Nearly 1,000 catechumens sign Book of the Elect in Miami

By Andoni Biurrarena - Archdiocese of Miami

Photography: Marlene Quarani | FC

MIAMI | For Kevin Gonzalez, a catechumen at Prince of Peace Parish in Miami, the journey to the Catholic Church has been both personal and transformative.

Born in Cuba, he was baptized as a child but never received further formation in the faith. Years later, after moving to South Florida, he’s preparing to receive the sacraments and fully enter the Catholic Church.

“It has been a year of growing in faith and coming to know Christ better,” he said. “I also want a Catholic marriage with my fiancée. Marriage is a sacrament,” Gonzalez said.

His sponsor, Armando Vidal — who is also his future father-in-law — said, “For us, the Church is everything. It is our identity and an essential part of our lives, our family and our community.”

Gonzalez was among 975 catechumens representing 110 parishes across the Archdiocese of Miami who gathered Feb. 22, 2026, at St. Mary Cathedral to sign their names in the Book of the Elect during the Archdiocese of Miami’s Rite of Election.

The Rite of Election is a liturgical ceremony, usually held on the first Sunday of Lent, beginning the final phase of preparation for unbaptized catechumens to receive the Sacraments of Initiation (baptism, confirmation and Holy Eucharist) at the Easter Vigil.

Surrounded by godparents, sponsors and family members, the candidates filled the cathedral as Archbishop Thomas Wenski welcomed them.

This year’s total represented an increase of more than 200 participants compared with last year.

Sister Karen Muñiz, director of the Office of Catechesis for the Archdiocese of Miami, believes the rise may be connected in part to the Church’s Jubilee Year.

The catechumens are part of the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), formerly known as RCIA, the Catholic Church’s process through which adults learn about the faith and prepare to enter the Church.

A catechumen in the Catholic Church is an unbaptized adult who, moved by faith, seeks to enter the Church and prepares to receive the sacraments of Christian initiation.

The journey typically begins in the fall and includes time of formation in Scripture, theology and the sacraments and in the liturgy and life of the Church. It culminates at the Easter Vigil, when catechumens receive baptism, confirmation and first Communion.

OCIA is open to unbaptized adults, baptized Christians seeking to become Catholic, and Catholics who were baptized but never completed their sacramental formation.

 

Called to holiness

During the ceremony, Archbishop Wenski reminded catechumens that signing the Book of the Elect is more than a symbolic act. It represents a commitment to pursue holiness.

“You are saying that you want to be holy,” he told those gathered in the cathedral.

The archbishop explained that the word “saint” simply means “holy one,” but he also offered another perspective drawn from his years of ministry among Haitian communities.

“In Haitian Creole, the word for saint is translated zanmi Bondye — ‘friend of God,’” he said.

“This is a beautiful and most appropriate translation, because the saints are friends of God, and only someone who is holy can claim to be a friend of God,” he said.

But entering into that friendship with God requires a commitment to conversion.

“Conversion means a turning to and a turning from — a turning to the Lord and a turning away from sin,” he continued. “But this does not end with baptism. As Catholics, we believe that conversion is our life’s work,” the archbishop added.

 

Adult conversions increasing

The growing number of catechumens in Miami reflects a broader trend of adults entering the Catholic Church across the United States.

According to a 2025 Pew Research Center study, “Catholic Life in the U.S.,” about 1.5% of U.S. adults are converts to Catholicism.

Many people join the Church through family relationships. Pew reports that 49% of converts say they became Catholic because of a spouse or partner, or in preparation for marriage in the Church.

The research also found that converts often demonstrate strong religious commitment: 38% of converts attend Mass weekly, compared with 28% of cradle Catholics, those raised in the faith.

Converts are also significantly more likely to receive Communion regularly. According to Pew, 58% of converts receive Communion each time they attend Mass, compared with 34% of cradle Catholics.

Sister Muñiz said the continued growth of the program also reflects improvements in formation and training in parishes.

The Rite of Election marks an important milestone in the OCIA journey.

The OCIA process is transformative and life-giving,” she said. “We have provided more training and formation which has helped parishes strengthen their pastoral, liturgical, and catechetical dimensions at every stage of the process.”

“It’s a very serious moment,” said Sister Muñiz. “During the ceremony the assembly, and the godparents gather together with the catechumens to testify to their conviction of wanting to become Catholic. It is very powerful.”

At both ceremonies celebrated at St. Mary Cathedral, every pew in the cathedral was filled, reflecting strong participation from parishes across the archdiocese. (Even the chapel had catechumens seated.)

All who signed the Book of the Elect will receive the sacraments of initiation during the Easter Vigil April 5, 2026, in their home parishes throughout Miami-Dade, Broward and Monroe counties.

 

Stories of faith and mercy

For those who accompany catechumens through the process, the experience can be deeply moving.

Giovanni Corlucci, who helps lead the OCIA program at Prince of Peace Parish, said participation has steadily grown.

“Last year we had about 10 participants. This year we have more than 15. Every year there are more,” he said.

Corlucci, who has served in the parish community for more than 40 years, said the process is spiritually enriching for those who teach it.

“I do this because I feel a responsibility and a calling from God,” he said. “But in the end, I feel that the catechumens give me even more.”

He remembers one moment that illustrates the power of the message of God’s mercy.

“I remember one catechumen who spent an entire class crying when we spoke about God’s merciful love — that He forgives everything,” Corlucci said.

“Some people have had very difficult lives and painful experiences. When they discover that Jesus died on the cross for our salvation because He loves us unconditionally, it is very powerful,” Corlucci added.

For Elise Anders of St. Augustine Parish in Miami, entering the Catholic Church brings a sense of fulfillment after years of searching.

“I grew up in a Catholic family, but we didn’t practice and I never received the sacraments,” she said. “Later in life I went through difficult moments and I found Jesus. I feel like I have been searching for God all my life.”

“Now that I am entering the Catholic Church, I feel like my life is truly beginning,” said Anders.

Her sponsor, Jennifer Kaufmann, described accompanying her friend through the process as a deeply spiritual experience.

“Entering the Church as an adult is very different from seeing babies or children baptized. To see an adult decide to become Catholic because of the love of Jesus Christ and because they believe it is the true Church is very emotional. It is a grace for me to witness. It has been an incredible journey,” said Kaufmann.

Like many gathered at St. Mary Cathedral that day, Gonzalez said the past year has deepened his faith and his desire to live it fully.

“It has been a year of growing in faith and coming to know Christ better,” he said.

As the catechumens prepare for the Easter Vigil, the moment when they will receive the sacraments and enter the Church, their signatures in the Book of the Elect mark more than a ceremonial step. For many, it is the beginning of a new life of faith.