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Song Yun, editor of the Shijiazhuang-based Faith 10-Day Catholic newspaper, told UCA News April 12 that at least 6,000 baptisms took place in 26 dioceses and 41 major parishes in China. Mainland China has close to 100 dioceses. The newspaper had contacted various dioceses and prominent parishes for the information.

Song estimated that the total number of Easter baptisms on the mainland exceeded 10,000, and revealed that 80 percent of the newly baptized in major Chinese cities have tertiary education.

"It's hard to account" for all the baptisms, "as parishes are numerous, and some dioceses baptize at Pentecost, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or at Christmas," he said.

Dioceses that saw an increase in Easter baptisms included Linyi in Shandong province, eastern China, which welcomed 600 new Catholics.

Linyi Diocese saw an increase in new Catholics, from 200 during Easter 2006 to 600 this year.

Bishop Johan Fang Xingyao of Linyi told UCA News April 11 he credited the laypeople for actively evangelizing their relatives and friends, and priests and nuns for spreading the good news.

He also noted that those baptized in the 1990s were mainly children, women and elderly people, but now half of those recently baptized are high school and university students, who "came to the church by themselves and asked if they could become Catholics."

Other dioceses that also recorded many baptisms were Handan, Cangzhou (Xianxian) and Hengshui, all in Hebei province, which saw more than 500, 400 and 300 baptisms respectively.

In Hengshui, Wang, a cathedral worker, told UCA News April 10 that 80 percent of the 95 new Catholics baptized at the cathedral were young or middle-aged people, with the rest being elderly and children. Most of them were peasants, students, workers and retired civil servants, he said.

Wang also observed that the number of baptisms were double those of last Easter and the composition of the newly baptized "bucked the trend" of the past, in which most of those who became Catholics were the elderly, women and children.

Father Luo Limin of Hengshui cathedral attributed the increase to the yangko (a rural folk dance) approach to evangelization. Over the last two years, 70-person teams have visited dozens of villages, putting on cultural performances that include colorful costumes, lively music, drums and dances.

The team then distributes religious materials and invites those interested to attend catechism classes, Father Luo told UCA News April 11.

Father Luo hopes that the newly baptized young people will inject more vitality into the parish. More importantly, he said, their entry in the church "will gradually change the general misconception that religion is a matter solely for the retirees, who may have more time for church activities."

Bishop Peter Feng Xinmao of Hengshui told UCA News, "We hope the new Catholics will possess missionary zeal and bring life to the diocese," adding that, "we should be brave enough to bring people to the church."

Hengshui Diocese has about 20,000 Catholics, mainly rural dwellers.

The cathedral of Anyang (Weihui) Diocese, in Henan province in the north, and the Diocese of Urumqi, in the Muslim-dominated Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, saw about 100 baptisms each.

In Henan province, the 2,000 parishioners of Anyang Cathedral welcomed 85 new members, of whom 20 were men.

Cathedral parish priest Father Joseph Zhang Yinlin told UCA News April 11 that the new Catholics, aged 20-50, are mostly workers and university students. He pointed out that they themselves took the initiative, and surmised that the desire to overcome spiritual emptiness has become an impetus for people to embrace religion.

In northwestern China, Bishop Paul Xie Tingzhe of Urumqi told UCA News April 11 that his diocese baptized 100 people, including 40 from Urumqi itself. All those recently baptized were ethnic Han, the principal ethnic group of China.

About one-third of the new Catholics are male, compared with one-fifth in the past years, said Bishop Xie, who is recognized by the government only as a priest. It was charitable acts that attracted the newly baptized to Catholicism, he said. He added that each layperson is encouraged to introduce two or three friends and relatives who are not Catholics to the faith every year.