This is a remarkable piece of news, from the City of Angels, and a wonderful reminder that the Church is continuing to thrive and grow.

It comes from Cardinal Roger Mahony himself, in the pages of his archdiocescan newspaper, The Tidings:

With the Baptism of 100,604 persons in 2007, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles — the largest Archdiocese in the country — reached an historic milestone in the history of the Church in the United States: More than 100,000 people were baptized in one year.

The 2008 edition of The Official Catholic Directory notes the 100,604 people baptized in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2007 included 95,408 infant Baptisms, 3,511 minor age Baptisms, and 1,685 adult Baptisms. The number of Catholics reported for our Archdiocese is 4,176,296.

To help place this number of Baptisms in perspective, the same Official Catholic Directory reports that the second and third largest Archdioceses in the country had these totals last year:

—The Archdiocese of New York: a total Catholic population of 2,554,454, and 27,011 Baptisms.

—The Archdiocese of Chicago: a total Catholic population of 2,341,000, and 38,533 Baptisms.

An additional perspective: 100,604 Baptisms exceed the total Catholic population of some 50 Arch/Dioceses across the country. This number also exceeds the total Catholic population of every one of the Eastern Rite Catholic Dioceses in our country. Put another way, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in a sense baptized “a new Diocese of Catholics into the Church last year.”

What are the implications for all of us in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles? Several points come to mind:

—The continuing growth of our immigrant communities: More Catholic immigrants are coming to Southern California, and our Catholic immigrant families tend to have larger families.

—For so many of our Catholic families the Sacrament of Baptism and membership in the Church are deeply valued, and they want to pass on their Catholic Faith tradition to the next generation.

—Our parishes are increasingly diverse with Masses in several languages as the norm, not the exception; and most work diligently to promote unity among various peoples.

—Our parishes are increasingly dynamic and active, with the main focus upon the Sunday celebration of the Eucharist; the spiritual fruitfulness of Sunday Mass continues to invite our Catholics into the full Sacramental life of the Church.

—Very soon, Catholics will comprise 50 percent of the total population in our three Counties: Santa Barbara, Ventura and Los Angeles. And in a few years, Catholics will be a significant majority of the population.

—Our great challenge is to not only baptize so many new members, but to make certain that they are properly evangelized and catechized so that their Catholic Faith underpins their daily lives.

Wonderful news, no matter how you slice it.

Image: “Baptism of the Lord Tapestry” by John Nava, Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles.