University of San Diego.
“I go to a lot of concerts, and I haven’t seen a line this long, even at most shows I go to,” said John Ledesma, a catechumen from Mission Basilica San Diego de Alcalá.
“It’s a very special event, and you can feel it,” he added. “It means a lot to a lot of people.”
The occasion was the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion, the annual diocesan liturgy where those enrolled in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) process are presented to the bishop and declared ready to receive the sacraments of initiation in their parishes during the upcoming Easter Vigil. It was held on March 1 this year.
“I really had no idea of how many people would actually just be there,” said Larissa Castro, a catechumen from The Immaculata Parish, which is located on the USD campus.
“It’s an entire basketball stadium’s worth of people. It’s really humbling to have that many people be there to welcome you into a faith,” said Castro, who described it as “overwhelming in the best way.”
Aiden Morgan Paterson, another catechumen from Mission San Diego, said that attending the Rite of Election was “incredibly meaningful.”
“All the people coming here today, everybody dressed up,” he said. “It was fun to walk in and mesh with the crowd, and it really felt like joining something … much bigger than myself.”
In attendance were 611 adult catechumens and 1,242 adult candidates from 76 parishes and faith communities; 102 child catechumens and candidates; 1,803 godparents and sponsors; 319 parish team members; and 687 guests.
Catechumens are those who are preparing for baptism, confirmation and First Communion. Candidates, who are already baptized Christians, are seeking only confirmation and, if they haven’t already received it, First Communion.
This year marked the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the Rite of Election was held as a single ceremony, attended by all participating parishes. In recent years, the practice had been to hold multiple ceremonies. For example, last year, the diocese held six liturgies – five at Good Shepherd Parish in Mira Mesa and one at St. Anthony of Padua Parish in Imperial.
Bishop Michael Pham, presiding over his first Rite of Election since his installation last July as bishop of San Diego, referenced the size of the assembly in his homily.
He invited those in attendance to consider that, while the Diocese of San Diego alone was able to attract “a great number like this,” similar gatherings were being held in dioceses throughout the country and around the world.
“Imagine so many being touched by the grace of God, the person of Jesus Christ, wanting to enter into (the) Catholic Church,” the bishop said. “That is so beautiful for us to reflect upon this Lenten season.”
Bishop Pham identified Lent as “a time for all of us to return to the Lord with our whole hearts and our whole minds.”
“In prayers and in silence, we hear the voice of Jesus,” the bishop continued, explaining that we can hear Jesus telling us several things. Among them is the call to repent and believe in the Gospel and to live out the Beatitudes, being humble, meek and finding ways to be peacemakers in a world that is “full of conflicts and problems.”
He said, “We hear the voice of Jesus (saying), ‘Remain in my love. I’m with you to the end of time. Remain in my love to care for one another, to care for the vulnerable, the weak, the homeless, the poor, the immigrants, the refugees, and the migrants, (who) are facing difficult times’; they need the voice of us today.”
Bishop Pham concluded with words of encouragement and welcome for the catechumens in attendance, who, during the Rite of Election are officially declared to be no longer catechumens, but “members of the elect,” those who will be “initiated into the sacred mysteries.”
“Every time we gather together at the altar of the Lord, celebrating the sacrament of the Eucharist,” said Bishop Pham, we experience “the foretaste of the banquet of the Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth. And I hope and pray that the elect today will come and join us at the Easter Vigil … to be welcomed into the Church as you taste the banquet of the Lord.”
The significance of the Rite of Election wasn’t lost on David Weintraub, of Mission San Diego Parish, who attended this year’s liturgy as Ledesma’s godparent.
“It means a lot. Last year, I was baptized, became a Catholic, and it just changed my whole life,” he said, sharing that he had regularly attended Sunday Mass with his wife and children, but had never been baptized himself.
Reflecting on why the new convert decided to serve as a godparent this year, he said, “I didn’t want to just get baptized, and that was it. I wanted to continue to grow in the faith.”
“I’m really enjoying watching John go through the process and helping him any way I can,” Weintraub said.
In 2024, Joseph Burger attended the event as a catechumen from Mission San Diego. This year, he was back as a godparent for catechumen Quinn Fogel.
He said, “I’m in a kind of unique place … because I remember all the excitement that I had going into that moment and leading up to ultimately receiving the sacraments at the Easter Vigil.”
“There was just so much excitement,” he recalled, “and, so, I feel like I can channel that a little bit into being here for Quinn.”
He shared his pride in Fogel’s commitment over the past year and a half to the OCIA process, which he has balanced with his responsibilities as a full-time student and active-duty Marine.
Burger said, “This guy has put in a lot of work … He’s got a lot of different things that he’s had to persevere through to make it to today.”
Also seated with the group from Mission San Diego, Jerry Bianco said that this Rite of Election was a “special” one for him.
“I’m sponsoring my younger brother to complete his initiation into the Church,” he said, “and I’m commuting every week (of Lent) from Phoenix to be here on his journey.”
He described it as his “Lenten sacrifice” to make a 600-mile round trip each weekend to accompany his brother, Johnny, a candidate, on the road to full communion with the Catholic Church.
“It’s inspiring to watch him go through it,” he said, “and it’s an honor to be part of that.”
