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Vol. 80, No. 17 $.50 PER ISSUE
Thursday, April 27, 2000
Contents
Headline Hopscotch 2
News 3
Commentary 4-5
Around the Diocese 6-7
Faith Alive! 8-9
Notices 10-11
Last But Not Least 12
Church welcomes tens of
thousands of new members
at Easter
By Nancy Hartnagel
Washington (CNS)
t Easter Vigil services around the country,
the Catholic Church welcomed tens of
thousands of new members. In the 90 U.S. dio
ceses for which Catholic News Service obtained
figures, approximately 63,000 people became
Catholic April 22 at solemn Holy Saturday vig
ils that mark the high point of the church’s litur
gical year.
This figure includes nearly 24,000 catechu
mens who had never been baptized in any
Christian denomination and who were baptized,
confirmed and received first Eucharist, as well
as some 39,000 candidates, or baptized Chris
tians who were initiated fully as Catholics
through the sacraments of Confirmation and
Eucharist.
Pope John Paul II leads the Way of the
Cross around Rome's ancient
Colosseum on Good Friday, April 21.
If the balance of U.S. dioceses—roughly
half—report similar numbers, the total of new
Catholics likely would be well over 100,000.
The numbers cited were provided by individ
ual diocesan newspapers and the U.S. bishops’
evangelization office in Washington.
The Archdiocese of Los Angeles reported a
high of 3,271 new members, with the Arch
diocese of Chicago next at 2,507 new members.
Nearly 20 other dioceses welcomed more
than 1,000 new members. They include:
Diocese of Phoenix, 1,967; Diocese of
Galveston-Houston, 1,905; Archdiocese of
Indianapolis, 1,870; Archdiocese of Atlanta,
1,709; Archdiocese of Cincinnati, 1,706;
Diocese of Dallas, 1,700; and Diocese of San
Diego, 1,661. Also in this category are:
Archdiocese of New York, 1,458; Diocese of
Orange, Calif., 1,450; Diocese of Lansing,
Mich., 1,378; Archdiocese of Saint Louis,
1,328; Archdiocese of Philadelphia, 1,262;
(Continued on page 11)
The Easter Triduum: from death to life
W
Left: The crucifix is unveiled on Good Friday, as Christ's death on the Cross is commemorated. Right: Bishop J. Kevin Boland lights the
Easter Candle at the beginning of the Easter Vigil Mass of the Lord's Resurrection. Services were held in the Undercroft of the Cathedral of
Saint John the Baptist, as the upper church is under renovation.
More Triduum photos on pages 6-7.
Photos by Jonas N. Jordan.