Archdiocese of Paris convenes council in response to historic rise in catechumens

PARIS (OSV News) — The Archdiocese of Paris is launching a major churchwide council in response to a surge in adult and youth conversions across France.

The initiative begins Jan. 25, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, with a four-month consultation involving all parishes and nine bishops. Church leaders say the timing reflects the unprecedented growth in catechumens, especially among young people.

“The date was not chosen at random,” Father Maximilien de La Martinière explained, as St. Paul “was an adult who, after his conversion, became a catechumen and then a zealous neophyte.”

Father de La Martinière, a priest of the Diocese of Versailles, was appointed secretary general and is responsible for overseeing the organization of the council. He works with teams established locally in each diocese.

The increase in the number of young people and adults requesting baptism has been noticeable across France for the past five years. But at the beginning of 2025, those numbers rose significantly again. This prompted Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris to propose the council, announced in April.

Only in the Archdiocese of Paris, 2,652 adults were baptized on Easter 2025, and nationwide, the number of adult baptisms skyrocketed to 17,800 catechumens baptized during the Easter Vigil on April 19, 2025, including 10,384 adults and more than 7,400 young people ages 11 to 17, according to an annual survey by the National Service for Catechumens of the French bishops’ conference.

“The subject is extremely joyful and motivating,” Father de La Martinière told OSV News. “In my parish, we have baptized about 15 young people or young adults in recent years, during each Easter Vigil. But last year, there were 23, and we now have 50 catechumens out of 800 people who come to Mass on Sundays,” he said, highlighting that “this transforms the parish. Many parishes are experiencing similar situations.” The scale of the movement is “beginning to have a real impact on the lives of Catholics in France,” he told OSV News.

The methodology of the council is similar to a synodal one. Youth movements, including scouts, school chaplaincies and Catholic universities, will also participate. After the consultation phase, an assembly of 400 people will begin a yearlong process of exchange and synthesis on May 31. In the following months, the bishops will travel to Rome to present their conclusions and recommendations.

Implementation of the council’s decisions is expected to begin around All Saints’ Day 2027.

In France, the catechumenate has existed for 80 years, Father de La Martinière stressed.

“We have long been aware that there is no age limit for baptism,” he said. “But until now, baptism preparation groups had been very small. I remember when I was a child, there were sometimes one or two baptisms during the Easter Vigil, at most. Today, there are dozens,” he stressed.

“These converts bring a new dynamism and energy to our communities. I am thinking of one of them who was baptized at Easter a few months ago. Now his mother is beginning to follow in his footsteps.”

For Father de La Martinière, “God is the God of surprises,” transforming bitter lemons into lemonade.

“With the revelation of the abuse crisis, we could have predicted that it was the end of the end,” of vibrant church life in France, he said. “But today God is showing us something else. The catechumens have of course heard about the abuse and what followed. But what stands out is that they consider what the Church is doing today in response to this issue as a sign of the seriousness of this institution. It remains complicated, long, and difficult, but it is already bearing fruit, and they have confidence. From now on, young people are looking ahead,” he told OSV News.

“Many of them talk about how important their grandparents were to them,” Father de La Martinière added. “These grandparents went to church, and sometimes still do, but their children have abandoned the faith, or have not passed it on. This phenomenon is occurring at a time when we have not yet progressed too far in de-Christianization, since there is still a generation of grandparents for whom faith is important.”

“Some ask their parents and discover or realize that they were baptized as babies,” Father de La Martinière said.

“This interests them because they are asking themselves existential questions. In addition to catechumens, there is an equivalent number of young people or young adults who are preparing for first Communion and confirmation. They realize that they have been baptized in the past, but that they never received a Christian education.”

“In this context, Catholic influencers play an important role in enabling young people who are interested in faith to connect with one another,” Father de La Martinière noted. “Social media allows them to say to themselves: ‘It’s not crazy to feel like God is speaking to me. I am not the only one.'”

“Many also question themselves because they are confronted with Islam, which is increasingly visible in France,” he continued. “The presence of Muslims represents a significant challenge for us. But their presence helps to make young Christians feel more comfortable talking about their faith openly with their friends, whereas the previous generation was much more discreet about religious matters.”

“These young Christians are driving forces,” Father de La Martinière told OSV News. “It is thanks to them that young people from outside the Church take the step of entering churches and talking to a priest, which is not so easy. Conversely, the actions of their catechumen friends strengthen them in their own journey of faith.”

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