208 Baptisms on World Day of Prayer for the Church in China

At the Cathedral of Tian Jin: 208 baptisms on the vigil of the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China.

TIAN JIN (Agenzia Fides News Service) - On the vigil of the Solemnity of the Ascension and the World Day of Prayer for the Church in China (May 24), declared by the Holy Father Benedict XVI in his Letter to Catholics in China in 2007, the Cathedral of the Diocese of Tian Jin baptized 208 catechumens.

Following an intense preparation, the catechumens received the three Sacraments of Christian Initiation: Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Eucharist. As some of them said after the celebration, referring to the upcoming feast of Pentecost: "now we can celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit as Catholics."

According to statistics gathered by Agenzia Fides, among the 208 newly baptized, 61% were born after 1980; 83% are under 45 years of age; 53% have a college degree; the oldest was 64 years old and the youngest was 12; the average age was 33 years.

The priest leading the catechetical program at the Cathedral said. "in the last few years, the newly baptized are proving to be younger and more learned. It is a sign of the times that calls for a more adequate catechesis, of a higher level. It is also a challenge for us: priests and laity."

The Cathedral of Xi Kai, dedicated to Saint Joseph, in the Diocese of Tian Jin, was built in 1914 and is a Roman-style church, with a capacity of over 2,000 people. It is called "the French church" by the local people.

The parish today has over 30,000 faithful. It is a very active community that uses modern technology and the mass media to promote evangelization. It was among the first parishes to launch their own website and they have now opened a Blog for evangelization.

The Diocese of Tian Jing is a large Catholic community, where Catholicism has seen a considerable growth. It is one of the most important Chinese cities, under the direct administration of the central government, as is the case of Beijing, Shang Hai, and Chong Qing.

According to the Guide to the Catholic Church in China 2008, the diocesan community has over 100,000 faithful, thirty priests and forty religious sisters of the Community of Charity, in addition to about ten seminarians. (NZ) (Agenzia Fides 09/06/2009)