These past few weeks of Lent have been very special for eight individuals participating in our Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) classes who will be joining the Catholic Church this Easter. Our OCIA students can be classified into two groups: Catechumens (a Greek word meaning "one receiving instruction") are those who are unbaptized and are seeking the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and the Eucharist. After undergoing the Rite of Election, they are known as the "Elect." Candidates are those who have been previously baptized in another Christian denomination and are seeking full communion in the Catholic Church by receiving the Sacraments of Confirmation and the Eucharist. St. Leo's has been blessed to have three catechumens and five candidates who will be joining the Church this Easter—our largest OCIA cohort yet! On Sunday, February 22nd, our students attended the "Rite of Election and the Calling to Continuing Conversion" in Little Rock, celebrated by Bishop Taylor. Our catechumens were formally presented by the parish to the bishop, their readiness was affirmed by their godparents, and Bishop Taylor formally "elected" them to receive the Sacraments of Initiation. Meanwhile, our candidates were exhorted by the bishop to continue to deepen their conversion and preparation for Easter. The weeks that followed consisted of special OCIA rites, and these looked slightly different for our students depending on whether they were already baptized or not. Our candidates underwent a penitential rite where the parish community had the opportunity to pray over them at Mass before they made their first Confession. Our elect are currently undergoing three "scrutinies" during our Sunday Masses where Fr. Shekhar prays over them, special Prayers of the Faithful are made, and then a minor exorcism is prayed over them. Our elect will also formally receive the Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer before entering the Church. All of these rites encourage deep spiritual reflection before our OCIA students officially join the Catholic Church at Easter. Please continue to pray for our OCIA class of 2026, their godparents/sponsors, catechists, and the parish community that they will soon be joining. We pray that our Lord will continue to call more people to his One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church, uniting all Christians in "one flock, [with] one shepherd" (John 10:16).