Baptism

 http://nineteensixty-four.blogspot.com/2010/08/there-will-likely-be-fewer-catholic.html 8.31.2010 There will likely be fewer Catholic baptisms and marriages next year… again. The August  National Vital Statistics Report  was just released and it shows fewer Americans (Catholics and non-Catholics) married or had children in 2009 than in 2008. What does it matter? As shown in this post, these two rates are statistically linked to the rate at which the sacraments of baptism and marriage are celebrated in the Catholic Church in the United States. Baptisms and marriages in the Church have declined in number each year since 2001. The crude infant baptism rate (annual number of infant baptisms per 1,000 Catholics) reached a peak during the post-war Baby Boom in 1956 at 36.1. In 2009, this had fallen to only 12.7 infant baptisms per 1,000 Catholics. The crude marriage rate (annual number of marriages celebrated in the Church per 1,000 Catholics) peaked right after World War II a...

  Vatican statistics report increase in baptized Catholics worldwide https://www.ncronline.org/node/120526 via @NCRonline Vatican City — March 7, 2016 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email to a friend The number of baptized Catholics worldwide has grown at a faster rate than that of the world's population, according to Vatican statistics. Although the number of priests has increased globally, the number has decreased slightly in Europe and Oceania, according to the Vatican's Central Office for Church Statistics. The figures are presented in the "Annuario Pontificio 2016," the Vatican yearbook, and will appear in the Statistical Yearbook of the Church, which gives detailed figures on the church's workforce, sacramental life, dioceses and parishes as of Dec. 31, 2014. The number of baptized Catholics reached 1.27 billion or 17.8 percent of the global population, the statistics office reported March 5. Despite the increase of Catholics worldwide, the yearbook no...

The ancient Roman actor Genesius (martyred in c. 285 AD) was a leader/member of a troupe of actors who performed comedic plays regularly for Emperor Diocletian (reigned 284-305). The actors specialized in satire on many subjects and people of their day and Genesius was a favorite of the Emperor. One evening the idea of the play was to ridicule the burgeoning sect of Christians whom Diocletian hated, persecuted and killed. Genesius’ role was to pretend to be baptized.  Listen to the audio: https://www.fiverr.com/collaborate/eyJsaW5rX2lkIjoiNjM2NmMwNGIyNDliZTIwMDEyZjQ3ZWIzIiwidHlwZSI6InNoYXJlYWJsZS1saW5rIn0= Genesius obviously had attended several Christian baptisms in order to be familiar with his role. He was supposed to be sick and fell to the ground on stage. The appointed “priest” and “exorcist” rushed onstage. Genesius said he was weighted down with his sins and an angel had commanded him to be baptized to wipe away all his sins. Everyone was hilarious. Genesius insisted he wan...

 http://www.stgenesius.com/whoweare.html Who are the Fraternity of St. Genesius? http://www.stgenesius.com/genesiusofrome.html According to the Acts, Genesius was a gifted actor, comedian and playwright and the leader of a troupe of actors. Despite his talents, his position within Roman society would not have been distinguished. Acting at that time was not considered to be a very respectable occupation and it is most likely that he was not a Roman citizen, even if he had been born in the city: at that time actors were classed as slaves or labourers at best. Theatre in this period had declined and those who worked in the profession would rarely have performed the great dramas of the Greek and Roman playwrights. Mimes and pantomimes were the fare at the theatre and these tended to be boisterous and at times risqué in the extreme. When Diocletian initiated his great persecution, Genesius, who was a pagan, hatched a grand scheme to construct a play parodying the Christian faith. Diocle...