Above: A catechumen signs his name in the Book of the Elect. Sun photo | Chuck Wainwright
135 Catechumens take the next step at Rite of Election
By Elizabeth Landry
Staff writer
When Shane Hawks-Andrews was growing up, he was raised by his grandparents — one Christian and one Jewish — who didn’t force him to choose a faith. In his teenage years, he went through some tough times and turned away from God. But around 18 years old, he felt a pull to reconsider his relationship with the Lord.
”I felt like I was just in a void. I needed God,” Hawks-Andrews said. “I felt like He was calling me, and there was just, like, something pulling me to Him. … I knew that’s who really loved me, and that’s who had me and who would have me forever.”
Hawks-Andrews is one of the many catechumens from across the Diocese of Syracuse who attended the Rite of Election on Feb. 22 at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse. In front of packed pews filled with family and friends, these men, women, and children were each called by name, presented to Bishop Douglas J. Lucia, and announced their will to be initiated into the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at Easter. Also present were OCIA candidates — those who have been baptized in the Christian faith and now wish to complete their Sacraments of initiation through Holy Eucharist and/or Confirmation.
As we reported last year, this group of catechumens has grown significantly in recent years — more than doubling from 65 in 2014 to 134 in 2025. This year, the upward trend continues, with a group of 135 catechumens presented to the bishop and signing their names in the Book of the Elect. This group, which represents 103 parishes within the Diocese, is diverse in many ways — geographically, generationally, culturally — but they are united in their willingness to answer God’s call and become faithful disciples of the Lord. In his homily, Bishop Lucia elaborated that this is a call to both conversion and conversation.
“God called you, and now God chooses you this Lord’s day for the Easter sacraments, in which you will be baptized and confirmed and share for the very first time in the Eucharist,” Bishop said, addressing the catechumens. “Along with the call to conversion, Holy Mother Church invites you to enter more deeply into conversation. These two words are similar, for they are both about a turning. The first, conversion, is about turning around, about walking in a new direction. The other, conversation, means that we turn to others, we turn to the Lord, to those around us. In a way, we turn to ourselves, and we speak to our own hearts, for there, we will find the truth of our lives: the Lord who desires to live within each one of us, especially through the working of the Holy Spirit.”
For Hawks-Andrews, who is now 27 and attends the Liverpool Catholic Community of Christ the King and Pope John XXIII, God’s call over the years felt like a nudge. “I always felt an internal nudge towards the Church. … If I were to reach for God’s hand ever, I always felt like being Catholic was the right path,” he shared.
Another catechumen, Ashley Lippert, 24, originally from Tully, said she’s had a positive experience attending OCIA classes at the Church of the Nativity Catholic Community, and was happy to see other young faces like hers. She is engaged to her fiancé, Luke, who, along with his family, attends St. Patrick’s in Otisco. Lippert said she attended a Baptist church when she was younger and was surprised to find that she could seek out the process of becoming Catholic as an adult.
“The Catholic Church, I would say, is very good about teaching everybody and welcoming new members,” Lippert said.
Frank Malla, a catechumen from Our Lady of Sorrows in Vestal, is an immigrant from Germany, along with his wife. Malla shared that a few years ago, their son Liam had just been born, and his mother-in-law was dealing with serious health complications. Her doctors were treating her with various antibiotics, but none seemed to work. Malla, a lifelong atheist, said one evening when he was feeling hopeless about the situation, he prayed to God for the first time.
“I surrendered myself, and I put my hands together for the first time in my whole life, thinking, if I can’t solve this, if luck can’t solve this, maybe God will do that for me,” Malla said. “So I folded my hands together, and I prayed to Him, and I asked Him to heal, to make a wonder happen, to do anything He can, or even just ease the pain, the fear, and the sadness out of our life.” The next morning, his wife received news that the doctors had tried another antibiotic, and this time, it worked.
Today, Malla’s mother-in-law is in good health. “God listened to me. He was there for me when I needed him the most, and I promised Him then and there that that sign for me is more than enough for my testimony. This is where I will surrender my life to God, and I will give him everything I can — whatever His plan is, instead of just following my own plan,” shared Malla.
Hawks-Andrews, Lippert, and Malla are all looking forward to officially joining the Church at Easter.
“I’m truthfully the most excited for the steps that come once we are baptized and confirmed, like being able to go to confession and actually free myself of any past sins in my life,” shared Lippert. “I think that’s one of the most beautiful and most freeing things we can do.”
Presenting Hawks-Andrews to Bishop Lucia at the Rite of Election was John Finn, the OCIA coordinator for the Liverpool parishes. “John has just been so kind,” Hawks-Andrews said. “He’s really just helped guide me, and just shepherded me.”
Lippert said Father Dennis Walker has been an important part of her faith journey so far. Also a newcomer to the Church of the Nativity in recent years, Fr. Walker will marry Lippert and her fiancé in July. “It kind of feels like I’m taking my journey with him,” Lippert said of Fr. Walker.
As the Diocese of Syracuse rejoices in the welcoming of these catechumens and accompanies them on their path, Bishop Lucia reminded all at the end of his homily that accompaniment from God can always be counted on.
“We know we’re loved whether we’re standing in a valley in life or we’re standing on the mountain peak, or any place in between,” Bishop said. “Today, Jesus reminds us that even as you and I struggle with temptation and sin, our God never gives up on us. Our God accompanies us. Amen.”
