Washington area welcomes a record number of Catholic converts amid falling national rates

[_Abyssinia]

For Austin Russell, Easter used to mean dyeing eggs and finding candy. “It was the Easter Bunny — it was fun,” said Russell, 19, who grew up in a home that wasn’t very religious.

But this year, Easter carries a weightier meaning for the University of Maryland sophomore. When he started dating a Catholic woman and befriended other practicing Catholics, he became interested in the church’s teachings. He enrolled in a class to learn more, and this weekend, he joined a record number of people in the Washington area taking the final steps to convert to Catholicism. Once he is baptized and receives his first Communion this weekend, “I can really walk into the church and say that I’m a follower like everybody else. It’s going to be exciting.”

Easter culminates the holiest time on the Christian calendar and is the traditional time to convert for some groups, including Catholics.

washingtonpost.com/local/washington-area-welcomes-a-record-number-of-catholic-converts-amid-falling-national-rates/2014/04/19/4776f510-c721-11e3-8b9a-8e0977a24aeb_story.html

 

[CB_Catholic]

This is great news.

I will be interested to see in the next few years the effect the New Evangelization has on this. My daughter’s parish is what I would call heavily into evangelization, and this year they welcomed 40 people into the Church, 5 of whom were baptized–I consider that rather remarkable for a 1000 family parish in a highly non-Catholic area.

 

[EmeraldOak]

Wonderful! I pray people keep coming home.

 

[Brigid34]

It bothers me no end when people write of Washington without the D.C. as this writer did. I live in Washington state and this confuses me.

I feel so happy that there are so many converts in that area! Praise Him!

 

[ProVobis]

This is great news.

Amid national falling rates?

Seems mixed to me.

 

[Sarcelle]

It bothers me no end when people write of Washington without the D.C. as this writer did. I live in Washington state and this confuses me.

I feel so happy that there are so many converts in that area! Praise Him!

You’re not the only one. I thought it meant Washington the state.

The northwest is one of the most secular parts of the country and I got my hopes up in vain.

My family lives there and I am praying for them.

 

[RosslynV]

It bothers me no end when people write of Washington without the D.C. as this writer did. I live in Washington state and this confuses me.

I feel so happy that there are so many converts in that area! Praise Him!

We simply refer to this area as D.C. and omit the Washington part.

 

[FollowChrist34]

You’re not the only one. I thought it meant Washington the state.

The northwest is one of the most secular parts of the country and I got my hopes up in vain.

My family lives there and I am praying for them.

Yes, I live in Washington State and, no, people are not flocking to the Catholic Church . Just to clarify. We could very possibly be the first state to vote to outlaw it, that is of course, if California or Oregon don’t beat us to it.

 

[GraceSofia]

It bothers me no end when people write of Washington without the D.C. as this writer did. I live in Washington state and this confuses me.

It is confusing. My first thought was, which Washington? Then I saw it was the Washington Post.

Amid national falling rates?

Seems mixed to me.

I don’t know what the overall national rates are, but it seems that more areas than just Washington DC are experiencing an increase.

In the Diocese of Cleveland, the number of catechumens and candidates is 511. That’s 100 more than a year ago, with many of those coming into the Church crediting Pope Francis with influencing their decision, diocesan officials report.

Bishop Robert Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Fla. — where around 1,100 new Catholics will be welcomed at the Easter vigil — blogged on the diocesan website that this is the largest number in his 18 years as bishop there.

Cardinal Sean O’Malley of the **Boston **Archdiocese welcomed a larger-than-usual crowd to the Rite of Election at his Cathedral of the Holy Cross. The number of catechumens and candidates — about 650 — necessitated two separate ceremonies.
After the two ceremonies, a pleased Cardinal O’Malley blogged, “It was the largest group that we have had in recent memory and about 100 more than last year. Perhaps it is the ‘Francis Effect.’ I do not know!”
Father Jonathan Gaspar, a secretary to Cardinal O’Malley, said that this was the largest number in a decade, though before the sexual scandals involving priests broke, it was not unusual for the archdiocese to welcome nearly 1,000 new Catholics at Easter.

Although no national figures on the number of people coming into the Church this Easter are available, several dioceses are reporting a larger-than-usual number this Easter.

I wonder why they don’t have national figures. According to the USCCB story (link given below), it looks like they keep track.

Read more: ncregister.com/daily-news/easter-conversion-boom/#ixzz2zV4tiSSO

usccb.org/news/2014/14-064.cfm

 

[ProVobis]

I don’t know what the overall national rates are, but it seems that more areas than just Washington DC are experiencing an increase.

Statistically, there would be areas higher and areas lower than the average.

That said, when I see growing confession lines, then I’ll be convinced there is some progress. But that’s me.

 

[AnastasiaRomano]

I wonder why they don’t have national figures. According to the USCCB story (link given below), it looks like they keep track.

Read more: ncregister.com/daily-news/easter-conversion-boom/#ixzz2zV4tiSSO

usccb.org/news/2014/14-064.cfm

From the USCCB story: "Other dioceses reporting hundreds of catechumens and candidates include: Oklahoma City (283 catechumens, 485 candidates) "

Oklahoma is one of the least Catholic states in the nation, so the Archdiocese of OKC showing up in the list of dioceses with large numbers of catechumens and candidates was rather surprising to me. God bless Oklahoma. (And Texas too – Galveston-Houston welcomed around 2,300 candidates and catechumens into the Church!)