Almost 350 ‘welcomed home’ at Rite of Election 2025

‘This house of God is your home and I want you to know that.’ This was Archbishop Peter A Comensoli’s message as he welcomed one of the largest groups ever to the Rite of Election at St Patrick’s Cathedral.

A palpable sense of celebration and joy filled St Patrick’s Cathedral as a vibrant mix of people from rural, inner-city and suburban parishes came together to support more than 200 catechumens and close to 150 candidates as they embarked on the final leg of their journey to receive the sacraments of initiation at this year’s Rite of Election.

A number of multigenerational families took part in the Rite of Election for 2025, and three migrant communities—Chinese, Spanish and Indonesian­—were well represented.

In his homily, Archbishop Comensoli reflected on the journey of Jesus and its significance for the catechumens and candidates. He emphasised the importance of steadfastness and the call to repentance, drawing parallels between Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness and the personal struggles faced by the faithful.

‘We are reminded that as soon as he was baptised in the Jordan, Jesus was driven by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted by Satan to turn away from his own kingdom he had come to bring to us,’ Archbishop Comensoli said.

He encouraged the faithful to accompany Jesus into the wilderness during Lent, resisting the temptation to place personal gain before God’s will for their lives.

The Archbishop highlighted the transformational power of turning to Christ, emphasising the importance of repentance and conversion of heart. ‘To turn to face Jesus is to turn to our healing,’ he said. ‘So to walk into the wilderness with him is to accompany him on the journey to our healing; and it is to trust that the Holy Spirit wants us there, at least for a time.’

At the conclusion of the rite, Archbishop Comensoli invited attendees to take in the ‘beautiful glow of amber’ of St Patrick’s in the afternoon light and find their place ‘here, in your mother church’.

Milling around after the rite, many participants agreed that it had been ‘absolutely beautiful’.

For candidate Allison, from Holy Family Parish in Mt Waverley, the day cemented her love of Jesus. She says she’s looking forward to ‘receiving the Holy Spirit and furthering my faith’.

Thirsting to participate in Communion and the Eucharist.

Luke and Aelaine from St Simon the Apostle Parish in Rowville had visited St Patrick’s before but said they were seeing it with new eyes as they prepare to enter the Catholic faith.

‘We’re both Protestant converts,’ says Aelaine, ‘but the Catholic Church has such depth and reverence for the Lord that we were hungry for.’

Her husband, Luke, says their Catholic journey had strengthened their marriage. ‘My soon-to-be confirmation saint, Pope John Paul II, … the way he connects the ideas of love and responsibility and the Theology of the Body, it really gives us a true picture of what marriage is, of what love is, the weight of it … and its value to society and the Church,’ he said.

Catechumen Jason from St Peter’s in Clayton says he was encouraged to pursue the Catholic faith after attending Alpha, a course that explores Christianity and the core principals of faith that all denominations agree on.

He says he’s looking forward to participating regularly at Mass. ‘I’ve been thirsting to participate in Communion and the Eucharist, and I’m looking forward to doing that on a more consistent basis.’

Many parishes reported large numbers of participants, both catechumens (who are preparing to be baptised) and candidates (who are already baptised and will receive Confirmation and their first Eucharist).

One of the largest groups came from two parishes in Melbourne’s far north-west who share a Christian initiation program.

Naim Chdid runs the program for adults, youth and children at St Anthony’s in Melton South and St Bernard’s in Bacchus March.

The layman—who comes from the Eastern Catholic tradition—has studied theology at Melbourne’s Catholic Theological College and is now a dedicated pastoral leader of around 40 people going through the RCIA process. Twenty-eight from St Anthony’s and two from St Bernard’s took part in Sunday’s Rite of Election.

Naim says he does not know why there are so many people now interested in becoming Catholic. Some adults come to RCIA via their children, he says, after contacting him wanting their kids to be baptised because of the Catholic school they attend. He encourages the parents to take the journey too. ‘I say to them, “If you want it for your children, you need it for yourself.” And now many have done that.’

If you want it for your children, you need it for yourself.

One of this year’s catechumens came to that decision even before he went to Naim’s course.

Jacob’s eight-year-old daughter Ivy asked him out of the blue if she could start going to church. He didn’t know where the idea came from and says Ivy didn’t either—neither he nor Ivy’s mother had a religious upbringing, and Ivy didn’t have religious instruction at her public school.

He wanted to support Ivy, so he started attending St Bernard’s in Bacchus Marsh, close to where they lived.

‘I feel weird when we miss Mass. We try to go a few times a week,’ he says. ‘I enjoy going, but I also get enjoyment from seeing my daughter happy.’

Peter, another catechumen from St Bernard’s, is only in his early 20s, but he says he ‘truly believes’ he has found his path to God.

He turned to Christianity after walking away physically unscathed from a horrific car accident when he was just 18 years old. His mother and father were lapsed Anglican and Lutheran, respectively, but those churches didn’t suit Peter.

The then-university student was attending an evangelical church, and having animated discussions about religion with Catholic friends, when one night he dreamt of the Eucharist. ‘I realised that’s where I needed to be, and I’ve been going to Mass ever since.’

Adults coming to faith may have wounds, things to deal with, broken relationships. So the journey has to be pastorally well discerned. We have to walk with a person, be sensitive.

Both Jacob and Peter have been attending the RCIA classes run by Naim Chdid. Jacob says it was a parishioner at Bacchus Marsh who suggested it because his daughter had been talking about wanting to get baptised.

‘I have questioned—everyone does—and the answers don’t always sit right with me. But I went a lot to make sure I’m understanding everything.’

Naim runs two classes a week to give everyone an opportunity to participate. He says the RCIA process can be tough on parishes, which sometimes struggle to find the resources and people to conduct the classes. It takes a dedicated person to run them, too.

‘Adults coming to faith may have wounds, things to deal with, broken relationships,’ Naim says. ‘So the journey has to be pastorally well discerned. We have to walk with a person, be sensitive.’

They know enough to say they want to become Catholic. They know what they believe. They don’t have to know everything—it’s a lifelong journey.

Another RCIA coordinator, Kevin Mark from St Mary of the Angels in Geelong, says the power in getting to the final stages of the process cannot be underestimated.

He says at the Rite of Election, candidates or catechumens-elect often weep at being there in the Cathedral, seeing how many other people are with them, taking up the faith.

‘They know enough to say they want to become Catholic,’ Kevin says. ‘They know what they believe. They don’t have to know everything—it’s a lifelong journey.

‘People [with the] dedication to come today, they know they’re serious about it. They really want this.’