Posted on 03/01/2005 8:44:41 AM PST by siunevada
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- During this year's Easter Vigil Masses, tens of thousands of people across the country will be welcomed into the Catholic Church.
Last year more than 150,000 Americans were baptized as Catholics or joined in full communion with the church during the Easter Vigil.
Those who are not yet baptized are called catechumens. At Easter they receive all three sacraments of Christian initiation -- baptism, confirmation and their first Eucharist. Those already baptized in other churches or who were baptized Catholic but not raised in the faith are called candidates. At Easter they receive confirmation and the Eucharist.
During the first two weeks of Lent, catechumens and candidates across the country gathered -- most often in special diocesan ceremonies led by a bishop -- to participate in a Rite of Election, for catechumens, or a Call to Continuing Conversion, for candidates.
Those who choose to go through the RCIA program are men and women, young and old.
-snip-
At Rite of Election services in Kansas City-St. Joseph, candidates and catechumens were urged to see the importance of their former religious traditions in forming foundations of faith.
Coadjutor Bishop Robert W. Finn of Kansas City-St. Joseph urged them to recognize that the faith they received in Christian baptism "is not being diminished or discarded in any way by your entering the Catholic Church," but would "only be deepened."
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnews.com ...
(Johnny Carson voice) "I did not know that!"
Great news -- did the article quote a number for this year? Or an estimate?
Number of Catholics Rises by 15 Million (Diocesan Priests Increase; Religious Decrease)
Spanish Catholicism still very robust (3 shrines and The Sagrada Familia)
Catholics outsource praying to India
Catholic Priests in India 'Outsourced' to Meet Clergy Shortage in West
Christian Coalition head (in Ala.) becomes Catholic
Church growth continues for Catholic and Pentecostals; six mainline denominations decline
Young people turn against their parents' 'church lite'
Pope calls US Church to repentance and renewal
A father for the 11th time - Widower becomes Catholic priest
Number of Adults Who Don't Attend Church Service Doubles
Huge Christian growth shocks China's leaders
Church Attendance Increased : Protestants have now clearly overtaken Catholics in church attendance
Catholics Trail Protestants in Church Attendance [Gallup]
Church Attendance Linked to Longer Life
Nope. It does quote numbers for individual dioceses. Detroit had a significant increase over last year.
What is this supposed to prove? In a nation of 250 million, "tens of thousands" is a disgrace. We lose far more annually to other religions or because people just get disgusted and drop out. Mass attendance is way down. Sure there's a regional shift--but this mirrors migration patterns, nothing more.
Just a semi-current news story. Not posted to 'prove' anything.
It was a cup-half-empty post in my opinion.
God is pleased with one conversion. Saying it is a disgrace is impious.
many of those who leave were never very good Catholics to begin with - they either were poorly catechesized and didn't understand the faith or were disgruntled about the moral demands Catholicism makes. Honestly, I'd prefer a smaller RCC if it meant that more of the members were faithful and practicing. Converts tend to be more faithful than "cradle Catholics" so tens of thousands of converts is something to celebrate.
Good point.
Many who stay are not very good Catholics either. We're counting heads here, not judging people's sanctity.
Will this be done at the rising of the sun.
I'm always happy to follow your footsteps. I only searched the Religion forum.
That's a question and not a command to 'will this', right?
"The Easter Vigil, during the holy night when Christ rose from the dead, ranks as the ‘mother of all vigils.' (Augustine, Sermon 219: PL 38, 1088). Keeping watch, the Church awaits Christ's resurrection and celebrates it in the sacraments. Accordingly, the entire celebration of this vigil should take place at night, that is, it should either begin after nightfall or end before the dawn of Sunday."
In 1988, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments addressed this question with greater specificity in its Circular Letter Concerning the Preparation and Celebration of the Easter Feasts. After repeating the rubric cited above, the Congregation noted that "This rule is to be taken according to its strictest sense. Reprehensible are those abuses and practices which have crept in many places in violation of this ruling, whereby the Easter Vigil is celebrated at the time of day that it is customary to celebrate anticipated Masses (no.78)."
The intention of the Missale Romanum is clear: the Easter Vigil is to take place in darkness. Thus the approved translation of post initium noctis is after nightfall, that is, after the time in the evening when daylight is last visible. This time is roughly equivalent to astronomical twilight, which is defined by the Naval Observatory as the time after which "the Sun does not contribute to sky illumination." Tables of sunset and astronomical twilight for each locality in the United States are available at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/docs/RS_OneYear.html.
"Better that only a few Catholics should be left, staunch and sincere in their religion, than that they should, remaining many, desire as it were, to be in collusion with the Church's enemies and in conformity with the open foes of our faith." - St. Peter Canisius
I too concur with this assessment.
Even subjectively, the feeling to know that EVERYONE who goes to Mass with you is of the same mind concerning every essential of faith is a blessing. This is another wonderful facet of the TLM communities. Step into one and no one has any reason to doubt that your fellow pew sitters are all on the right page with their Catholicism. I also do include communities like the EWTN Mass and the few others of their like.
Give me a smaller, purified, holy, and, stronger church. Personally, I think by the time 1960 came around, the church (in this country) got too big for itself and God chose to humble us. Now HE is purifying us with solid younger priests in the NO and the resurgence of the TLM.
I teach RCIA, and last year, during the Easter Vigil, we lost power inside the Church for the majority of the Mass. Fortunately, we processed in with candles (and there were a few backup lights on the walls, but not many). I must say, this was a moving experience, as it turned out. Kind of like the old days, I'd imagine! Perhaps we will plan to keep the lights dim more often! But you are right, the ritual should give the indication of going from darkness into the light.
Regards
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