The actual number is certainly higher because this figure refers only to parishes and towns in 10 provinces: Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Hubei, Shaanxi, Heilongjing and Inner Mongolia.
The highest number of baptisms, 285, was registered in Hengshui Diocese, confirming Hebei as the most Catholic of mainland China’s provinces.
The catechumens completed a two-year course in Christian initiation consisting of catechesis, study of sacred Scripture, and community and individual prayer.
