Essay: A Lent Like No Other
To my mind, Lent comes at the perfect time of year: the middle-to-end of winter. In the Northeast, it is still chilly. The sunlight is a pale gold, reminding us that the full bloom of spring flowers is still out of reach. The trees, in their bare elegance, symbolize the need for hibernation, the need to turn inward. Along with these natural reminders, the Liturgical Calendar invites us to take a break from the routine and the everyday. We enter the Paschal Mystery with Jesus Christ, renewing our commitment to live unselfishly and love openly.
The season of Lent is an invitation to take stock of our lives: Where am I going? Where can I improve in my relationships – with God, others, and myself? Lent is a formal time of preparation for Easter and our chance to reflect. We are called to pray more, sacrifice deeply, focus on service, and renew our trust in God, letting go of the pride that mistakenly tells us we can “do” life on our own terms.
Lent is also a special time for 26 men and women at St Ignatius Loyola. These adults are part of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA)—the way adults are welcomed into the Catholic Church. While their formal preparation began in September of 2024, their journey with God began much earlier. Some have known God their whole lives, while others have only recently been made aware of God’s personal and abiding presence. They all have one thing in common: a sense that God is calling them—each of them—by name.
Today at the 11 AM Solemn Mass, Fr. Yesalonia, our Pastor, will lead us in the Rite of Sending and the Rite of Call to Continuing Conversion. The first rite officially affirms the readiness of our catechumens (those adults preparing for Baptism, Confirmation and First Eucharist). The second rite recognizes our candidates seeking to complete their Christian Initiation or to be received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.
Then in the afternoon, our catechumens will join hundreds of other adults from parishes across the Archdiocese at the Rite of Election, where Cardinal Dolan will officially accept the catechumens’ desire to become Catholic as they enter the final phase of preparation for the Easter Sacraments. They will each write their names in the Book of the Elect, signifying that God has chosen them.
During this time, I am reminded of my own experience of becoming Catholic in April of 2004 (21 years ago). I was clearly called by Christ but was unprepared for my loved ones’ reactions. My friends, most of whom were raised Catholic, had mixed emotions ranging from thinking I had “gone off the deep end” to their wide-eyed curiosity of my being able to choose this religion for myself. My family struggled to understand while I struggled to find words to help them understand. It was challenging at times, but saying yes to God and joining the Catholic Church remains one of the most important decisions of my life.
I also recall that particular Lent seemed so long. My hunger for the Eucharist grew in leaps and bounds daily as we approached the Easter Vigil. Looking back, it was a blessing to have time to pray, come close to Jesus, and trust God – with everything. It was the most graced time in my formation. It was truly a Lent like no other.
During Lent, let’s include these men and women in our prayers—that their ‘yes’ to God’s call will reverberate in their hearts for the rest of their lives. Let us also pray for our Parish community, that we may be a shining example of Christ’s light in the world to all people, each of whom God calls by name.
Skye Christina Angioletti
OCIA Team Member