SHANGHAI (Agenzia Fides): A total of 470 baptisms were celebrated in the Diocese of Shanghai, China, during the Easter Vigil on March 28. A precious flourishing of faith was also recorded. In Beijing, 142 baptisms were celebrated in the cathedral while at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, founded by the Jesuit Father Matteo Ricci, about 100 new Catholics were baptised while at the Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel 25 baptisms were celebrated.
According to partial statistics on xinde.org, a total of 349 of the 470 newly baptised in Shanghai received all three sacraments of Christian initiation: baptism, confirmation and the Eucharist.
On April 4, the first week of Easter, Bishop Jin Yangke of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, presided over the inauguration of the new church in Wenling dedicated to St. Francis Xavier.
During the solemn liturgy, attended by all the priests of the Diocese of Taizhou, about 30 young people and adults received the sacrament of Confirmation.
Designed by a priest, the church has the shape of a cross and a neo-baroque façade. It is 39 metres long and has a total area of 1,500 square metres. The construction cost close to eight million yuan [HK$8.8 million], which was partly raised through donations from the faithful and a significant contribution from the diocese and state authorities.
