Every year on the first Sunday of Lent, the Archdiocese of Detroit holds a Rite of Election, and this year's ceremony elicited a social media posting from the archdiocese.  

Catechumens, or unbaptized adults, who choose to participate in the Rite of Election, sign the Book of the Elect, indicating their intention to join the church and earning the title "members of the elect,” Catholic Times Columbus reported. 

“Please join me in praying for those who attended the Rite of Election yesterday, taking another step in their journey to full initiation in the Church this Easter,” Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron said on Twitter Monday. “May they walk close with Christ during this time and for the rest of their lives.” 

The rite serves as recognition that God is present in the lives of the catechumens and is inviting them to become a member of the Catholic Church, Catholic Times Columbus noted. 

Before starting the conversion process, a person participates in a "Period of Evangelization and Precatechumenate,” where the individual learns about Jesus Christ, considers his or her connection with Jesus Christ, and is typically drawn in some way to the Catholic Church. The amount of time required for the Precatechumenate process varies, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) explained. 

After that, they enter what is known as "The Period of the Catechumenate.” The Catechumenate Period can last several years or it can be much shorter. The time frame to complete it is determined by factors such as how the person is developing in faith and the way God is leading them on their journey, the USCCB said.

Catechumens use this time to consider what God is saying to them in the Scriptures, what adjustments they need to make in their lives to answer to God's inspiration, and what baptism in the Catholic Church entails, the USCCB added. When a Catechumen, the priest, and the parish team working with him or her believe the individual is ready to make a faith commitment to Jesus in the Catholic Church, the request for baptism and the performance of the Rite of Election are the following steps. 

Lent, which culminates with the Easter Vigil, serves as the ultimate stage of purification and enlightenment. During this period, the Elect engage in spiritual direction, prayer, and study, while their parish communities offer prayers for them. The sacraments of initiation - baptism, confirmation, and Holy Eucharist - are conferred upon the Elect during the Easter Vigil Liturgy on Holy Saturday. By receiving these sacraments, the person is fully incorporated into the Catholic Church, according to the USCCB.

The last period is known as the "Period of the Post-Baptismal Catechesis,” or Mystagogy. New Catholics use this period as a time of reflection and further education, which continues until Pentecost or longer, the bishops’ group continued. After the Easter Vigil, newly baptized members keep on acquiring knowledge about the Scriptures, sacraments, and doctrines of the Catholic Church.