- Feb 5, 2002
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PARIS (OSV News) — Over 12,000 people, both adults and adolescents, were baptized in France on Easter — a record number in the country that experiences what many Church leaders have called an accelerated “de-Christianization.”
Requests for adult baptisms have been on the rise in France for the past 10 years. In a report released just before Easter, representatives from the French bishops’ conference pointed out that the trend is present in almost all of the dioceses in France.
According to the report, 7,135 adults were to receive the sacrament of baptism during the Easter Vigil — a number that totaled 31% more than in 2023. While in 2023, 23% of newly baptized were between the ages of 18 and 25, that number had risen to 36% in 2024.
In addition, over 5,000 teenagers aged 11 to 17 were baptized this Easter — 50% more than in 2023. To accommodate these numbers, new teams of catechists had to be formed to help the catechumens prepare for entry into the Church.
“In today’s French society, 80% of young people have not received any religious education,” Father Vincent Breynaert, director of the national Youth and Vocations Service, explained in the report presented March 27. “They have very few preconceived ideas about the Church. What those asking for baptism have in common is that they had a spiritual experience and a personal encounter with Christ,” he wrote.
“Some say they were touched by the beauty of a liturgy (they happened to attend), the soothing silence of a church, a testimony of a friend,” Father Breynaert said. “They are thirsty for formation, reference points, fraternity and a sense of belonging.”
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
Requests for adult baptisms have been on the rise in France for the past 10 years. In a report released just before Easter, representatives from the French bishops’ conference pointed out that the trend is present in almost all of the dioceses in France.
According to the report, 7,135 adults were to receive the sacrament of baptism during the Easter Vigil — a number that totaled 31% more than in 2023. While in 2023, 23% of newly baptized were between the ages of 18 and 25, that number had risen to 36% in 2024.
In addition, over 5,000 teenagers aged 11 to 17 were baptized this Easter — 50% more than in 2023. To accommodate these numbers, new teams of catechists had to be formed to help the catechumens prepare for entry into the Church.
“In today’s French society, 80% of young people have not received any religious education,” Father Vincent Breynaert, director of the national Youth and Vocations Service, explained in the report presented March 27. “They have very few preconceived ideas about the Church. What those asking for baptism have in common is that they had a spiritual experience and a personal encounter with Christ,” he wrote.
“Some say they were touched by the beauty of a liturgy (they happened to attend), the soothing silence of a church, a testimony of a friend,” Father Breynaert said. “They are thirsty for formation, reference points, fraternity and a sense of belonging.”
Who is getting baptized?
Continued below.
Record Easter Vigil baptisms in France reflect a soaring trend
Requests for adult baptisms have been on the rise in France for the past 10 years. In a report released just before Easter, representatives from the French bishops' conference pointed out that the trend is present in almost all of the dioceses in France.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
