St. Mary's Cathedral welcomes record numbers at annual Rite of Election

SYDNEY (OSV News) -- On March 9 at St. Mary's Cathedral, the Archdiocese of Sydney welcomed a record 384 catechumens and candidates at the annual Rite of Election -- a 30% increase in converts from the previous year.

They were accompanied by 310 godparents and sponsors from 54 parishes, swelling the congregation to more than a thousand in total and reflecting the increasing priority of evangelization in the archdiocese.

Simon Yeak, who has overseen the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults in the archdiocese for the past five years, described the experience as "unlike anything I've been part of."

"I never could have foreseen the rise in the number of converts coming into the church, and it's really a testament to showing where we are as a church here in Sydney," he said.

Outside the cathedral it was a gloriously sunny afternoon, while inside the usually hushed space there was nervous excitement as many catechumens and candidates experienced the grandeur of the cathedral for the first time and prepared to affirm their readiness for full initiation into the church.

They were ushered by the many volunteers who supported the afternoon together with staff from the archdiocese's Sydney Center for Evangelization.

The newcomers were also welcomed by one another like family, a testament to the connections formed through their parish RCIA groups and strengthened by months of shared faith and formation.

It was an exultant moment for the church in Sydney as the entrance procession led by Archbishop Anthony Fisher began. In his homily, the archbishop recounted the personal journey of Rob Parsons, the founder of the U.K. charity Care for the Family.

Parsons had welcomed a homeless man, Ronnie Lockwood, into his home for some temporary respite. The archbishop illustrated how this chance encounter initiated a transformative journey of "self-emptying and living the Gospel" for Parsons, who opened his home to Ronnie for 45 years until his death during the COVID pandemic.

The archbishop candidly addressed the challenges of Christian life while highlighting its deeply fulfilling nature.

Living out the Christian faith involves resisting the temptation to take an easy path, particularly during Lent, he said, a season that requires effort through practices of fasting, praying, and almsgiving.

It reassured those about to enter the faith and those journeying with them, that while we embrace self-denial, we are not alone in this journey; Christ is with us, guiding us to live a genuine Christian life through repentance and turning to him.

Sydney's archbishop concluded with a warm "Welcome to the Catholic Church" as applause echoed through the cathedral in anticipation of the newcomers' full initiation this Easter.

Another highlight of the ceremony was the procession of catechumens and candidates with their sponsors and godparents before the archbishop, who acknowledged each at a time.

The experience brought candidate Natalie Bonanno to tears as she shared the profound grace of this moment in her own journey to the Catholic Church.

"It was just amazing walking up to Archbishop Anthony," she told Australian Catholic Weekly. "To be in such a presence like that was just an experience I will never forget."

Bonanno hails from St. Benedict's Church in Sydney's Broadway neighborhood and attended the rite with her sponsor and fiancée, Andreas Forero.

For Forero, journeying with his bride-to-be was especially rewarding.

"I'm very happy to see her come back to the faith and prepare for our soon to come wedding. I'm very excited. I'm over the moon," he said.

Particularly poignant for the catechumens was the moment names were inscribed in the Book of the Elect. "They are now elect," Yeak elaborated. "They belong to the church."

"I really felt the Holy Spirit today, and leading up to this has been an incredible force of peace and joy in my life," said catechumen Matthew Murray from St. Declan's Parish in Penshurst.

"The sense of community is something I've not experienced before, just seeing the amount of people coming forward. The church is in a great place."

His sponsor, Karolina Jazwinski felt a great sense of pride and fulfillment accompanying Murray on his journey.

"I am very greatly proud that I've been able to influence someone," she said.

"I keep reflecting to when I was a little bit younger, I always struggled with the thought of 'How will I be able to bring people closer to God?' And it's really, powerful and special that I can be a part of something like that today," she said.

Daniel Ang, director of the Sydney Center for Evangelization, said it had been a "wonderful day to witness so many hundreds be formally recognized by the church in their journey toward becoming full members of the church this Easter, and to see their families, sponsors and parish teams alongside them."

"As our Catholic tradition shares and the Rite affirms, conversion is a transformation -- a turning toward Christ that transforms our entire being," he said.

"These new members of the church are not only embracing a set of beliefs, but they are entering into a profound communion with the living God. It is a grace-filled opening of hearts to God's love.