During the Easter Vigil, the Catholic dioceses in China experienced a remarkable surge in baptisms, reflecting a significant resurgence of faith in the region.
Newsroom (10/04/2024 10:20, Gaudium Press) A total of 470 baptisms were celebrated in the diocese of Shanghai during the Easter Vigil.
In the other Catholic dioceses of China, a flourishing of the gift of faith was also recorded during the Easter Vigil.
In Beijing, 142 baptisms were celebrated in the Cathedral on Easter Vigil. In the Church of the Immaculate Conception, founded by the Jesuit Matteo Ricci, about 100 new Catholics received the first sacrament of Christian life, while in the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 25 baptisms were celebrated.
According to partial statistics from the Chinese Catholic portal “xinde.org”, a total of 349 of the 470 newly baptized people in Shanghai received all three sacraments of Christian initiation (baptism, confirmation and Eucharist).
On April 4, during the first week of Easter, Bishop Jin Yangke of Ningbo (Zhejiang Province) presided over the inauguration of the new church in Wenling dedicated to Saint Francis Xavier. During the solemn liturgy, which was attended by all the priests of the Taizhou Diocese, about thirty young people and adults received the sacrament of Confirmation.
Designed by a priest, the church has the shape of a cross and a neo-baroque facade. It is 39 meters long and has a total area of 1,500 square meters. The construction cost was nearly 8 million yuan, which was partly raised through donations from the faithful and a significant contribution from the Taizhou Diocese and state authorities.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Fides
