Pictured - The Elect of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Easter Vigil, March 22, 2008
On Sunday, February 21, 2010, the first Sunday of Lent, in cathedrals and parishes around the world, bishops and pastors preside at the Rite of Election.
In the early Church, unbaptized adults seeking baptism (they were called "catechumens") gathered with other catechumens for instruction and formation in the faith, a process which could last a year or several years. Every catechumen had a sponsor who introduced them to the beliefs and practices of the Chuch.
The catechumens joined the community at Sunday Eucharist, but only for the Liturgy of the Word. Then they left to pray and reflect together on the Scriptures proclaimed at Mass. The community came to know them, and prayed for them along the way.
When the catechumens were ready for the final steps leading up to full membership in the Church, the community presented them to the pastor. On behalf of the Church, he formally accepted them as candidates in a ceremony called the Rite of Election at the beginning of Lent. The catechumens were now the "Elect" - and one by one they came forward to sign their names in the Book of the Elect.
The enrollment of names is considered a central element in the Rite of Election because it is a sign of the candidate's promise to live the life of a Christian.
Some parishes and cathedrals display the Book of the Elect throughout Lent so that the community will hold the catechumens in prayer.