The Easter Vigil is the premier time for the making of Catholics through the celebration of the sacraments of Christian initiation. This year, in 70 parishes and three universities within the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, 404 persons will have come to the Easter Vigil to celebrate rites that will have joined them to the Catholic Church.

They prepared for this night in two key ways. In their own parishes, they have taken part in the process of formation and training in the Christian life that is given in the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults. It is often more familiarly called the catechumenate or RCIA. They have done this for quite some time.

And then, on the First Sunday of Lent, they celebrated the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at St. Agnes Church in Springfield. At that rite, Bishop George J. Lucas, in the name of the diocese, formally called them to the mighty prayers and liturgies of Lent and to the sacraments of initiation to be celebrated at the Easter Vigil.

The names are divided into neophytes (N), Catholics completing initiation (CI), or Christians celebrating reception in the full communion of the Catholic Church (FC).

LEGEND

N: Neophyte

CI: Completing Initiation

FC: Full Communion

•    NEOPHYTES are persons who up until this Easter have never been baptized. Their long journey of inquiry and catechumenate is completed with initiation sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.

•    Persons who have COMPLETED INITIATION are those who were baptized Roman Catholic in infancy, but were not raised in the faith. At this Easter Vigil, they complete the initiation cycle with confirmation and Eucharist.

•    Those who celebrate FULL COMMUNION have come to the Catholic Church already baptized in another Christian community. They enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church by a profession of faith and confirmation and Eucharist.

 April 12, 2009 Issue - Church Welcomes 404 New Members