The baptism of adults” “

The number of adult baptisms in the Catholic and Evangelical Churches is “constantly growing”: that was the point of departure of the 20th European Conference on Catechumenate (Eurocat 2005), recently held at Vadstena, in Sweden, with a marked “ecumenical character”. 60 delegates from 17 European countries met in the town of St. Bridget, patron of Europe, to discuss the “signs of the path” (theme of the meeting) and share their own experiences in this pastoral field. “The catechumenate is one of the most important tools of the Church in her task of meeting, forming, strengthening and communicating the Christian faith to people in modern Europe”. This is the conviction that formed the basis of the conference, in which the delegates analysed the “pedagogical principles of catechumenate” and the “various liturgical aspects” connected with it. At the centre of the debate was the question of “how to re-initiate in the faith those who have received the sacrament of baptism, but not yet been confirmed” and “how to welcome and initiate those members of the Church who as adults wish to practice their own faith anew”. Below we give a brief review of the “state of health” of the catechumenate in the various European countries. HUNGARY. The catechumenate officially began at the national level in 1999, with the institution of an annual Conference to “form” priests and catechists in “guiding” the catechumenal process; the national Office is conducting a survey on the “state” of this pastoral field. Meanwhile the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA), published in 1972, has been translated into Hungarian and is now in the press. FrancE. The celebrations for the 50th anniversary of the catechumenate in France are about to begin and will probe the current “face” of the local Church. The experience of “neophytes”, the way in which they “will continue to live the life of a Christian” and how “they will be integrated into the life of the community”, are some of the topics of discussion at the meeting to be held at Lourdes in July. “Many of them lose contact with the Church”, acknowledges the French Church, which also poses the problem of what is the “right” age to receive the sacrament of Confirmation, given the “concerns about the decreasing numbers of those who receive it”. The French bishops therefore urge reflection on the option of combining Confirmation with the process of Christian initiation, thus turning it in some sense into the sacrament of “re-entry”. SWITZERLAND. In the German-speaking area, the creation of a “national structure” to promote the “coordination” of catechumenal experiences is awaited. So far a development of this kind has been lacking there, in contrast to French-speaking Switzerland, where it has long been accepted and where the main objective is “the formation of parish guides for catechumenate. One of the questions most hotly debated today is whether it is right to administer Confirmation together with Baptism. Italy. Two essential objectives: “consolidation” and “opening to new dioceses”, after the recent publication of the third Note of the Italian Bishops’ Conference on Christian initiation and a further document on “new evangelization”. The catechumenate of adults, the catechumenate within the catechetical process and the completion of Christian initiation are the three approaches indicated in the text, in which the Italian bishops reflect on Christian initiation and how it relates to parish life. A number of new questions are also examined, such as “how to welcome the different cultures that are making their entry into Italian society”, in the light of a recent conference on immigration and catechumenate, and on the basis of kerygmatic teaching as “instrument of primary importance for the preaching of the faith”. SpaIN. Of the country’s 65 dioceses, only 6 have so far established a catechumenate. Three have expressed an “interest” in doing so, while a further five have already taken some “concrete steps” in this direction. Last May a national meeting was held to “share experiences and views” on catechumenate, and decide “how to proceed together”. A new area of study and reflection is the catechumenate of adolescents, while a document of the Christian initiation of non-baptized children in pre-school age is about to be approved by the Spanish Bishops’ Conference; the specific proposals include that of lowering the age of Confirmation from 14 to 12. Austria. Of the country’s 9 dioceses, 8 have a representative for catechumenate: only Vienna has a special office for the purpose, and in that diocese the bishop participates in the Rite of Election. At the present time, increasing numbers of Turks are asking to be baptized: in 2002, 170 baptisms were registered (aged upwards from 14), in 2003 their number had risen to 230; but only 1% of these baptized pass through the experience of catechumenate. GermanY. Each of the 27 dioceses has a delegate for catechumenate, with annual meetings and a special Committee on Catechesis and Catechumenate at the episcopal level. Next autumn, the German bishops will publish a new document on catechumenate as “new model of catechesis”. At the present time there are some 3000 adults baptisms each year, though these are prepared in different ways: this “variety of ways” “poses serious questions and challenges” to the German Church. The proposals include: a video on catechumenate and greater “exchange” between the Catholic Church and the Evangelical Church, which claims some 22,000 baptisms per year. HOLLAND. There are 7 dioceses in Holland that can rely on an “informal team” of three persons at the national level. The diocese of Utrecht introduced a catechumenate 6 years ago, while that of Rotterdam will begin one this year. Special courses of annual formation exist. Two books on catechumenate have also been published: one contains the testimony of a journalist who became converted to the Christian faith thanks just to the experience of catechumenate; the other is a study relating to catechumenate in the liturgy, especially through the liturgical year. A series of twenty instalments on the catechumenate and those whose faith has been revived in this way has been transmitted on television. SWEDEN. The Swedish Catholic Church has one diocese, 41 parishes, 120,000 members (out of 9 million inhabitants): 3 parishes have adopted the experience of catechumenate, while a further 4 will follow their example next year. This year, 11 adults were baptized at Easter, but the catechumenate is still largely unfamiliar in Sweden: the Rite for the Christian Initiation of Adults has not yet been translated, but it is hoped to publish it in 2006. In the Swedish Lutheran Church, on the other hand, 25 parishes distributed in 13 dioceses have adopted the catechumenate. Some 84% of the population is Lutheran: 74% of them receive Baptism in pre-school age, some 50% prepare for Confirmation, at the age of 15 or thereabouts, but only 4% regularly go to church. The catechumenate began to get off the ground in 1991: in the diocese of Linkoping, the Lutheran Church holds a meeting on the catechumenate twice each year. In 2003, there were 9 adults baptisms, 23 Confirmations and 53 persons aged between 25 and 55 made their “re-entry” into the Church: all this, maintains the Lutheran Church, “reinforces the need for Confirmation to be more based on the catechumenal process”. BelgiUM. There are eight dioceses, each with its own delegate, and a national director, who meet every three months: this year the 13th annual meeting on the catechumenate was held in Antwerp. The difficulties cited by the Belgian Church include “people’s mentality, very difficult to change”. There were 150 adult baptisms last year; the bishop of Brussels presided over the Rite of Election. PortUGAL. There are 22 dioceses, but no director at the national level. 8 dioceses have adopted the catechumenate. A four-man team is currently working on catechetical aids for adults, based on a three-year cycle.