Rite of Election, Call to Continuing Conversion ceremonies in Westminster and Southwark

The 2011 'Rite of Election and 'Call to Continuing Conversion' ceremonies took place in dioceses around the country over the weekend.

At Westminster Cathedral, 847 adults from 144 parishes in the Diocese of Westminster took the penultimate step in their journey to become Catholic at services on Saturday and Sunday. Among them 62 adults who will become Catholics as part of the Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham celebrated their call to continuing conversion on their journey to being received into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

The ceremonies were presided over by the Archbishop of Westminster, the Most Reverend Vincent Nichols with Auxiliary Bishops John Arnold, Bishop Alan Hopes and Bishop George Stack and Fr Keith Newton, Ordinary of the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham.

Archbishop Peter Smith presided at the Rite of Election and Call to Continuing Conversion at St George's Cathedral in Southwark on Saturday. He welcomed the 274 Catechumens and 252 Candidates who came from 88 of the diocesan parishes and the 155 Candidates (including seven former Anglican ministers) who are entering into full communion with the Catholic Church within the Personal Ordinariate of Our Lady of Walsingham. This gives a total of 681 Catechumens and Candidates who will be baptised or received into the Church during Holy Week in Southwark.

A congregation of more than 1,200 packed St George's Cathedral. The celebration was attended by auxiliary bishops, Bishops John, Parick and Paul, and by Monsignor Matthew Dickens, Diocesan Vicar General and Chancellor.

The former Anglicans welcomed at Southwark were:

Rev Simon Heans with 11 members of the Beckenham and Bromley Ordinariate Group who will worship at St Edmund's, Beckenham

Rev Christopher Lindlar with 11 members of the East Kent (Deal) Ordinariate Group who will worship at St John the Evangelist, Mongeham

Rev Stephen Bould with 14 members of the Folkestone Ordinariate Group who will worship at Our Lady, Help of Christians, Folkestone

Rev Christopher Pearson with 30 members of the South London (Kennington) Ordinariate Group who will worship at St Wilfrid’s, Kennington Park

Rev Ivan Aquilina with 30 members of the Sevenoaks Ordinariate Group who will worship at St Thomas of Canterbury, Sevenoaks

Rev Edward Tomlinson and Rev Andrew with 52 members of the Tunbridge Wells Ordinariate Group who will worship at St Anselm’s, Pembury