BY RITA McINERNEY

Staff Writer

ATLANTA--One thousand and forty-one candidates and catechumens drew closer to becoming Catholics in four regional Rite of Election ceremonies presided over by Archbishop John F. Donoghue.

Catechumens will be baptized and, together with the already-baptized candidates, receive the sacraments of Holy Eucharist and Confirmation at the Easter Vigil in their home parishes.

In recent years, because of the overflow numbers of new Catholics, the Rite of Election is held in large churches in each of the four regions of the archdiocese at the beginning of Lent.

This year the rite was held at these churches:

• South Region--Saturday, Feb. 8 at St. Philip Benizi in Jonesboro, with 86 catechumens and 120 candidates enrolled.
• East Region--Sunday, Feb. 9 at St. Oliver Plunkett Church in Snellville, with 57 catechumens and 159 candidates enrolled.
• West Region-- Saturday, Feb. 15 at St. Joseph Church in Marietta, with 90 catechumens and 262 candidates enrolled.
• North Region--Sunday, Feb. 16 at All Saints Church in Dunwoody with 75 catechumens and 192 candidates enrolled.

Many of the catechumens and candidates began their day with blessings and prayers as their pastor and congregation sent them forth at Mass.

In the afternoon, in their first step toward the larger Church, they received warm greetings from Archbishop Donoghue who entreated God to pour out his abundant grace on them.

In his homily, the archbishop reminded those on the road to conversion of the "new reality which surrounds us here on earth, a reality that is different from all the life that preceded Christ. . .a reality that will be with us to the end of time."

That reality, is the "sacramental presence of God among us. In the time before Christ, God was apart from humankind, even though his glory was seen in the beauty of creation and his power felt in the tides of human thought and human action. But when Christ was born, God became man--and when Christ in his body ascended back into heaven, he left his Spirit with mankind. And today that Spirit of Jesus Christ lives in what we call the Church, and for us especially, the Catholic Church."

". . .The light of God's love still shines. . .in the love which the family of the Church shows today for our many brothers and sisters who are preparing to enter into this Church, and into the sacramental life which is the heart of the Church," Archbishop Donoghue told his attentive congregation.

"This light shines in the faith we hand on to you. . .and the handing on of the faith is one of the most important things we can do. That is why we formalize this event into a holy ritual, and that is why we speak in special terms that are almost legal in their impact and binding force, the terms of enrollment and election."

To the catechumens, the archbishop said the happiness of their conversion is "felt not only here among us. . .it is also felt in heaven, where countless souls await. . .to share with you that joy which reaches into eternity."

For all, the archbishop said, the real life, in Christ, is to be found through the sacraments. ". . .Baptism makes us belong to God, and confirmation fills us with the strength to live the life of God, the holy life, even if it costs us everything to do so. Holy orders gives us the priests to offer the sacrifice on our behalf, marriage allows most men and women to find meaning and purpose in taking care of one another and taking care of the children that God sends them."

Reconciliation keeps us within the fellowship of the Church and reminds us that we are sinners, the archbishop said, with everyone sharing an equal need for God.

"And above all, the Eucharist brings Christ into our midst, into our communities at the offering of Holy Mass, into our bodies when we receive him at holy Communion, and into our conscious prayer life when we spend time before him in our tabernacles in adoration and thanksgiving."

In each region, the Rite of Election brings the Church of North Georgia together in a ceremony rich in the solemnity and joy of Scripture, prayer and hymns, and the excitement of the participants and their supporters.

At All Saints Church on the afternoon of the first Sunday of Lent Feb. 16, the universality of the Church was reaffirmed once again by the rainbow assembly of races and cultures filling the church.

As the catechumens, their parents, godparents and sponsors were called forward by parish representatives to join Archbishop Donoghue and Father Don Caron, convenor, a heavy purple drape on the outdoor wooden cross lent stark reminder of the liturgical season. Nearby, conveying expectation and hope of the Easter season to come, were luminous yellow, blue, red and green banners for the four regions, flanking children, women and men preparing to enter the Church.

Archbishop Donoghue asked catechumens, and those standing with them, a series of questions as to their readiness to be initiated at the Easter Vigil. Parents, godparents and sponsors responded with affirmation.

When the candidates were presented, they stood in the pews as their names were called. When all were standing, their sponsors stood beside them.

The archbishop asked candidates and sponsors a series of questions. After their responses the congregation expressed with applause its joy and support.

A leader in the Atlanta Forum on the Catechumenate and RCIA director at All Saints, Melanie Gravinese attended all four regional rites. She said the intent of the planners to make the Rite of Election "a celebration of being called to God," and then with the closing of the service, "to send them into the desert (of Lent) was truly accomplished this year."

She was touched when Archbishop Donoghue said in closing that he wished he could be at every parish for the Easter Vigil but would be with those joining the Church in spirit. Then he reminded the elect that he would celebrate with them at the Mass of Thanksgiving on April 16 at the Cathedral of Christ the King.

"It's so important that everyone going through this process has the opportunity to participate. . .that every parish make the effort," Gravinese said. "There's something powerful here for them. It's worth the trip, the time. Think of what the numbers would be if every parish participated."

For people being initiated, she said, "there is the knowledge that they're not just joining the parish, they're joining the universal Church."

Archbishop Donoghue's enthusiasm for the Church in North Georgia, she added, is evident in many ways. At the Rite of Election, he remained after the ceremony was over, graciously signing programs and posing for photos with families until nearly everyone had left.

The reasons people decide to become Catholic are as varied as the individuals, according to Sister Louise Sommer, CSJ, director of religious education at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Atlanta, and active in the RCIA process since 1985.

"The most frequent reason is probably marriage. It's not only the young married. I had one person who had been married for 50 years decide to come in," she said.

Another motivation is good example. People have told her they've "always had Catholics in their life" and have been influenced by the good example they offer.

A few years ago when someone asked Patrick Shull if he was Catholic, he went to the dictionary. He liked what he read: "Universal--it's everyone. I found that in the Church."

He admits to being a workaholic until he awoke one morning "feeling as though I had had a stroke." Three medical opinions later, multiple sclerosis was confirmed. This was in the late 1980s. He gets about with the help of steel arm crutches.

"At present I have minor ups and downs, but I'm afraid the next major upset will put me in a wheelchair," he said.

He went from being a busy plumbing and heating expert to the classroom. He enrolled at Reinhardt College in Waleska and began a "long journey" to becoming a special education teacher.

He was also on another journey. One of his courses was comparative religion. He learned a little bit about a lot of religions including Catholicism. Frequently on his way to classes he attended weekday Mass at Our Lady of LaSalette in Canton.

Last year he approached Terry Zobel, who directs adult religious education and evangelization at St. Thomas Aquinas in Alpharetta. She told him RCIA classes would start in September and gave him literature. He joined the class as a catechumen.

"When I walked through the door of the church, I found love all around me. . .love I needed," he said.

Ching Leung said she was moved to become Catholic because of all the "nice people" who helped her when her husband was dying.

The Leungs came to Atlanta in 1970 and owned a restaurant until retiring eight years ago.

Leung cared for her husband in his illness, but she knew he needed the comfort of his faith. She found Father Joseph Chiang's name in a Chinese language newspaper and called him at the Newark office of the National Pastoral Center for the Chinese Apostolate.

Father Chiang had visited and celebrated Mass with Chinese American Catholics who meet the second and fourth Saturday of each month at All Saints Church. He told Leung to get in touch with them.

"A lot of people came to my house and prayed for (my husband)," she recalls. That love and support touched her and she joined the community.

Mabel Hui, treasurer of the group, is her sponsor. Like Leung, she is from Hong Kong and the older woman is comfortable with her because she also speaks Cantonese. Hui says she is grateful for the experience and learned a great deal from the speakers and class instruction.

Six years ago on Feb. 16, Brad Abbott and Beth O'Hara married at All Saints Church. This Feb. 16 he returned, a candidate from St. Thomas Aquinas for the Rite of Election.

Raised a Baptist, his drift away from church began in college. "It was when I met my future wife and her family that I started attending church again. . .I saw the love and strength they gathered from the Catholic Church. The seed was planted."

He said he realized early in his marriage that he wanted the Church to be home for himself and his family. Now, with Madeline, 4, and Sarah, 1, the Abbotts are "at home" at St. Thomas Aquinas.

The RCIA process, Abbott said, has taught him much about himself and the Church, how "God is a part of our daily activities. . .just a prayer away." He is grateful for all the love and support he's had from his parents, his in-laws and his parish community.

Wendy Nemsel has been attending Mass with her husband, Kenneth Kraft, since 1989. They were married in a Catholic church in Virginia and came to Atlanta in 1991. Their daughter, Kelsey Grace Kraft, was baptized at their parish, St. Jude in Sandy Springs, by Msgr. Daniel O'Connor, pastor.

"I have been attending the Catholic Church for so long, I decided to make it formal. . .and to be a better mom," the young woman explained. "At her baptism I promised to raise her in the faith, to offer her guidance and support and to raise her in the community."

She liked the classes. After being nervous at first, "people began opening up, talking of their personal lives." There was a lot of "very open" discussion. "Everybody can ask questions. It's been a wonderful experience."

Her sponsor, Carolyn Bradford, is "a tough act to follow," according to Nemsel-Kraft. A sponsor five times, Bradford said she "enjoys the enthusiasm of the class members." When someone once asked about plenary indulgences, Bradford copied an explanation from an old prayerbook and gave one to each person in class.

Each person is called by name at the Rite of Election. Mary Anne Fischer, from the archdiocesan Department of Catholic Education, presents each parish representative who calls the name of each catechumen and candidate from the parish Book of the Elect.

Representing the Atlanta Forum on the Catechumenate, along with Father Caron and Gravinese, was Rob Doerschner, RCIA coordinator at Holy Family Parish, Marietta. The inspirational music was coordinated by Alan Brown, who also accompanied soloists Janis Griffin and Sam Hagan.