Boldly our church expects not one but three scrutinies of catechumens before their baptism at Easter.
Scrutinies are rites of self-searching and repentance.
When people from another spiritual background seek baptism in the Catholic Church, they do so by stages. First we accept them into the order of catechumens. This rite of election generally coincides with the beginning of Lent. Three times during Lent the church prays the scrutinies to encourage a spirit of repentance among those who seek a worthy celebration of baptism. Although scrutinies have returned fairly recently to Catholic parishes, they originated early in church history.