Bishop Beckman welcomes catechumens and candidates at Rite of Election
By Bill Brewer
Easter 2025 will always have particular prominence in the lives of Caroline and Logan Wright of St. Mary Parish in Johnson City.
In the Jubilee Year, the Year of Hope, Mr. Wright will be among the catechumens and candidates entering the Catholic Church at Easter Vigil. He and nearly 300 others in the Diocese of Knoxville RCIA class of 2025 gathered on March 8 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, where Bishop Mark Beckman led the annual Rite of Election and welcomed them as a group and individually.
Religious education leaders in the Diocese of Knoxville process into the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus holding their parish books of the elect to begin the Rite of Election service on March 8. (Photo Bill Brewer)
For Mrs. Wright, Easter will be an answer to her prayers as the Wrights and their young daughter, Eleanor Frances, begin celebrating the sacraments of faith together as a family.
Mrs. Wright grew up in a Catholic household in Knoxville, where she attended Holy Ghost Church with her parents and brother. Mr. Wright grew up Protestant in Johnson City and attended the same church until he was an adult.
The two met while attending Milligan University in Elizabethton, where he played baseball and she played softball. You might even say 2025 is a “diamond” jubilee for the young couple.
On June 3, the Johnson City couple will have been married eight years.
“It’s been a long time coming. Logan and I have been together for about 12 years, and just recently he decided to convert. I have been alongside him in this journey and watched him grow and learn and lean on people and have amazing Catholic influences in his life that have just led him to this place,” Mrs. Wright said. “We are just overjoyed with his decision to pursue Catholicism.”
Mrs. Wright shared that she was hopeful when they married during an ecumenical wedding that he would join the Catholic Church at some point.
“To see it come full circle has been really, really beautiful,” she said.
Mr. Wright said his decision to become Catholic is twofold.
Bishop Beckman is engaged in conversation with Logan and Caroline Wright of St. Mary Parish in Johnson City. Mr. Wright will enter the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil. (Photo Bill Brewer)
“Part of it is obviously the Holy Spirit and where He has led me. The other is unity with Caroline and as a family. We have a 10-month-old daughter. For me, I wanted to make sure we were unified when our daughter came. Raising her, we wanted to be on the same page and as one. This is what we believe, not mommy believes this, and daddy believes that,” Mr. Wright said.
He added that the situation definitely “was not a line in the sand.”
“But it was a little bit of ‘Hey, do some soul-searching and find out if this is truly where you are being called to.’ We’ve made some really good friends within the church, which helps a lot. We have gone to St. Mary Parish for six or seven years,” he shared.
Mr. Wright noted that supporters from St. Mary Parish have been important to his conversion. He acknowledged that exploring Catholicism was a challenge as a cradle Protestant.
“One day, it was like, hey, there might be a different way. That was hard. It has taken a lot of prayer and research and reading and talking. A lot of it is just going to Mass, going over and over again. You start to feel it after you go enough. It’s been really neat,” he observed.
Mrs. Wright said Bishop Mark Beckman in 2024 had some keen insight into her husband’s conversion.
“We came to Mass at the cathedral over Christmas and met Bishop Beckman for the first time. We told him where we were from and a little bit about Logan’s story. Bishop Beckman lit up and said, ‘This is Logan’s Jubilee Year. This is his Year of Hope,’” Mrs. Wright recalled. “Just hearing that and carrying that with us brought to life that we are walking on that path, especially this year with his conversion.”
The Wrights have plenty of company as he enters the Church with his wife and daughter by his side. St. Mary has a larger-than-usual class of catechumens and candidates.
“I think it’s a record year in Johnson City at St. Mary for the class of catechumens and candidates. I think we have about 30 candidates and catechumens total,” Mrs. Wright said.
Journeys of faith are never more apparent than at the annual Rite of Election, when women and men of all ages and walks of life from throughout the Diocese of Knoxville gather at the cathedral to have their names etched in Church history.
By virtue of them saying yes to God, answering His call to follow Him, they take a pivotal step at the Rite of Election just ahead of entering the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil.
This was the case when Bishop Beckman greeted the catechumens and candidates who are entering the Church in East Tennessee. Deacons David Lucheon and Walt Otey assisted the bishop.
Bishop Beckman expressed his joy at joining the catechumens, who will receive the Easter sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and holy Eucharist at Easter Vigil, and the candidates, who have already been baptized and will fully become part of the Catholic faith at Easter Vigil with the sacraments of confirmation and holy Eucharist.
“I think it is a beautiful and wonderful sign of the life of this Church that this diocese has more than 300 people journeying to the Easter sacraments. It is a sign of the work of God’s spirit, through His people, calling us to follow Him and to become part of this great tradition of the Catholic faith that is universal and goes back 2,000 years to the very beginnings of the Christian faith,” Bishop Beckman said.
The cathedral was standing-room-only as churches in the four deaneries of the Diocese of Knoxville congregated for the service. Those joining the Church through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) were accompanied by their godparents or sponsors and family members as Bishop Beckman spoke to them.
Bishop Beckman delivered a message to the elect intended to inspire them on their faith journeys.
The bishop opened his homily saying how he likes the way the book of Exodus begins: “The Lord witnessed the suffering of His people. Their affliction: He knew their suffering; He understood the pain of living in Egypt. And He determined to act, to set them free. He called Moses to be the instrument He would use to begin that great liberation of a people who were living in bondage.”
“That great paradigm accompanies us all the days of the great 40 days of Lent as we ponder our own journey through the desert with the Lord,” Bishop Beckman continued. “And the Lord also understands the suffering that each one of us knows in life in those moments when we are far from Christ the Lord. He understands the affliction of what it is like to live without that trust in the Lord and that anchor of meaning that holds life together, the centerpoint of human history, the God who chose to become human in order that we might share forever in the life of God to become beloved daughters and sons of God Most High.”
The bishop put in perspective for those entering the Church the significance of their commitment to faith.
“All of those of you who are here today who will be baptized this coming Easter Vigil have in some mysterious way heard the voice of God in your own life. You’ve experienced God’s care for you and His call to you to enter into the living body of Christ, the Church on earth. This great pilgrim people who journey through time in history to the great kingdom of God,” he said.
“And the call of God for you is individual. He knows each one of you by name. He has numbered the hairs of your head. In my case, fewer than there used to be. He knows your entire story. He has called you by name. And this Rite of the Elect today means that God has claimed you and called you to Himself in the great mystery of baptism,” he continued.
Bishop Beckman also had words of inspiration for the candidates in the congregation, letting them know that as Christians, everyone walks the journey of faith together.
“And I want to say this. Those of us who already have been baptized are also invited during these 40 days of Lent to recognize the ways in our own lives that we still suffer from a lack of trust in the Lord and allowing our lives to be configured fully to His call. It’s a season of renewal for us as well as we journey to the great Easter mystery. The Lord is still calling each one of us by name and wants to set us free from whatever elements of the bondage of our own Egypt we may still be living in,” he said.
“It’s a call from the Lord to each and every one of us today personally. But I will also point out that even Jesus Himself, the beloved Son of God, when called by the Father at His baptism to bear the light of Good News to those still suffering, experienced the crucible of temptation.
“So, we should expect in these days of Lent ahead, these 40 days, as we do throughout our lives, that the enemy will indeed attempt to take us off course from the call of God. A person once said every temptation is an invitation to abandon our vocation. And yet the Son of God beautifully and perfectly in His full humanity responded to those temptations with unshakable trust in the Father,” the bishop added.
He told the congregation that they do not live on bread alone but instead on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord Our God. “Him alone do we serve and adore, and we do not put the Lord Our God to the test.”
He noted that the Lord Jesus Christ has answered the temptation by a reaffirmed vocation.
Bishop Mark Beckman receives a book of the elect to sign during the annual service, which is a key step for people entering the Church at the Easter Vigil. (Photo Bill Brewer)
Bishop Beckman then extended a heartfelt invitation, in an extension of his homily, to the catechumens and candidates who were listening intently to the bishop’s message.
“So today, I want to invite all of you to a deeper, loving trust in the Lord’s call for you. The Lord wills always that which is good and right and true and beautiful. Trust the Lord. Trust His call in your life and say yes again,” the bishop said. “It is my joy, as your bishop today, to sign each of the parish books of elect, recognizing God’s call in your life.”
The catechumens and candidates have gone through RCIA to learn the basic tenets of Catholicism and to prepare for the reception of the sacraments. As part of the process, each RCIA class goes through scrutinies, which are rites of self-assessment and repentance, intended to uncover and heal any weaknesses, defects, or sins in the heart of the elect, or RCIA candidates, and to strengthen their resolve to follow Christ.
At the Rite of Election, a representative from each parish presented his or her book of elect to the bishop for him to sign. The books contain the names of each person in their parish who is entering the Church.
Deacon Jim Bello, who serves as the director of Christian Formation for the Diocese of Knoxville, presented the deaneries to the bishop and called up each parish representative in order.
“Bishop Beckman, as the solemn paschal celebrations approach once more, the catechumens present here, relying on divine grace and supported by the prayers and example of the community, humbly request, after due preparation and celebration of the scrutinies, they be admitted to participate in the sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist,” Deacon Bello requested.
Bishop Beckman then asked the elect to stand with their godparents.
“The holy Church of God now wishes to ascertain whether these catechumens are sufficiently prepared to be received into the Order of the Elect for the solemn paschal celebrations to come. And so, first I ask you, their godparents, to testify. Have they faithfully listened to God’s Word proclaimed by the Church?” the bishop asked.
The godparents then responded, “They have.”
“Have they begun to walk in God’s presence, treasuring the Word they have received?” Bishop Beckman asked.
The godparents responded, “They have.”
“Have they persevered in fraternal communion and in the prayers?” the bishop continued to ask.
The godparents responded, “They have.”
Bishop Beckman then addressed the entire congregation.
“Now I ask you, the members of this community, are you willing to affirm the testimony expressed about these catechumens and include them in your prayer and affection as we move toward Easter?” the bishop asked, to which they responded, “We are.”
Bishop Beckman turned to the catechumens and said, “My dear catechumens, I address you. Your godparents and catechists in this entire community have testified favorably on your behalf. Trusting in their judgment, the Church calls you in the name of Christ to the paschal sacraments. Now it falls to you who have long listened to the voice of Christ to respond in the presence of the Church by stating your intentions:
“Is it your will to be initiated into Christ’s sacraments of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist?” he asked them, to which each one responded, “It is.”
The bishop invited them to offer their names for enrollment.
After the bishop signed each book of elect, the congregation applauded for the catechumens.
Several catechumens and candidates preparing to enter the Church at the Easter Vigil gather for a group photo following the Rite of Election on March 8 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. (Photo Bill Brewer)
“My dear catechumens, you have been chosen for initiation into the sacred mysteries of the forthcoming Easter Vigil. Thanks be to God. Now, with divine help, your duty, like ours, is to be faithful to God, who is faithful to His call, and to strive with a generous spirit to reach the full truth of your election,” Bishop Beckman said. “Godparents, you have spoken in favor of these elect. Receive them now as chosen in the Lord and accompany them with your help and examples until they come to share in the sacraments of divine life.”
The bishop then turned his attention to the candidates.
“Bishop Beckman, the candidates present here, relying on divine grace and supported by the prayers and example of the community, humbly request that after due preparation, they be admitted to participate in the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist,” Deacon Bello said.
The bishop then asked the candidates “who desire to participate fully in the sacramental life of the Church” to stand with their sponsors.
“The Christian life and the demands that flow from the sacraments cannot be taken lightly. Therefore, before granting these candidates their request to share fully in the Church’s sacraments, it is important that the Church hear the testimony of their sponsors about their readiness.
“And so, sponsors, have they faithfully listened to God’s Word proclaimed by the Church?” Bishop Beckman asked.
The sponsors responded, “They have.”
“Have they come to a deeper appreciation of their baptism in which they were joined to Christ and His Church?” the bishop also asked, to which the sponsors again answered, “They have.”
“Have they reflected sufficiently on the tradition of the Church, which is their heritage, and joined their sisters and brothers in prayer?” the bishop further asked.
“They have,” the sponsors answered.
“Have they advanced in the life of love and service of others?” Bishop Beckman asked, eliciting a response of, “They have.”
“Now I ask you, the members of this community, are you willing to affirm the testimony expressed about these candidates and include them in your prayer and affection as we move toward Easter?” the bishop asked, to which they responded, “We are.”
“Now, my dear candidates, I address you. The Church recognizes your desire to be sealed with the gift of the Holy Spirit and to have a place at Christ’s eucharistic table. Join with us this Lent in the spirit of repentance. Hear the Lord’s call to conversion and be faithful to your baptismal covenant. Thanks be to God,” Bishop Beckman said.
“Sponsors, continue to support these candidates with your guidance and concern. May they see in you a love for the Church and a sincere desire for doing good. Lead them to the joys of the Easter mysteries,” the bishop concluded.
Bishop Beckman then prayed that as the faithful look forward to the saving mysteries of the Passion and resurrection, that all, by mutual renewal, may be made worthy of the paschal graces.
The candidates were applauded by the congregation.
In his concluding remarks, Bishop Beckman then offered his personal insight into the Rite of Election service.
“I will say that I have many reasons as a bishop to sign things. But the joy I had in signing these books of the elect today brought the greatest joy I have had in putting my signature on anything since I have been a bishop. I am very grateful to be able to witness your call from the Lord,” he said.
Deacon Bello rejoiced at the 2025 edition of the Rite of Election as the Church in East Tennessee continues to grow. He believes the number of people joining the Catholic faith this year in the diocese may set a record.
“I think it was the most beautiful one we’ve ever done since I’ve been on board. We had all deaneries together for one rite. The whole diocese, that whole body of Christ, was represented for our diocese at this one event with Bishop Beckman,” Deacon Bello said.
The deacon expressed gratitude to Bishop Beckman for the way he led the service that is so important to those joining the Catholic faith.
“He was so beautifully pastoral and welcoming to both the catechumens and candidates and the sponsors and godparents,” he said. “His way of approaching this was so very calm and welcoming. Everybody felt at ease around him. And it was very much streamlined from what it has been in the past.”
In years past, the Rite of Election was held over two days, with the Chattanooga and Cumberland Mountain deaneries taking one day and the Smoky Mountain and Five Rivers deaneries taking the second.
“People were able to come and enjoy the beauty of it, socialize afterward, and have plenty of time with Bishop Mark, and still get back to their homes in other parts of the diocese,” Deacon Bello said. “It took an hour to recognize all these beautiful catechumens and candidates, which I think we are at a record this year.”
Parish directors of religious education have reported robust numbers in their classes for the 2024-25 RCIA year.
“We’re continuing to see the diocese grow, and participation in this event was big. It was just joyful all around for all those reasons,” Deacon Bello said.
And while the numbers won’t be official until after the Easter Vigil, the deacon expects 128 catechumens and 220 candidates to receive their sacraments at the vigil. There are 266 sponsors and godparents.
