Hundreds of faithful stood outside the Cathedral of Our Lady of Guadalupe on a crisp spring night as Father Ted Skalsky lit the Easter Fire, signaling the start of the Holy Saturday Easter Vigil.

Accompanied by voices raised in song, the congregation then filtered into the cathedral where they would celebrate seven adult confirmations, two adult baptisms, two Professions of Faith, and three weddings.

Those baptized included Greg Valadez and Iris Rivera, who also were confirmed and received their First Communion. Others confirmed included Lori George, Steve Matheny, Jerry Martinez, and Nikki Jo Salem. Making their Profession of Faith were Brenda Grabin and Kristina Hernandez. Married were Juan P. Contreras and Rosa Ortiz, Fernando Lopez and Juana Holguin, and Mayra Millán and Juan A. Salinas.

The Easter Vigil lasted nearly three hours, after which congregants were invited either to attend the weddings in the Sacred Heart Chapel, or a reception in the Fellowship Hall.

One of the organizers of the event commented that it was "the best I’ve ever heard as far as combining the Spanish and the English. Everybody took part and the celebration was extraordinary."

More than 150,000 Americans joined the Catholic Church on Holy Saturday through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA).

Among them, more than 62,000 participated in the Rite of Election with their bishops at the beginning of Lent. Approximately 24,000 of the group were baptized, confirmed and received Holy Eucharist for the first time on Holy Saturday, and 36,000, who already had been baptized, embraced full membership in the Catholic Church.