It’s set to be a life-changing Easter weekend for a record number of Catholics who are giving their life to Jesus.
Dioceses across England recently reported the highest numbers of adults preparing to be received into the Catholic Church at the Easter vigil on Holy Saturday for at least 15 years.
New figures show that the trend is also being borne out in France, with over 21,000 people set to be baptised this year, an increase of 20% on 2025 when 17,000 people gave their life to Christ. Around 8,000 of those being baptised this year are young people. A decade ago, only around 4,000 were baptised in France.
A survey by the French Bishops’ Conference of 1450 catechumens (people receiving Christian instruction in preparation for baptism), found that 40% wanted to be baptised following illness, the death of a loved one or personal hardship. Experiencing a spiritual event led 32% to seek baptism and 34% were called after learning more about Christianity.
The Archbishop of Lyon, Olivier de Germay said he was “struck by the suddenness and the scale of the thirst for God that is being expressed today”. He added that the increase in numbers will serve as a “boomerang effect” to encourage long-standing Christians to look at their faith through refreshed eyes.
Archbishop Olivier said that as it was important to accompany those who have been newly baptised on their journey, new assemblies and services had been set up in several French dioceses.
Eighty-two per cent of the candidates are aged under 40, and those between 18 and 25 amount to 42% of the total.