Four participants in St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish OCIA program affirmed their desire to become members of the Catholic Church in the Rite of Election in Winslow on Sunday, February 22, 2026. Bishop Ruggieri presided over the ceremony. Olivia Ford, Julia Dearborn, Joseph Dearborn and Warren Hunt were among the Elect and candidates who participated in the ceremony at St. John the Baptist Church in Winslow.

According to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops: 

The Rite of Election includes the enrollment of names of all the Catechumens seeking baptism at the coming Easter Vigil. Typically, on the first Sunday of Lent, the Catechumens, their sponsors and families gather at the cathedral church. The Catechumens publicly express their desire for baptism to the diocesan bishop. Their names are recorded in a book and they are called the Elect.

For more on the Rite of Election celebrated at three different churches in the diocese on the First Sunday of Lent, click here.