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March 5, 2026Since my installation as archbishop 15 years ago, I have not ceased praying for a new Pentecost leading to a New Evangelization in Oklahoma, a renewal that would stir in hearts a deeper encounter with the Word made flesh and a conscious decision to follow Jesus Christ.
While the Lord certainly has the power to pierce thousands of hearts in a single moment, as he did in Jerusalem on that first Pentecost Sunday 2,000 years ago, more often he works quietly and faithfully, like a seed growing beneath the soil.
On a recent Sunday, I had the distinct joy of witnessing those fruits at the Blessed Stanley Rother Shrine as I celebrated the Rite of Election for catechumens – men and women who have never been baptized and who now desire to receive the Sacraments of Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation and the Holy Eucharist as well as candidates who have already been baptized in another Christian community and who are preparing to be received into full communion with the Catholic Church at Easter.
Last year, we were blessed to welcome 635 people into the Church at Easter. This year, that number will be nearly 1,000!
Each Lent, we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down and do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10–11).
God’s word carries within it the power to awaken, to heal and to transform. The message we carry of love, mercy and hope is an invitation to encounter the living Lord. Standing before hundreds of catechumens and candidates, I witnessed the fruitfulness of that word with their courageous “yes” to Christ serving as a visible sign of grace at work.
No conversion happens in isolation. Every person who stood before me that day undoubtedly represented countless prayers of spouses, parents, siblings, friends and co-workers. I cannot help but think of Saint Monica, whose persistent prayers bore fruit in the conversion of her searching son, Saint Augustine. In much the same way, the Lord has used the faithful prayers of many in the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City to draw these men and women to himself.
Lent offers each of us 40 days of renewal through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. It is a season of purification, but also of hope. As these catechumens – now called the elect – and candidates enter their final weeks of preparation, we are invited to accompany them spiritually. Their journey is not separate from ours. Their conversion invites us to examine our own hearts. Have we allowed the word of God to accomplish its purpose in us?
I invite you to hold them in your prayers and give thanks to God that they have heard his voice and responded. Ask the Lord to strengthen and protect them as they journey toward the waters of Baptism and the banquet table of the Lord. And let us continue to pray for those whom the Lord is still calling, that they may find the courage to respond.
May these remaining days of Lent draw each of us into deeper dependence on God’s love and greater confidence in his saving work among us. May the Holy Spirit continue to bring about that new Pentecost for which we pray.