March 2, 2009 – Toledo, OH – In separate Rite of Election ceremonies at Toledo’s Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral, and at St. Michael Parish in Findlay, the Diocese of Toledo welcomed 513 people from across the 19 county diocese into the final act of preparation before they become new members of the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday, April 11, 2009.

There were179 adult and 40 children Catechumens. A Catechumen is an unbaptized person who is fully initiated into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil on Holy Saturday, receiving the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and Eucharist.

The number of Candidates totaled 311. A candidate is a person who has been baptized in another Christian faith. The 311 Candidates will receive the sacraments of initiation, Eucharist and confirmation, and will be received into full communion of the Catholic Church.

In addition to the 311 Candidates, 90 Catholic Candidates will re-affirm their profession of faith at their respective parishes at this year’s Easter Vigil. A Catholic Candidate was baptized as Catholic and will complete their reception into the church.

The number of Candidates and Catechumens encourages diocesan Episcopal Vicar Father Michael Billian. “What a powerful sign for those of us who have been lifetime members of the church to see so many people respond to God’s call to join us in the Roman Catholic Communion. We may think from the inside of our Catholic family that we are struggling over one issue or another, but this hopeful sign of strong numbers reminds us that God is still in charge of His church.”

The Diocese of Toledo, established April 15, 1910 encompasses 8222 square miles in a mixture of urban and rural areas that spans 19 counties across Northwest Ohio, serving 306,532 Catholics. The diocese includes Allen, Crawford, Defiance, Erie, Fulton, Hancock, Henry, Huron, Lucas, Ottawa, Paulding, Putnam, Richland, Sandusky, Seneca, Van Wert, Williams, Wood and Wyandot counties.

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