FLATLANDS — More than 450 people from across Brooklyn and Queens took their final steps towards full union with the Church by participating in the Call to Continuing Conversion celebrated at St. Thomas Aquinas Church on March 1.
Part of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), the ceremony is for baptized adults who seek full communion with the Church through the sacraments of the Eucharist and confirmation.
Each candidate was welcomed by Father Joseph Gibino, the diocese’s vicar for evangelization and catechesis. They were accompanied on March 1 by their sponsors and families, filling the Brooklyn church with more than 1,000 people.
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Each candidate will receive their sacraments in their respective parishes at this year’s Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, April 4.
Thirty-three-year-old candidate Sakena Oliver was born and baptized in the island-nation of Jamaica. She said that while her family never settled into one church, she has always taken her faith seriously. Now a mother, she said she wants to properly raise and educate her children in the ways of the Catholic faith.
A member of St. Mark Church in Sheepshead Bay, Oliver credits much of her own formation to her sponsor, Veroneque Ignace, who said she was proud to put her hand on her shoulder as a sign of support during the ceremony.
Also happy to show his support was sponsor Christopher Lopez, who stood side-by-side with Jonathon Gonzalez and members of his family. Gonzalez will complete his first sacraments at St. Michael’s Church in Flushing.
In the front row sat Father Edmundo Molina, who serves Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church in Sunset Park. When he asked those around him about the countries they emigrated from, the responses were Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, and Guatemala, among others.
He credited Beatris Comesul with coordinating the OLPH program that brought 19 adults with Hispanic backgrounds to this year’s ceremony.
Father Gibino, in his homily, told the candidates that “You are here today because God has called you on a journey of faith, so that you can soar to the heavens and to tell people that Jesus Christ has risen from the dead.”
Father Gibino added that while the journey can be difficult, “when you have the Eucharist and Confirmation, you have the grace to get you through.”
In Brooklyn and Queens, the OCIA is under the direction of Joann Roa, director of faith formation. She explained that 683 catechumens are also preparing to be baptized, confirmed, and receive the Eucharist for the first time at the Easter Vigil.
The Rite of Election, when the Church recognizes the catechumens’ readiness to proceed, was scheduled for Feb. 22 but had to be cancelled due to a snowstorm. Instead, they were to be conducted by pastors in their individual parishes.
“It’s very exciting, encouraging, and hopeful,” Roa said, “because, with all the conflict, chaos, and strife in this world, there are still many who are seeking the peace and love only Christ can offer.”