Celebrating a Catholic Renaissance in France

There was cause for celebration for Catholics in France at this year’s Easter Vigil. Figures released by the Bishops’ Conference of France announced that 10,384 adults would receive the sacrament of baptism at the 2025 Easter Vigil. This is an increase of 45 percent over the 7,135 adults who were baptized in 2024 and a 90 percent increase over the 5,463 adults who were baptized in 2023.

According to Église Catholique en France, “13 dioceses (more than 10 percent of all dioceses in France) have more than doubled the number of baptized adults. In ten years, catechumens in France have increased from 3,900 in 2015 to 10,392 in 2025. This is an increase of more than 160 percent.”

Among the new adult catechumens, the 18–25-year-old cohort accounts for more than 42 percent of the catechumens and is surpassing the 26–40 age group. This is a dramatic change considering the fact that in 2020 the number of 26–40-year-old catechumens was double the number of 18–25-year-olds.

Social media—as well as a few mainstream journalists—has noticed. An unprecedented surge in attendance for Ash Wednesday Masses in 2025 led Famille Chrétienne to conclude that it is a “phenomenon never seen before…from Nantes to Nice, from Paris to Bordeaux, the parishes were submerged by a new affluence for the Mass of the Ashes, marking the entrance to Lent…It is noteworthy among the crowd, a massive presence of young people.”

All of this is leading some Catholic commentators in our own country to ask “Is being Catholic becoming ‘hip’ in France?” A headline in the Catholic Herald concluded that “God Has Undoubtedly Decided to Take Over: France’s Continuing and Surprising Catholic Shift Against Secular Progressivism.”

It is true that France is well-known for its militant secularism. Despite having long held the title as “the Eldest Daughter of the Catholic Church,” the most recent data we have available revealed that self-declared “convinced atheists” represent almost 30 percent of the French population, and another 34 percent claim to be “not religious.” France has long been known as being among the top five most atheist countries in the world, behind only Japan, China, and the Czech Republic.

Despite this, there remains a Catholic culture in France that is beginning to flourish again even though the government has done everything it can to destroy that culture. Since 2004, government school students are not allowed to wear religious symbols—including crucifixes and medals of the saints. And there is no curriculum dedicated to learning about religion in French public schools.

Dioceses throughout France report that—in addition to the large number of catechumens—there has also been a huge increase in adult “reverts,” Catholics who were baptized in childhood but had stopped practicing their religion during adolescence and then decide to go back to the Church to deepen their faith. In 2024, more than 9,000 adults received the Sacrament of Confirmation at Pentecost—twice as many as two years before.                  

Most faithful Catholics, here and in France, see this gift of faith that has been given to France as a sign from Heaven. They know that God will never abandon them, and they believe that He touches their hearts and reveals Himself to all who ask. The bishops of France are pointing to the Jubilee of Young People in Rome for the influx of catechumens, but it is more likely that these  new catechumens are simply realizing that they want more meaning in their lives and are unable to find it in the secular society that surrounds them in France—and elsewhere. 

One of those new Catholics interviewed in the French media explained her decision by saying that “It’s increasingly hard to make sense of the world in which we are living. I feel there’s a spiritual malaise. It’s up to each of us to find our own path but for me, Catholicism answers my questions.”   One of those new Catholics interviewed in the French media explained her decision by saying that “It’s increasingly hard to make sense of the world in which we are living. I feel there’s a spiritual malaiseTweet This

Catholics are increasingly becoming portrayed in positive ways in the French media. In July 2023, 24-year-old Henri d’Anselme was on a religious pilgrimage when he confronted a man in an Annecy playground who was attacking children in front of their terrified mothers. When asked by a French television reporter what had inspired him to act so courageously, d’Anselme credited his Catholicism, calling it “the greatness that nourishes me.” For increasing numbers of French citizens—young and old—Catholicism is seen as the place where they can find the answers they are looking for. 

We are beginning to see a similar revival here in the United States as young people are increasingly being drawn to the Catholic Church to find meaning in an ever more chaotic world. For example, a headline in a recent issue of the New York Post reads: “Young People are Converting to Catholicism En Masse.”

It is not a coincidence that faithful Catholic colleges—like my own academic home, Franciscan University of Steubenville—are seeing record numbers of applications from students who want to be a part of the vibrant Catholic community on campus. At the same time, data included in my new book, A Lamp in the Darkness (Sophia Institute Press), points out that the Catholic-in-name-only schools are declining in enrollments. The malaise that the French student referred to is not just spiritual. It is also cultural and moral. These young people understand that the Catholic Church provides a refuge from that malaise—perhaps the only refuge. And that is why this surge will continue to grow.