The Archdiocese of Sydney is celebrating an enormous class of catechumens to be baptized into the Catholic faith at the Easter Vigil. The event of the Rite of Election – or the presentation of the catechumens – took place at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, officiated by Archbishop Anthony Fisher. The number of catechumens scheduled Read More…

A new study from the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University is examining the current rates in the United States of Catholic Mass attendance and infant baptisms and comparing them to pre-pandemic years. While there is still room to recover, the data shows that both attendance and baptism were on Read More…

Among the various traditions and customs practiced on the 4th Sunday of Lent, one included the visitation of a Christian’s baptismal church. This tradition was practiced in particular in England, though it may have been a custom in other countries as well. An early 20th-century magazine explains this unique pilgrimage: [T]he faithful would visit the Read More…

Choosing a godparent can be very tricky. You’ll want someone who not only shares your faith and values, but someone who can play an active part in your child’s life. Therefore, if you’re fortunate enough to have older children, you could think about inviting them to take on this important role — keep in mind Read More…

St. Hilary of Poitiers was a 4th-century bishop who would later be named a doctor of the Church for his profound spiritual and theological writings. Pope Benedict XVI commented on his life and writings during a general audience in 2007 and said, “To sum up the essentials of his doctrine, I would like to say Read More…

The Catechism of the Catholic Church has an entire chapter devoted to the sacrament of Baptism and in it are featured three different names for this gateway to Christian life. This sacrament is called Baptism, after the central rite by which it is carried out: to baptize (Greek baptizein) means to “plunge” or “immerse”; the “plunge” into Read More…

When godparents (or the catechumen to be baptized) recite their baptismal promises, they affirm and reject a variety of statements. In particular, they are asked to reject Satan, all his works and all his empty promises. The Latin word used in the last question is sometimes translated as “pomps.” What is that? Pope Benedict XVI Read More…

November 6 proved to be a very special day for three-month-old Zakhariy and his parents, Vitaly and Vita. The Ukrainian family were at the chapel of Casa Santa Marta, where Pope Francis baptized the little boy, who is the youngest of 10 children, during the liturgy. Coming from Kamianets-Podilskyi, in western Ukraine, the family have Read More…

Kat Von D, former LA Ink reality star and Hollywood tattoo artist whose full name is Katherine von Drachenberg, made headlines recently when she shared a video of herself on Instagram being baptized. In the clip, she’s surrounded by friends and family in her Indiana community, where she relocated in 2020. Von D sings in Read More…

Soccer players are more usually in the press for their impressive skills, or a love scandal of some sort. It was therefore great to see one of the soccer’s greatest legends, Ronaldo Nazario, in the media for some very happy news! The Brazilian shared images of his recent baptism at the church of Father Fábio Read More…

Taking children to church is not always smooth sailing. In fact, lots of parents can be quite anxious when their kids misbehave. We’ve tried to give some helpful tips before. However, even with the best intentions, things don’t always go according to plan, as a couple recently discovered. In a TikTok video that has been Read More…

On June 17, at the age of 104, José Lourenço da Silva received the sacraments of Christian initiation — namely Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation. The beautiful ceremony was celebrated in the chapel of St. Jude Thaddeus in Alto Piquiri, Paraná, presided by Fr. Antonio Murilo Macedo da Luz, pastoral associate of the Diocesan Shrine Read More…