Amid a recent uptick in conversions to the Catholic faith, the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, reported it welcomed more than 1,000 people into the Catholic Church this Easter, a total that has doubled over the past decade.
According to the archdiocese, 1,162 catechumens and candidates were received into the Church this year at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul and parishes across the region.
Across its 128 parishes, the archdiocese has also seen a 62% increase in new Catholics compared with last year. Father Dennis Gill, pastor of the cathedral basilica, attributed the growth in part to the appeal of the Church’s “stability,” which he said continues to draw people seeking meaning in their lives.
Among those who entered the Church is a woman who experienced multiple miscarriages and later felt drawn to seek a deeper sense of purpose, leading her to begin Order of Christian Initiation of Adults classes. She has since welcomed a baby girl, according to the archdiocese.
Young people make up a notable portion of this year’s group. The archdiocese said 85 high school students are entering into full communion with the Church.
Archbishop Nelson Pérez told the catechumens and candidates during the Easter Vigil Mass at the cathedral basilica that this is “the night that the light of Christ will be shared with you in a beautiful way as you are immersed in the waters of baptism, into His very death, His very resurrection which this night celebrates.”
According to the archdiocese, about 500 catechumens received the sacrament of baptism, while the others, who are called candidates, received the remaining sacraments of initiation.
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