A record number of women and men set to enter the Catholic Church within the Diocese of Venice at the Easter Vigil were recognized during the annual Rite of Election of Catechumens and the Call of Continuing Conversion of Candidates at Our Lady of Light Parish in Fort Myers on the First Sunday of Lent, Feb. 22, 2026. This annual tradition is a formal Rite during which catechumens are presented, and their names are entered into the Book of the Elect. The candidates (those who are baptized but not catechized) are beginning their catechetical formation, along with the catechumens, both in preparation for being received into the full communion with the Catholic Church.
The 434 catechumens (individuals who are not yet baptized) were joined by an additional 638 candidates (already-baptized Christians preparing for confirmation and First Eucharist). The candidates participate in the formal ceremony and are recognized during the celebration for answering the “Call To Their Continuing Conversion.” The church was at capacity and hundreds of family members watched via a livestream from the Parish Hall, or elsewhere.
The Rite of Election was presided over by Bishop Frank J. Dewane who said the large number of catechumens and candidates was impressive, noting that the 1,072 are the most ever set to enter the Church in the Diocese in a single year through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program, topping the 2024 total of 662.
“This is by far the largest number the Diocese has ever had,” Bishop Dewane said. “The Diocese is blessed and graced by the presence of the catechumens and candidates. I have a beautiful perspective. You are truly a blessing for the Diocese of Venice.”
The group was complimented by Bishop Dewane for making a commitment to publicly announce the call of the Holy Spirit in a particular way by becoming active members of the Catholic Church in the Diocese of Venice. “All of you should see the strength and demonstrate that the Holy Spirit has been placed in your heart and brought alive within you. This Holy Spirit has brought you to the Rite of Election.”
The catechumens and candidates, who were recognized by Bishop Dewane, are on a continuing journey that will culminate when they come into full communion with the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil Mass on April 4 in their respective Parishes.
Bishop Dewane asked the catechumens and candidates to reflect upon what prompted them to come forward, seeking to fully enter the Catholic Church. The steps and stumbling blocks along the way demonstrate how human we are. This helps us to recognize that though we will fall at times the Lord’s grace will lead us back on the right path.
“Your ‘Yes to Jesus!’ that you have given by your presence here today has to be more than words,” Bishop Dewane said. “It has to be a life lived in a particular way, lived in the grace of the Holy Spirit, and lived in the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. You have to stop and remind yourself daily about that. Who we are, and why we are here.”
As each catechumen and candidate progresses in their spiritual journey – hearing readings or homilies and participating in religious instruction – they are exposed to what the Lord is saying from a new perspective, something that Bishop Dewane said is a key to growing as men and women of God.
“It is my prayer that you are enriched by this Lenten Season, and that the love you have for Christ in your heart inspires, embraces, and enriches each of you,” Bishop Dewane said. “When you are able to celebrate, at the Easter Vigil, the fulfilling of your sacramental union with Jesus Christ through baptism, may you feel the presence of the Lord in your life. It is more than a ceremony. Take time to experience the newness and the joy the Holy Spirit brings to each one of us in living out our faith.”
Many who participated in the Rite of Election expressed their joy in joining with others on this important step in their faith journey. One candidate from St. Raphael Parish in Lehigh Acres said, “What a beautiful celebration! I will remember this for the rest of my life. With a deep sense of awe and gratitude I thank Almighty God for blessing me on this journey!”
The group of catechumens and candidates represent 47 Parishes in the Diocese of Venice and are accompanied by tens of thousands of others across the country that will also join the Catholic Church this year. Large groups of catechumens and candidates came from the following Parishes: St. Katharine Drexel in Cape Coral, St. Peter the Apostle in Naples, St. Michael in Wauchula, Jesus the Worker in Fort Myers, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Immokalee, Holy Cross in Bradenton, and St. Paul in Arcadia.
Often catechumens are those who have begun to seek and understand God in their lives and have been led by the Holy Spirit to become Catholic. They are part of the OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults), which is for those who are unbaptized and unchurched, who come to inquire about becoming part of the Roman Catholic Faith in a process that takes about a year. This is most commonly done in three distinct phases: discernment, acceptance into the catechumenate, and then purification and enlightenment. OCIA is a journey of discovery and faith. Each catechumen will go through a series of scrutinies during which they examine their readiness to accept Christ and the Catholic Faith in the form of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation). This time culminates at the Easter Vigil when the catechumens are received through Baptism into the Catholic Church.
For candidates, those who have been correctly baptized with a Trinitarian formula (In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit), the Catholic Church does not require re-Baptism. Candidates have already experienced a journey of faith and understand how Jesus leads us to the Father through the work of the Holy Spirit. In fact, many have been attending Mass with their families for years but may have never received the Sacrament of Holy Communion or the Sacrament of Confirmation and will undergo catechetical formation leading up to their receiving the needed sacramtne required to become in full communion with the Catholic Church. The candidates are invited to the Rite of Election as a form of welcome, but because they are already in the Book of the Elect as baptized Christians, they do not bring their names forward. To symbolize that baptism, and as a sign of their continuing conversion, they come forward and make the sign of the cross with holy water.
Everyone is encouraged to pray for and welcome the catechumens and candidates at their own Parish as they continue their journey of discovery in their Faith.
