“Brothers and sisters: You have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of the creator.” - Colossians 3:9b
GARY – On the Solemnity of Christ the King, the largest number of candidates in a dozen years were welcomed to the Rite of Call to Continuing Conversion by Bishop Robert J. McClory and the Diocese of Gary on Nov. 23 at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels.
“Welcome to this, your home in the Diocese of Gary,” said the bishop to 106 candidates, their sponsors and families, close to 450 worshippers in all. “Today we celebrate the reality of what Jesus gave us, and on the feast of Christ the King, we mark our citizenship in the Kingdom of God.”
Intoning the theme of this Jubilee Year of 2025 declared by the late Pope Francis and confirmed by Pope Leo XIV, the Bishop McClory called the candidates, all baptized Christians who are studying to fully join the Catholic Church by receiving the sacraments of reconciliation, Holy Communion and confirmation, “Pilgrims of Hope.”
He noted that pilgrims are “people on a journey who bring to themselves and others joy and hope; we are together in this. You are not alone – this is the largest number of Rite of Call candidates in 12 years – which is a sign of the revival of our faith, a sign of hope.
“What you are saying in a beautiful way (through your journey) is, ‘I want more, a home, and all that the Lord is offering to you,” said the bishop in his homily.
The bishop said one candidate told him that while “of course, I’m coming (to the Catholic Church) for the Eucharist, what I really want to hear is ‘I forgive you your sins’” in the sacrament of reconciliation.
“The Eucharist is the food for the journey, for the pilgrimage we are on,” the bishop said of the Source and Summit of the faith, while the sacraments of confirmation, matrimony and holy orders are also available to those who embrace the Catholic faith. “You are saying, ‘Lord, I want more of that.’
“My challenge to you, for all of you, is that tomorrow you tell someone what you did today,” said Bishop McClory. “Don’t hesitate to tell people what the Lord is doing in your life. You can say, ‘This is what is right for me. Have you ever thought about that?’”
“St. Paul tells us in today’s reading that we ‘take off the old self and put on a new life, gentle, patient, bearing one another, forgiving one another. If you do that, we’ll change the world,” added the bishop. “You are the sign of hope for all of us because you found Jesus Christ.”
Bob Birkenfeld, a candidate from St. Mary in Crown Point, was baptized in the Lutheran faith as a child, he said, “but I always had an interest in the forgiveness offered by the Catholic faith. My wife and children are Catholic, and I just decided now was the right time to join them.
“I was surprised to learn about the consecration of the bread and wine into the Body and Bblood of Christ, and I look forward to taking Communion. It is a lot of hard work to prepare,” he added.
Danielle Beltran Flores, 19, of St. Joseph the Worker in Gary, said she was baptized a Catholic when she was a year old, received the sacraments of reconciliation and Holy Communion as a child, but is awaiting the sacrament of confirmation. “As it says in the name, I will be confirming my faith,” explained the 2024 Merrillville High School graduate. “As you get older, you get busy, so as I’m preparing to go to college, I wanted to do this now.
“I’ve really enjoyed my (Order of Christian Initiation for Adults) classes, which have been in more of a discussion format,” Flores said. “Our teacher reads and explains a topic and our class of about 12 people talks about it and comes to a mutual understanding. It’s very friendly and we have a lot of laughs, too.”
Jaslyn Morando, 17, who will receive her sacraments next spring during the Easter Vigil at Sacred Heart in Whiting, was joined at the Rite of Call not only by her sponsor and family friend, Whiting Mayor Steve Spebar, but her proud grandmother, Laura Morando. “I knew my nana wanted this, and I look forward to being part of Christ’s community,” said Morando as her grandmother beamed.
“This is a wonderful thing,” added Laura Morando.
Caption: A group of candidates and their sponsors from Holy Family Parish in LaPorte and other parishes in the Diocese of Gary participate in the Rite of Call to Continuing Conversion at the Cathedral of the Holy Angels on Nov. 23. Deacon Dennis Guernsey announced each candidate’s name as Bishop Robert J. McClory recognized and accepted their intent to fully join the Catholic Church. (Marlene A. Zloza photo)
