SAN DIEGO — The Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion underwent a major change this year at Bishop Michael Pham’s insistence. This year, it was held on March 1, in the Jenny Craig Pavilion at the University of San Diego.
The annual diocesan liturgy is 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 at the Easter Vigil.
This was the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic that the Rite of Election was held as a single ceremony, attended by catechumens and candidates from all participating parishes. In preceding years, the diocese had held multiple ceremonies, rather than one massive gathering.
The change fittingly reflected Bishop Pham’s episcopal motto, “United in Christ.”
More than 4,670 people attended the Rite of Election, including 611 adult catechumens; 1,242 adult candidates; and 102 child catechumens and candidates from 76 local Catholic communities.
Trent noted that unity has been a hallmark of Bishop Pham’s leadership.
She cited the annual Pentecost Mass for All Peoples, a multilingual liturgy followed by a cultural food fair. First held in 2018, it was the brainchild of then-Father Pham, when
Read more...
