‘Stay close to Jesus’ Bishop tells those preparing to become Catholic

March 17, 2025

by Deacon Patrick Cline

More than 130 catechumens from 46 parishes throughout the Diocese gathered March 9 to celebrate the Rite of Election, one of the final steps on their journeys to become Catholics.

The rite, at the Cathedral of St. Francis of Assisi, began the period of purification and enlightenment in the Order of Catholic Initiation of Adults formation – formerly the RCIA – for those to be initiated into the Roman Catholic faith. They will receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Communion in their own parishes at the Easter Vigil Mass April 19.

Bishop James F. Checchio, celebrant of the rite and the homilist, advised the catechumens: “Stay close to Jesus, don’t let him be far from your heart, your mind. And develop a disciplined prayer life.

“While our faith is always personal, it is never meant to be private. The faith must be shared,” he said.

“After you are fully initiated at the Easter Vigil, become involved, involved in your parish, in your world,” he said.

Congratulating the catechumens and thanking them for their journey of faith, he added, “I am grateful for all of you.”

Father Jonathan S. Toborowsky, vicar general of the Diocese, read the names of the catechumens and their respective parishes. Catechumens and their godparents stood as the names were called.

Bishop Checchio first asked the godparents to affirm the catechumen’s readiness; then whether the members of the faithful community gathered would affirm the testimony concerning the catechumens and remember them in prayer as they proceed toward Easter. After receiving affirmative replies, the Bishop asked the catechumens, “Is it is your will to be initiated into Christ’s sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Holy Eucharist?” When they replied, “It is,” he invited them to come forward and sign the Book of the Elect.

After the Book, signed with all the names, was presented to him, the Bishop declared they had been chosen for initiation into the Roman Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil.

Nayar Hussain was one of many of the catechumens with a long physical and spiritual journey to that day. He was born into a Muslim family in Mumbai, India, but he went to Catholic schools in that country and always thought of himself as being more Catholic than Muslim. In college, he met and married his wife, Connie, who was Catholic.

“I very proudly and strongly then promised to raise any of our children as Roman Catholics,” he said.

Unable to find a way to convert while living in India, Hussain became a member of the Basilica of St. Mary Parish when he arrived in Wilmington, N.C. He began the OCIA program there in 2023, but members of the parish team did not feel he had been part of the process long enough to be initiated at Easter 2024. So, when he and his family relocated to New Jersey, he met Deacon Jacinto Fernandez at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Piscataway, and they discovered both were from the same city in India. Hussain has been part of the parish’s OCIA program since November and is looking forward to becoming Catholic this Easter.

Working nights as a nurse at CentraState Medical Center in Freehold made it difficult for Christina Liberston to be part of a traditional OCIA program. But Father John O’Kane, pastor of Immaculate Conception Parish in Spotswood, suggested a solution. Meeting on a regular basis with Father O’Kane has allowed Liberston to prepare for reception of the Sacraments of Initiation at Easter

Although raised in a Southern Baptist family in Florida, Liberston was never baptized. She said she felt a desire to become more involved in a Christian environment, “but it was when my son, Zachery, transferred to Immaculate Conception School that I was fully motivated to become Catholic.” Since Zachery, age 12, also was never baptized, he joins his mother and Father O’Kane each week to learn more about the faith. They will be baptized, confirmed and receive First Communion together at the Easter Vigil.

Lennard Dave Custuna was born in the Philippines and lived in the United Kingdom before coming to New Jersey. While attending Seton Hall University, South Orange, he developed an interest in the Catholic Church.

“The theology courses and the professors really motivated me to want to learn more and become involved in the faith,” Custuna said. He found the openness and love demonstrated through the OCIA classes to be very important to the whole process. While preparing for reception of the three Sacraments of Initiation in April, he is also looking forward to a fourth sacrament in July, when he and his fiancée will be married.

At the end of the rite, Bishop Checchio thanked all those who worked so hard to make the liturgy the wonderful day it was. He especially thanked all the elect and their sponsors for supporting them on their journey, and he promised to keep all of them in his prayers as they continued toward the Easter celebration.

Where does the Rite of Election fit in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults?

The OCIA is the preparation program to bring people into the Catholic faith. The OCIA originated as an early tradition of the Church for welcoming new members into the Catholic community. Intended to help individuals journey to a deeper understanding of the Catholic faith, it includes prayer, study and discussion of all things Catholic for a period of nine months to a few years where individuals then seek to be full members of the Catholic Church, completing their reception of the Sacraments of Initiation (Baptism, Eucharist, Confirmation).

1st PHASE: Period of Inquiry

This is a time of introduction to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and a time of reflection on one’s own life in light of the values of the reign of God. It is an opportunity to ask questions and to allow the beginnings of Christian faith to form.

Rite of Acceptance (into the Order of Catechumens)

After the Period of Inquiry, there is a liturgical rite that takes place so individuals may publicly express their desire to follow the way of Jesus. This rite takes place during Mass where the Church accepts the individual’s intention and welcomes them into the household of faith as catechumens.

2nd PHASE: Period of Catechumenate

Along with the whole community, catechumens celebrate the Liturgy of the Word at Mass each Sunday. After the homily, the catechumens and members of the OCIA team leave Mass and continue to study and ponder the Scriptures and the teachings of the Church. Through prayer, learning and coming to know other Catholic Christians, catechumens discover the love and power of God in their lives through the Catholic Church.

Rite of Election

Towards the end of the Period of Catechumenate, the Rite of Election takes place on the first weekend of Lent. At this rite, the Bishop formally acknowledges the readiness of the catechumens and calls them to the Sacraments of Initiation. The catechumens respond by expressing their desire for these Sacraments. From this time until they are baptized, they are called “the elect.”

3rd PHASE: Period of Purification and Enlightenment

On the first Sunday of Lent, the catechumens begin the third phase which ends at the Easter Vigil when the Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated for the first time. During this third period, the elect and the parish community together focus on conversion, review their lives in light of the Gospel, and celebrate the presentations of the Creed and the Lord’s Prayer.

Celebration of the Sacraments of Initiation

The elect become full members of the Body of Christ, the Church, through the celebration of the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. From this time until the end of the period of Mystagogy, they are known as neophytes, or “new plants” or “new sprouts.”

4th PHASE: Period of Mystagogy

The final stage, Mystagogy, or “living the mysteries,” occurs during the 50 days after Easter. Neophytes ponder the experience and meaning of the Sacraments and participate with the faithful in the Eucharistic life of the Church and its mission for justice and peace. We are all living the mysteries.

Adapted from St. Francis Catholic Church website, Sherwood, Oregon.

Catechumens for the Rite of Election

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Hackettstown
Mirian Lopez, Denia Oseguera, Anthony Salernitano

Corpus Christi, South River
Enzo Buecke-Silva, Alexssa Angel Camilo-Santos, Gustavo de Lima-Medina Santos, Matheus Gomes-Costa, Ana-Luiza Queiroga-Costa, Laryssa Silva-Lima

Good Shepherd, Hopelawn
Jeff Rothstein, Paul Stessler, Jessica Weiner

Holy Family, New Brunswick
Joshua Carreras, Anaisha Lopez

Immaculate Conception, Annandale
Sienna Beutell, Julius Urbina, Luis Alberto Urbina, Luis Antonio Urbina

Immaculate Conception, Somerville
Justina Scarpa

Immaculate Conception, Spotswood
Robert Ayala, Christina Liberston

Mary Mother of God, Hillsborough
Enza Cruz

Most Holy Name of Jesus, Perth Amboy
Genesis Noemi Garcia Almanzar, Belkis Valladares

Most Holy Redeemer, Matawan
Estrella Lim, Donna Pizzulli

Our Lady of Czestochowa, South Plainfield
Dat Phung, Loni Tran

Our Lady of Fatima, Perth Amboy
Edith Luciano, Nelly Perez, Sasha Vazquez

Our Lady of Fatima, Piscataway
Nayyar Hussain, Lourdes Miranda

Our Lady of Lourdes, Whitehouse Station
Julianne Gallina, Debbie Yavorsky

Our Lady of Mercy, South Bound Brook
Yeongjun Bae, Young Oun Kim, Chong Hwa Pak, Sora Rim, Joonyeoub Sung

Our Lady of Mount Carmel, New Brunswick
Efren Bernal, Eduardo Marroquin, Yelena Mendez, Shirley Morales, Victor Ramirez

Our Lady of Mount Virgin, Middlesex
Gabriela Andino

Our Lady of the Mount, Warren
Brendan Tighe

Our Lady of Victories, Sayreville
Rebecca Giammarino, Ashley Pantoja, Edwin Pantoja, Henry Stevens, Thomas Stevens

Parish of the Visitation, New Brunswick
Ryan Bautista Rodriguez, Khris R. Hernandez, Xavi Jacinto, Asia Lopez Lara, William Lopez Ortiz, Wilson Lopez Ortiz, Jorge Luis Mora Jose, Juan Carlos Mora Jose, George Vasquez, Rodger Jesus Vasquez, Shellsea Vasquez

Sacred Heart, South Amboy
Roksanna Craig, Sean Craig

St. Ambrose, Old Bridge
Ella Morales

St. Ann, Raritan
Trevor Koller, Ashley Rodriguez, Alyssa Sanchez-Carino, Dayleen Sanchez-Carino

St. Augustine of Canterbury, Kendall Park
Nancy Carmichael, Lennard Custuna

St. Bartholomew, East Brunswick
John Norcia

St. Bernadette, Parlin
Elizabeth Grevesen

St. Cecelia, Iselin
Deon Brown, Jazzlyn Lopez, Mary Gisselle Lopez, Jayden Mogrovejo

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Three Bridges
Maria Alusik

St. James, Basking Ridge
Handie Kumen

St. John the Evangelist, Dunellen
Sara Girgus

St. John the Evangelist, Lambertville
Kaitlin Guerra Bautista, Jonathan Herrera Ruiz, Rotseni Morales Ruiz, Herzon Ochoa

St. John Vianney, Colonia
Shaz Ali, JennaMaria Ammirato, Joel Bratter, Nicole Hetherington, Laurelle Milligan, Ada Vargas

St. Joseph, Bound Brook
Carlos Alvarado, Adolfo Ayala, Keilly Dionicio, Adela Ramirez, Kimberlin Ramirez

St. Joseph, Carteret
Francisco Perez, Adriel Rodriguez, Davin Rodriguez, Julio Tito

St. Joseph, North Plainfield
Jocelyn Cordova, Nancy Escobar, Angie Lara

St. Joseph, Washington
Aaron Dante

St. Magdalen de Pazzi, Flemington
Autumn Bell, Keara Flores, Kevin Gabel, Iyarri Lopez, Hector Ramirez, Michael Rivera

St. Matthew the Apostle, Edison
Wilker Michell Quinonez Mendoza, Danny Zheng

St. Matthias, Somerset
Johan Ford, Jr., Annika Nungra, Daiane Pires-D’Souza, Xander Valdes

St. Patrick and St. Rose of Lima, Belvidere
Riley Lance, Thomasin Lee

St. Peter the Apostle, New Brunswick
Selin Kayali, Kyaw Zin Myo Latt, Sean Roh

Sts. Peter and Paul, Great Meadows
Karl Schaub

St. Philip and St. James, Phillipsburg
Jacob Rodriguez, Matthew Rodriguez

St. Stephen Protomartyr, South River
Yedwin Crespo, Angel Rodriguez

St. Thomas the Apostle, Old Bridge
Saimir Collaku, Patricia Rodriguez, Justin Sabatino, Richard Sesay

Transfiguration of the Lord, Edison
Richard Grogan