Tens of thousands of people joined the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).
Many of them, known as catechumens, participated in the Rite of Election with their bishops at the beginning of Lent and were baptized, confirmed and received Holy Eucharist for the first time at the Vigil Mass. Those known as candidates, who were already baptized but did not receive further catechetical formation, have been pursuing an adapted version of formation and will completed their initiation. Other candidates, who were baptized as members of another Christian community, were received into full communion with the Catholic Church.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles, the nation's largest archdiocese, with over 4.4 million Catholics, celebrated two Rites of Election in order to accommodate all 1,294 catechumens and their sponsors. In addition to the catechumens, nearly 1,500 candidates in Los Angeles were formally welcomed into the Church.
Numbers vary across dioceses. Some of the largest groups coming into the Church are in the Archdiocese of Detroit, which welcomed 612 catechumens and 913 candidates and the Diocese of San Diego, with 851 catechumens and 1,036 candidates. The Archdiocese of Atlanta reported 457 were baptized and 631 received into full communion. In the Archdiocese of Seattle there were 636 catechumens baptized and 520 candidates welcomed.
The 2006 Official Catholic Directory reported 80,817 adults baptized in the Catholic Church and 73,684 coming into full communion the previous year. In addition, there were 943,264 infant baptisms.
One priest in the Archdiocese of Washington prepared his father to join the Church. Fr. Scott Woods, parochial vicar at Mt. Calvary Church, Forestville, Maryland, joined the Catholic Church in the ninth grade while a student at Archbishop Carroll High School. His father, James Woods, a former Baptist, began learning about the Catholic faith around the time of his son's conversion and recently formalized his faith formation. Fr. Woods was ordained a priest in the Archdiocese of Washington five years ago and presided over his first Easter Vigil when his father was welcomed into full communion with the Church.
Adults entered the Church in every one of the country's 195 dioceses and in virtually every one of the nation's nearly 19,000 parishes.
An entire family of 10 was received into the Church together at St. Anne Catholic Church in the Diocese of Wichita, Kansas. They grew interested in the Church when Jennifer Eastman, 29 weeks pregnant with her youngest daughter, Victoria, was admitted to Via Christi-St. Joseph Hospital, where she prayed the rosary for the first time while watching the EWTN Global Catholic Network. Less than a week after delivering Victoria, the entire family attended its first Mass together. Jennifer and her husband say they had considered becoming Catholic for some time and wanted to help their children grow spiritually. They found added appeal in the Church's universality.
The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults is an ancient rite that was reinstituted in the Church following the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965). It is the usual means for adults to come into the Church.
Infant baptisms take place in parishes throughout the year. It is estimated there will be about one million infant baptisms in 2007.
