More than 275 people participate in the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion

“It's an important step forward toward finding truth and grace.”

That is how Trena Soucy of Portage describes her journey to the Catholic Church.

“I feel a bigger sense of truth in my worship now,” she said. “I’m very much looking forward to be able to participate fully in the sacraments once my time comes.”

That time for Soucy will be Easter. She is among 278 people from 26 parishes who will be baptized and/or receive the sacraments of confirmation and first Eucharist. That is an increase of 88people 2025. The group includes 153 members of the Elect, those who had not previously been baptized, and 125 candidates who were baptized in other Christian traditions but now wish to become Catholic.

“I was never a Christian nor introduced to it at all at a young age. I knew about it, but I was heavily against it,” said Giuseppe Lorenzoni from Presque Isle. “But living close by to the church and then actually taking some time to study and learn and really integrate myself into the Church history just kind of opened my eyes, and I realized I was living my entire life wrong.”

“The guys I work with, they lived in Old Town-Orono. That’s where their home parish was, and so they invited me one day to go in and see what it was all about. As soon as I walked into Holy Family Church in Old Town, it was a lock. It was like, ‘This is where I need to be,’” said Landyn Francis from Bangor.

Those seeking to become Catholic participate in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), a time of learning and discernment, which takes place through their local parishes.

However, at the beginning of Lent, they come together from across the diocese for the Rite of Election and Continuing Conversion, which is presided over by the bishop. Due to the size of the Diocese of Portland, the rite is held at three locations: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Presque Isle, St. John the Baptist Church in Winslow, and the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland.

During the rite, catechumens (those not previously baptized) publicly express to the bishop their desire to receive the sacrament, and their godparents, speaking on their behalf, attest to their readiness to do so. Their names are recorded in a book, at they are then called the Elect, a sign that they have been chosen by God.

“They have been preparing, learning, walking step by step towards the Easter sacraments, and today, the Church calls them ‘elect,’ chosen. Not because they are perfect, not because they have earned something, but because God has chosen them for himself,” the bishop said.

In a similar manner, during the Continuing Call to Conversion, candidates express their desire to be confirmed and receive first Eucharist, while sponsors attest to their readiness to receive those sacraments.

“I just want to encourage you to continue to let the Lord work, let the Spirit meet you, and indeed, you will see the abundance of grace and more happiness in the future,” the bishop said to the catechumens and candidates. “It doesn’t end at Easter. It just gets better.”

The members of the Elect and candidates come from many parts of the state and many different backgrounds.

Maddison Cleaves of Presque Isle said when she was a child, she attended many summer church camps within the Baptist Church so had a relationship with God from an early age. She said she was introduced to the Catholicism when she became close with a family in Van Buren who were practicing Catholics. A teenager at the time, she began attending Mass with them and started the process for entering the Church but decided she wasn’t ready yet. Now, at age 26, she said the time has come.

“I feel different about it. I’ve learned a lot more, and I feel I’m a lot more connected with it than I was when I first started,” she said. “I am really excited to be here and to able to become Catholic.”’

Bridgett Marie Bonn Wagner of Litchfield said she attended non-denominational services when she was growing up, but said she recently came to believe that she has always been Catholic at heart.

“I find that a lot of the Catholic values are in me, and I’ve come to realize that I am Catholic, and I want to be Catholic,” she said.

Bonn Wagner said a significant moment for her was the death of Pope Francis. She said she was a legislative clerk who participated in the Maine Legislative Prayer Caucus, but when she asked for prayers for our Catholic brothers and sisters, she realized that she was feeling the loss more intensely than those around her.

“I was the only one in the room that seemed to carry that heaviness, and that’s when, I guess maybe, the seed started to crack open and grow roots and sprout, this seed that had been inside of me all these years,” she said. “I’m grateful in today’s world to be able to be coming home to the Catholic Church.”

Bonn Wagner, other members of the Elect, and candidates all said they have found a sense of belonging through their journeys to Catholicism.

“It’s been overwhelming. There is so much to learn, so many prayers to learn but so wonderful,” said Bonn Wagner, who participates through St. Michael Parish in Augusta. “I got very lucky with a divine sponsor. I couldn’t have dreamt my sponsor into my life. She is just lovely.”

“Being with a bunch of people in the same process, in the same learning stages, seeing their stories, how we can all kind of unite into that, and then realizing we’re all on the same path, that community is just the best thing you really could ask for,” said Lorenzoni. “I do enjoy it greatly.”

“We have such an amazing group here in Presque Isle. We meet every Thursday, and I’ve joked for the last couple weeks, as we’re nearing the end of this process, how much I’m going to miss our weekly meetings together,” said Cleaves. “Everyone is so welcoming, and it’s just been really nice to have a family that’s connected and that you can lean on.”

For the Elect and candidates, Lent will be a time of final spiritual preparation before receiving the sacraments. For the Elect, this time is known as the Period of Purification and Enlightenment.