March 1, 2026 - "Rite of Election"

Often the Rite of Election is celebrated in the diocesan cathedral.  But not in the Archdiocese of Washington.   The reason is that the Cathedral of Saint Matthew the Apostle, our archdiocesan cathedral, is simply too small for the occasion.  Instead, the Rite of Election is held at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, which is the largest Catholic Church building in North America and one of the ten largest churches in the world.  The Upper Church, where the Rite of Election is held every year, has a seating capacity of 3,500 people. But the Archdiocese has so many catechumens and candidates that the Rite of Election is held on the First and Second Sundays of Lent.  In that way all the catechumens and candidates of the 139 parishes can be greeted by Cardinal McElroy and encouraged to persevere in their Lenten journey to receive the sacraments at the Easter Vigil. It is a wonderful problem to have—that we all cannot fit in the Upper Church of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in only one ceremony.

 

I remember a conversation that I had with a catechumen after the Rite of Election several years ago.  He was stunned at how many people were going to receive all the Easter Sacraments at Easter Vigil.  “I knew that I was part of something important, but my experience was only a few people doing this in our parish setting.  I had no idea that so many people were going to do the same thing that I am doing!”

 

Let’s continue our prayers for our catechumens and candidates!

 

Until next week,

Fr. John