Note how the dioceses which have minor baptisms outpace infant baptisms all have large Hispanic communities. This matches with anecdotal evidence that Hispanic families wait to do RCIC so their children can recieve all the sacraments at once.
Maybe bishops should investigate a pastoral adaptation of returning to infant baptism, confirmation, and communion at certain parishes?
That picture shows a baptism being done badly. I would say that it is doubtful whether any of that water actually got through that girl's hair. If we are going to do more child baptisms (I have had more 7-18 than 0-7 this year), priests are going to need to learn to use immersion or at least a lot more poured water.
Not much to celebrate in the marginal increase in "older kid" baptisms. I'm pretty sure that a lot of that is simply "mop up" when parents turn up at a parochial school to enroll their unbaptized kid(s). I've personally known a fair number of lukewarm Catholic families who fall into this category in places like San Francisco. This is happening because the parent or parents are non-practicing Catholics, but the school is a nice alternative to an abysmal public school system. Of course, it'd be great if the move to Catholic school were accompanied by increased sacramental participation by the whole family, but while that happens in a few cases in most cases it does not.
In Houston, Confirmation is normally celebrated when a minor is 15 or 16 years old. I'm curious to know if there is a correlation between later Confirmation and an increase of older kid Baptisms.
Note how the dioceses which have minor baptisms outpace infant baptisms all have large Hispanic communities. This matches with anecdotal evidence that Hispanic families wait to do RCIC so their children can recieve all the sacraments at once.
Maybe bishops should investigate a pastoral adaptation of returning to infant baptism, confirmation, and communion at certain parishes?
That picture shows a baptism being done badly. I would say that it is doubtful whether any of that water actually got through that girl's hair. If we are going to do more child baptisms (I have had more 7-18 than 0-7 this year), priests are going to need to learn to use immersion or at least a lot more poured water.
Not much to celebrate in the marginal increase in "older kid" baptisms. I'm pretty sure that a lot of that is simply "mop up" when parents turn up at a parochial school to enroll their unbaptized kid(s). I've personally known a fair number of lukewarm Catholic families who fall into this category in places like San Francisco. This is happening because the parent or parents are non-practicing Catholics, but the school is a nice alternative to an abysmal public school system. Of course, it'd be great if the move to Catholic school were accompanied by increased sacramental participation by the whole family, but while that happens in a few cases in most cases it does not.
In Houston, Confirmation is normally celebrated when a minor is 15 or 16 years old. I'm curious to know if there is a correlation between later Confirmation and an increase of older kid Baptisms.