Today was the Rite of Election.

Born a cradle Catholic,
I had never attended one.
So I wondered about its significance.

As 495 Catechumens from the North and West of the diocese gathered,
I realised how much journeying had gone into this moment —
how many conversations, doubts, questions were discussed.

In total, about 1,300 will acknowledge You as their Saviour
and enter the Church this Easter.

I watched as they wrote their names on the scroll —
a record that they became the Elect today.

Name by name.
Hand by hand.

I remember requesting my own Baptism Certificate earlier this year.
The parish secretary pulled out a very thick book
and flipped carefully to my baptismal year
before finding my name, written in ink.

Recorded.
Preserved.

Long before I could choose.
Today, I watched others choose.

Today I understood what it means
to rely solely on the hope of heavenly grace.