Very similar to what’s going on in the U.S. FULL DISCLOSURE: I am the OCIA coordinator in my parish and we have had similar experience in the past five years, since I started.
Thanks to my good buddy AB for sending me this. I have excerpted what I think are the key points; hit the link for the full article.
Naturally, most of the attention has been on the numbers. According to the French Bishops’ Conference, adult and adolescent converts to Catholicism remained steady at between 4-5,000 per year since the beginning of the twenty-first century. Then shortly after Covid, those numbers began to rise steadily, reaching 5,825 in 2022, 8,416 in 2023, 12,340 in 2024, 17,788 in 2025, and finally 21,386 at Easter 2026—a stunning 400% increase.
Although impressive, these converts are still dwarfed by the massive numbers of those who leave the Church. The percentage of French people who identified as Catholics fell from more than 90% in the sixties to just 30% today. In the seventies, more than three-fourths of French babies were baptized in the Catholic Church, compared to 50% in 1996 and just 25% in 2024. Similar declines can be found in the other sacraments, such as marriage, Confirmation, and First Holy Communion.
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Take a deeper look at the motivations and spirituality of these conversions …
The survey asked the following question: “What was the main reason why you asked for baptism?” The most popular response (40%) was “I experienced a hardship (illness, funeral, etc.) that began a search for meaning.” This was followed by “I began to ask questions about the Catholic religion” (34%), “I had a strong spiritual experience” (32%), and “I visited a religious place and was touched by its beauty” (23%).
Surprisingly low on the list was direct apostolate of another person, such as the “Christian witness of a friend or family member” (19%), “Someone close to me requested baptism” (16%), or “I followed influencers on social media” (11%). Any conversion requires above all the grace of the Holy Spirit. But conversions to the Catholic Faith—especially on a large scale—have almost always happened through human means, such as through missionary priests doing direct apostolate with the people.
The wave of conversions has taken place with virtually no direct role of the French clergy. The Holy Spirit, it seems, is acting in souls outside the traditional human channels. The clergy, for their part, have been quick to admit that they had very little to do with attracting these converts. The report’s author, Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, explained, “ This phenomenon continues to amaze us because we don’t claim to have a single answer to explain it… Many young people tell me they have felt an ‘inner calling’ or had a powerful ‘spiritual experience,’ an unexpected ‘encounter with God.’ It’s as if technological progress hasn’t lived up to its promises. It creates an inner void and leads to a great deal of dissatisfaction.”
This deep dissatisfaction with the false promises of modernity is a common thread that runs through these conversions. The catechumens have a spiritual thirst for Catholicism, he believes, because the Catholic Faith is no longer as taboo as it once was. Young people who have been raised without any religious education whatsoever will knock on the rectory doors with an open mind and without prejudice. He believes they are looking for “an identity that isn’t identitarian” and sees the Church as “a solid institution with deep roots that someone can rely on.”
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Charles Mercier, professor of contemporary history at the University of Bordeaux, observes that until about 20 years ago, new converts would generally join more charismatic movements inside the Church. Today, they tend to be much more conservative …
