This Easter, Archdiocese Welcomes 642 Into Catholic Church

MILWAUKEE – This Easter, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee will welcome 642 adults into the Catholic Church, as 254 will be baptized and 388 will enter into full communion (in addition to baptism, they also receive holy Communion and are confirmed). The churches with the highest number of catechumens are St. Anthony Parish, Milwaukee (123), St. Michael/St. Rose parishes, Milwaukee (86) and St. Adalbert/St. Raphael parishes, Milwaukee (81).    

This is an overall increase of 140 people compared to last year’s numbers. While no specific cause for this jump has been attributed, many believe that it has to do with the “Francis effect,” mainly the simple, down to earth attitude that Pope Francis has with his followers throughout the world.

Last year, the Official Catholic Directory (the Kenedy Directory) reported 41,917 adult baptisms and 71,582 people coming into full communion in the United States. (Not included were the 763,208 infant baptisms.) Early statistics for 2014 suggest that the numbers for this year may remain the same.