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PARIS (OSV News) — In record-breaking numbers, more than 17,800 catechumens will be baptized during the Easter Vigil on April 19, 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.
Adult baptisms have skyrocketed, observing a 45% increase compared to the number in 2024.
Announced April 10, these figures are the highest since the creation of the survey that has recorded them each year since 2002.
It’s not a passing trend, but a real “dynamic,” said Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, who is responsible for the catechumenate in France.
“Beyond the figures, which are already significant in themselves, it is a question of interpreting this sign from Heaven,” Archbishop de Germay wrote about the surge in a commentary published with the survey.
Within the last decade, the number of adults baptized at Easter has risen from 3,900 in 2015 to 7,135 in 2024, and then to 10,384 in 2025. For Cécile Eon, national delegate for adult catechumenate, this increase is “impressive.”
“Requests are pouring in, and the teams must be reorganized,” she said at a press conference April 10 in Paris. “The proportion of catechumens aged 18 to 25 has increased particularly since 2020. They are now the most numerous among adults.”
Continued below.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
Adult baptisms have skyrocketed, observing a 45% increase compared to the number in 2024.
Announced April 10, these figures are the highest since the creation of the survey that has recorded them each year since 2002.
It’s not a passing trend, but a real “dynamic,” said Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, who is responsible for the catechumenate in France.
“Beyond the figures, which are already significant in themselves, it is a question of interpreting this sign from Heaven,” Archbishop de Germay wrote about the surge in a commentary published with the survey.
Within the last decade, the number of adults baptized at Easter has risen from 3,900 in 2015 to 7,135 in 2024, and then to 10,384 in 2025. For Cécile Eon, national delegate for adult catechumenate, this increase is “impressive.”
“Requests are pouring in, and the teams must be reorganized,” she said at a press conference April 10 in Paris. “The proportion of catechumens aged 18 to 25 has increased particularly since 2020. They are now the most numerous among adults.”
‘Looking for reasons to hope’
Continued below.
France to see a record 17,800 catechumens baptized at Easter, with requests still 'pouring in'
Over 17,800 catechumens will be baptized in France this Easter, reflecting a surge in spiritual interest, especially among young adults.
www.oursundayvisitor.com
