KK sees a decline in RCIA candidates

The Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu welcomed 789 catechumens during the Rite of Election, the final stage of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on February 26.

Mar 10, 2023

The congregation at the Rite of Election.


By Liza Magnus
The Archdiocese of Kota Kinabalu welcomed 789 catechumens during the Rite of Election, the final stage of the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) at the Sacred Heart Cathedral on February 26.

The catechumens, their sponsors/ godparents, facilitators, and parish pastors gathered at the cathedral for the Rite, officiated by Archbishop John Wong.

The catechumens publicly expressed their desire for baptism during the trilingual Rite of Election.

Their names were recorded in their respective parish books, which the coordinators duly presented to the prelate for his signature. The catechumens are now called the elect.

During the homily, the prelate asked the candidates to reflect on the day’s first reading and Gospel.

In the first reading, taken from the Book of Genesis, Adam and Eve were tempted by the evil spirit. In the Gospel, Jesus too was tempted by the evil spirit. However, Adam and Eve fell into sin because they gave in to their desire and rejected God, whereas Jesus fully trusted the voice of God.

Archbishop John reminded the catechumens to emulate Jesus in adhering to the voice of the Holy Spirit to overcome temptation in their daily lives.

At the end of the ceremony, the prelate asked for a few minutes to share his concern. He said, a few years ago, the archdiocese had more than 1,000 elect to be baptised during the Easter Vigil, but the numbers are decreasing.

He also said for many years, although there were thousands of newly baptised, only a few came back to serve in the church ministries. The prelate emphasised that all baptised people, including bishops, priests, religious, and laity should do their duty to strengthen their faith and spread the Word of God. 

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