Dear Catechumens and Candidates,
A most joyful day in my ministry as your bishop is the First Sunday of Lent when we celebrate the Rite of Election. It is a beautiful moment when the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is filled to overflowing with those of you entering the Church, together with your godparents, sponsors, parish priests, catechists and friends.
It is a moment when we witness how God is working in the midst of our local Church. In fact, this year, because so many of you are entering the Church, the Rite of Election was to be celebrated at a second site, the Basilica of the National Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton in Emmitsburg.
Alas, we were foiled by a snowy weather forecast. As a result, these great gatherings did not take place. I am grateful to pastors around the Archdiocese of Baltimore who have celebrated the Rite of Election in their parishes. At the same time, I wanted to offer you, dear sisters and brothers, a word of encouragement and support as we joyfully anticipate your initiation into the life of the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
First and foremost, let me say that you are not alone. A record number are coming into the Church at Easter. We don’t yet have exact numbers, but there could be as many as 2,000 of you presenting yourself for baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.
Know how welcome you are! Know how the Church rejoices that the Lord has touched your heart and has led you by various paths to this moment of commitment and sacramental transformation. Your journey to the fullness of faith is unique but it is also a journey you share with many people here in the archdiocese and across the globe. The Holy Spirit is moving across the face of the earth and raising up new disciples of the Lord and members of his Body the Church. Let us rejoice and be glad!
During Lent, you have been preparing to receive the Easter sacraments by which you share in the death and resurrection of Christ. I hope these precious weeks have been rich in God’s graces. Please continue to welcome the Word of God into your hearts. Let this Word cleanse and purify your thoughts, words, intentions and actions. Freedom from sin is the path to peace. Let the light of his Word illumine your minds and hearts and may the warmth of the Word make your hearts receptive of the great sacraments you are about to receive. If you are already baptized, I hope you will experience the joy and peace as you receive the sacrament of reconciliation.
In your final days of preparation, I pray you will discover more deeply a beautiful truth: we belong to God. God knows us and loves us, more than we love ourselves. He sees us, he understands us and seeks to draw us to himself. Our Savior, God’s Son in the flesh, wants nothing more than that we would be the beloved sons and daughters of his heavenly Father. And belonging to God, we also belong to one another in the Church.
In a world with so much isolation and conflict, the Church welcomes you with joy. I pray that you will find in the Church a community where your life is anchored in hope, rooted in truth and love, and enlivened by friendship, as together we journey together toward full communion with our God. My most earnest hope and prayer is that you will experience these blessings, not only at Easter but for the rest of your lives.
May God bless you and keep you in his love!
Archbishop Lori
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