Q: A catechumen is awaiting an annulment and thus will not be eligible to participate in the diocesan Rite of Election on the first Sunday of Lent in 2018. She is otherwise prepared to be received into the Church. The RCIA allows for the entire rite of initiation to be celebrated “outside the usual times” for exceptional pastoral needs (26-30). No. 29 makes reference to the Rite of Election. If the annulment is granted, and her pastor deems it appropriate that she is received before the 2019 Easter Vigil, how is the Rite of Election celebrated? Can the diocesan bishop delegate a pastor to celebrate the ROE in the parish “outside the usual times”? Thank you for your kind assistance.
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A: Yes. You have two choices. The bishop may delegate the pastor to perform the rite of election in the parish outside the usual times. With this option, you may even continue with the three scrutinies even though it will not be Lent.
Or, you may use Part II Section 2 of the RCIA, “Christian Initiation of Adults in Exceptional Circumstances.” This collapses many of the rites into one celebration for a person who will be baptized at a different time of year.