The quiet work of the Holy Spirit in scores of individual hearts bore dramatic public fruit at the Cathedral on the first Saturday of Lent.

There was standing-room only at the Rite of Election ceremony, the last big stop for catechumens and candidates on the journey towards reception into the Catholic Church at Easter.

The names of 46 catechumens (not yet baptised) and 124 candidates (baptised but awaiting the sacraments of Confirmation and /or Eucharist) were read out. They were young, old and middle-aged. They came from all corners of the diocese. And, as Bishop Crispian pointed out in his homily, many had come originally from distant parts of the world. In recognition of this, flags of different countries were displayed for the first time in this ceremony.

Also in St John’s Cathedral were godparents, sponsors and catechists, who had spent months or even years guiding the catechumens and candidates on their journey in faith.

The sheer number coming forward struck one of the candidates as really impressive. Joan Laleye, from St Joseph’s in Tilehurst, Reading, commented: “You are always hearing about how people are drifting away from the church, but it was amazing to see how many were coming in.”

In his homily, Bishop Crispian said: “Christ calls each of us individually to be his disciples, and we witness with joy the clear response you have given to the call of Christ.

“It has been intensely personal, but you have also begun to come into communion – with friends, sponsors, parish, and today with the diocese and the whole church.”

The Bishop urged the candidates and catechumens to play a full part in the church community. “In giving yourself to Christ, you are giving your personal gifts, and putting them at the disposal of the community. And by giving yourselves to those communities, you are no longer alone.

“We are called to be the candles of Christ in our world. We are called to love not just with our own hearts, but in a mysterious way with the heart of Christ as well.

“This is a moment that gives hope to the whole Church.”

Bishop Crispian was then introduced to all the catechumens and candidates personally, while the rest of the congregation sang hymns and psalms.

After the ceremony, refreshments were served, and the room buzzed with comment, laughter, and thankyous.

Among the crowd was an entire family of five, the Mellors, from Sacred Heart & St Therese of |Lisieux in Ringwood. The father, Anthony, explained that they were about to migrate to Australia, and they wanted to start a new life in a spiritual way as well. His wife, Danielle, has recently undergone serious surgery on her spine. “It made me think, re-evaluate my life,” she said.

Leah and Simon Mkwananzi from St Michael and All Angels at Leigh Park in the Havant Pastoral Area decided they wanted to bring up their two young children in a Christian family. “My father was a preacher, but I moved away from the church,” said Simon. “Lately I have started thinking that I should move back.”

From St Edward’s at Chandler’s Ford came Scott Morton-Roberts and Mathew Milner. Scott’s wife Siobhan is a Catholic, and he started joining her at Mass. “I began to see the direction God was taking me,” he said. “The community was so inviting and so warm, that I decided to take the next step.”

Mathew was influenced by his stepfather, Paul Conroy, who has brought him up since he was one year old. “In the summer I decided that the Catholic faith was a better way for me. The Journey in Faith group was excellent, really open and welcoming.”

The journey of Anushka Ponniah from St Edmunds in Southampton started back home in Sri Lanka. “Four years ago, I went for a prayer session in a hotel. A priest told me that one day I would go to a different country, and God would use me to minister to women.”

“Sure enough, I came to England with my husband, and I have been using both my shoulders for women I have met to cry on. Today’s ceremony is God’s light shining on me and the other candidates.”

Joan Laleye came to the Church through her work. “When I started as a teaching assistant at St Paul’s in Tilehurst seven years ago, it was just a job. I had worked in other schools, but never a Catholic one before.

“The whole ethos of the place was different – the family atmosphere, the way everyone looks after one another. It affects the whole school life. Everyone who comes into the school feels it. It made me think ‘There must be something in this’”.

Joan has also learned from sitting in on the children’s RE lessons. “The other day they were doing a lesson about the parable of the mustard seed. The children were asked what they thought it meant, and one boy said: ‘Well, we’re small now, but we’ll be big when we get to heaven.’ To me, that was spot-on.”