On March 10, at 2:30 p.m., at Mary, Queen of the World Cathedral, Archbishop Christian Lépine will welcome the catechumens of the diocese, with their assistants and catechists, to the Decisive Call celebration.

What is the Decisive Call?

The Decisive Call is a liturgical celebration during which pastoral teams will introduce, to the Archbishop, the catechumens they have accompanied and prepared for Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion in view of the next Easter Vigil. During this celebration, Archbishop Lépine will officially admit these catechumens, so that they can receive the sacraments. They will then be granted a new status, either the “Called” or the “Elect”. Indeed, they will be “called” or “elected” by God, and will be able to receive Baptism, Confirmation and the Eucharist on Easter Vigil, as full members of the Church.

More than a hundred of catechumens are expected to take part of this celebration at the cathedral.

After taking this step, the catechumens will return to their own parishes to live a period of Purification and Enlightenment. During this period, which coincides with Lent, they will spend time in interior reflection as part of their spiritual preparation in order to receive the grace of the Holy Spirit, which will be granted to them through the Sacraments. Specific rituals will be held on their behalf in parishes, especially exorcism prayers (The Scrutinies) and the anointment of the catechumens with oil, to reinforce their inner strength in view of what they will go through during the Easter Vigil.

As we can see, this preparation process for adults seeking Christian initiation through baptism and other sacraments is highly structured and follows the catechumenal model, as described in RCIA/RICA . The Decisive Call is one of the milestones on their journey: by being welcomed by the Archbishop in his cathedral, these future baptized adults will have the opportunity to live, for the first time, a significant experience of the Diocesan Church. Seeing a hundred of other adults who, like them, have prepared for baptism, will enable them to see that they are not alone on that journey. This will also enable the community to see that the Lord continues to call, even today, new people into its Church!

Let us come in large numbers to show our support!

P.S.: Everyone is invited to take part of this liturgy. Please take note, however, that it will not take place as part of the Eucharist.