Wednesday, 16 February 2005 10:19 pm
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deckardcanineYesterday I contacted Brendan from ASM and had lunch with him, appreciating the roughly two-block separation of our offices. I expect to do this pretty often from now on, rather like old times but with fewer chess matches. He mentioned that he found a way to the roof of ASM, where he can see the Basilica. This detail struck me because I had seen the Basilica for the first time on Sunday, when I had my Rite of Election. Having just now realized that I wasn’t already a member, Brendan said, “Volunteering for Catholicism. Interesting.” While his tone was not one of disappointment, I infer that he didn’t mean the ideal kind of interesting. No surprise, really: even persistent cradle Catholics have found the prospect almost unheard-of today.
But at the majestic Basilica (which I intend to revisit along with the nearby John Paul II Cultural Center), there were well over a hundred catechumens and hundreds more candidates representing the DC region alone, for the second time slot alone. See, a catechumen is preparing for baptism into the Church, while a candidate has already been baptized but wants to transfer from a non-Catholic denomination. Both groups were comprised mainly of adults. Looked like a good crowd to me.
The main thing to make the event interesting for me, aside from the significance of it all, was the multiplicity of tongues. Almost half the spoken or sung words were in Spanish; the Archbishop didn’t even need a translator. They also had a bit of French and my first taste of Tagalog, while the program indicated Vietnamese in the earlier time slot.
My RCIA leader says he “pulled a few strings” to seat our church’s group in the front row. This did mean that we had a short walk and that my neglect to bring glasses had minimal consequence, but man, that incense was strong.
But at the majestic Basilica (which I intend to revisit along with the nearby John Paul II Cultural Center), there were well over a hundred catechumens and hundreds more candidates representing the DC region alone, for the second time slot alone. See, a catechumen is preparing for baptism into the Church, while a candidate has already been baptized but wants to transfer from a non-Catholic denomination. Both groups were comprised mainly of adults. Looked like a good crowd to me.
The main thing to make the event interesting for me, aside from the significance of it all, was the multiplicity of tongues. Almost half the spoken or sung words were in Spanish; the Archbishop didn’t even need a translator. They also had a bit of French and my first taste of Tagalog, while the program indicated Vietnamese in the earlier time slot.
My RCIA leader says he “pulled a few strings” to seat our church’s group in the front row. This did mean that we had a short walk and that my neglect to bring glasses had minimal consequence, but man, that incense was strong.
