Father Ferdinand Lok baptizes a new Catholic by immersion at the St. John the Baptist Mass Center, Hong Kong. (Photo courtesy of St. John the Baptist Mass Center)
Some of Hong Kong's baptismal candidates are going to face their first challenge as Catholics during the Easter Vigil, March 26 with temperatures set to drop to record lows.
Temperatures are expected to plunge to 11-14 degrees Celsius on March 26 and churches rarely install heaters. It is expected to be the lowest March temperatures in 38 years. The temperature for subtropical Hong Kong is typically around 17-24 degrees Celsius for this time of year.
Given that many Hong Kongers have chosen to have immersion baptisms, this may prove a challenge for some, said Father Philip Chan Tak-hung, parish priest of St. Peter's Church.
Father Chan warned via Facebook that those who want immersion might catch a cold.
"It is no joke for those with a heart problem," the priest said who also suggested that church workers prepare ginger tea for the newly baptized after Mass.
But Father Thomas Law Kwok-fai, director of the diocese's liturgy commission, said cold weather is not a problem, as some parishes will fill the immersion tubs with warm water. The candidate can also choose other options for baptism such as affusion, he told ucanews.com.
Rosa Tsui, a veteran catechist of St. Jerome's Parish, asked her 14 catechumen if they would like to reconsider having an immersion but they are insisting on going ahead, she said.
Over the past several years "about two-thirds of the catechumen in my class chose immersion," she said.
Tsui and other catechists said that increasing numbers of candidates were choosing to have their baptism done this way.
"I think our candidates would prefer immersion to affusion once they understand the meaning it carries," said Regina Yeung, a catechist of about 10 years.
Another catechist surnamed Fung believes the popularity of baptism by immersion was due to its availability in new churches and promotion of it through the Liturgy Commission.
Churches built during the past few decades are designed with a baptismal font that is big enough for immersion. Other churches — be they smaller ones or makeshift ones in a Catholic school hall — can also prepare a bath for baptism by immersion.
"We once used an inflatable as a baptismal pool but never again because the rest of the parishioners had to wait for more than half an hour for the 60 candidates to baptize and get changed," Fung said.
"It was also unhygienic to immerse multiple people in the same pool of water, and using an inflatable is not that sacred," she added.
This year, 3,200 adults are to be baptized, a few hundred less than 2015 and 2014.
Father Ferdinand Lok consecrates water before a baptism on Easter Vigil, 2015. (Photo courtesy of St. John the Baptist Mass Center)
Baptism reasons
Paul Lo, a middle-aged baptismal candidate, told ucanews.com that "the cold weather is nothing compared to Jesus' suffering."
"I think the seed of faith was sown in my mind a long time ago when I studied in a Salesian primary school," he said.
Besides being influenced by his wife, who comes from a Catholic family of several generations, Lo said personal difficulties in recent years prompted him to search for life’s meaning.
Other reasons for new Catholics joining the church include "young people feeling confused and lost and elderly people who fear death are hoping to find comfort," said Yeung.
However, the catechists said many more join the church for pragmatic reasons such as for a child's schooling.
Hong Kong's primary school enrollment is done using a point system, and an applicant receives five points if their religion is the same as the school’s sponsoring body.
Fung estimated 75 percent of the catechumen that she taught in the past years got baptized for this reason. The diocese is aware of this problem and has guidelines on baptism requirements for both adults and children, she said.
"Many parents do not know that a catechumen course takes 18 months," said Fung.
"Some insist the parish priest baptize them along with their children after studying for a few months. In some cases, they simply disappeared if we do not allow them," she said.
"Some still worship other religions after they get baptized, arguing that they could get more blessing from more deities," she added.
