Posts Tagged ‘Baptism’

Liturgy is based on baptismal fidelity, and it is more than aesthetics

Thursday, July 25th, 2024
Synodal church

Recently, United States cultural celebrities addressed an open letter to Pope Francis, opposing further restrictions on the pre-conciliar liturgy. The letter, written by poet Dana Gioia, emphasised the aesthetic value and cultural significance of the liturgy according to the 1962 rite: “It would be short-sighted to deprive the next generation of artists of this source Read more

Record baptisms – France has something going for it

Thursday, April 18th, 2024
baptisms

France has experienced a remarkable surge in baptisms, with over 12,000 individuals baptised during this year’s Easter Vigil, reflecting a long-term upward trend. Despite ongoing discussions about rising secularism, the French Catholic Church has witnessed a steady increase in adult baptisms over the past decade as revealed in a French Bishops’ Conference report. Among the Read more

A Catholic springtime in France

Monday, April 8th, 2024
Catholic

What is a Catholic, from a contemporary perspective? The stereotype is that he or she is a sort of reactionary simpleton, a bit mean, a bit senile, obsessing over abstruse texts, preferring Mass to sleeping in on Sundays, and insisting on obeying an antiquated sect whose main activity is covering up sexual abuse. This pious Read more

Oxford Oratory celebrates uptick in adults received into Catholic Church

Monday, February 12th, 2024

The Oxford Oratory reports that an increase in adults seeking to be received into the Catholic Church means that it has had to start special classes to cater for the influx. As a result, the Oratory has been responsible for 5 per cent of such application requests within its relevant Archdiocese during 2023. By the Read more

Lay theologians empowered to perform baptisms in German diocese

Monday, November 13th, 2023
Lay theologians

The Diocese of Rottenburg-Stuttgart in Germany has given the green light for twenty-six lay theologians, both male and female, to administer the sacrament of baptism during church liturgies. This decision follows in the footsteps of the Diocese of Essen, which in March allowed non-ordained theologians to conduct baptisms. Bishop Gebhard Fuerst officially commissioned these theologians Read more

Transgender people can be baptised

Thursday, November 9th, 2023
transgender

The Vatican has affirmed that transgender individuals are eligible to participate as godparents and witnesses in Roman Catholic sacraments of baptism and marriage, and they can be baptised. The Vatican’s document, signed by Pope Francis and Cardinal Víctor Manuel Fernández, was published on the Holy See’s Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith website on Read more

Soccer great Ronaldo Nazario baptised at age 46

Monday, September 18th, 2023

Tuesday was a special day for Ronaldo Luís Nazario da Lima, the Brazilian and world soccer legend nicknamed “O Fenômeno” (“The Phenomenon”), who at the age of 46 took a significant step in his life of faith by receiving the sacrament of baptism. After the ceremony at São José (St Joseph) Parish, located in the Read more

Pope Benedict ‘closed’ Limbo and no one complained

Monday, April 17th, 2023
Limbo

Many conservative Catholics are upset with Pope Francis, who they complain is changing church doctrine, but they hardly blinked when Pope Benedict got rid of Limbo, a Catholic doctrine that had been taught for centuries. Careful readers will note that rather than closing Limbo, as reported by the media, what the International Theological Commission did Read more

‘Burgers for baptism’: 13 year-old baptised without parents’ consent

Thursday, March 23rd, 2023

Parents of a 13-year-old boy are angry a church baptised him without their knowledge at an event they say lured him to a park paddling pool font with burgers and lollies. Bay of Plenty mother Jesse Brown and her partner Luke were “shocked and upset” when their son came home from the park holding a Read more

Lay people permitted to officially baptise

Thursday, December 8th, 2022
officially baptise

A mother of a 5-month-old is pleasantly surprised that a woman would officially baptise her child in a Catholic parish church. The Baptism occurred last Sunday at St Hedwig’s Parish in the Catholic Diocese of Essen, in the Ruhr region of Western Germany. I had no particular expectations on this issue. Still, the fact that Read more