In the midst of a Catalonia where secularization seems to advance unchecked and where statistics usually reflect a decline in religious practice, there is a surprising fact: the number of adult catechumens is growing, that is, people who receive Baptism already as adults. It is reported by the portal 3CatInfo in a recent report.
At first glance, it may seem like a contradiction. While so many young people abandon the Church and faith is sidelined in public life, there are men and women who, after a path of searching, decide to embrace the Catholic faith. It is not the fruit of cultural inertia, but a free response to a grace that is offered to them.
A Work of God
According to the report, behind this increase are very different personal stories, but a common denominator: the desire for truth, for meaning, for full life. It is God’s grace that touches hearts, and the Church accompanies those processes through the catechumenate, a serious formation itinerary that can last months or years.
It is worth remembering here: the protagonist is not human effort or pastoral strategies, but the Holy Spirit, who continues to call men and women even in contexts where faith seems to be in retreat.
A Sign of Hope
The contrast with the general reality is evident. Yes, statistics show a decline in practice and growing secularization. But the increase in adult catechumens reminds us that God does not abandon His Church. Where there is talk of crisis and decline, He continues to foster conversion.
Each adult baptism is a sign that faith is not an inherited custom, but a free gift from God that transforms life. And, in a context so marked by religious indifference, these conversions are a testimony of hope.
Not Everything is Decline
The growth of baptized adults in Catalonia is a small but significant sign that the Church is not heading towards nothingness. On the contrary: God continues to work, calling, giving faith in the midst of a society that seemed closed to the Gospel. And if these new baptisms teach anything, it is that the last word is not with the statistics, but with the grace of God.