‘We can’t keep up with the number of students requesting baptism’

Adopting the faith that many of their parents rejected, young adults are once again taking the call to follow Jesus seriously. Far from deterring them, conservative social values are part of the appeal to faith. The resurgence of interest in Christianity among Gen Z has been gathering pace, from the USA’s Asbury University revival in 2023 to Barna research showing that young adults are far more spiritually open than previous generations. This phenomenon is sweeping across France too, and I saw it firsthand when I spent two days with Catholic church leaders and students in Toulouse.

Toulouse is a typical European student city – full of life and with a warm, Mediterranean feel. Christianity arrived early to this part of France, with Lyon appointing its first bishop around the year 150 and Toulouse not long after. With cathedrals, basilicas and churches on most street corners, the city was the birthplace of the Order of Preachers (the Dominicans) in the Middle Ages and became the final resting place of the great theologian and philosopher, Thomas Aquinas. Perhaps it’s fitting that the Holy Spirit appears to be stirring renewal here.

A new work

The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toulouse, Guy de Kerimel, who encountered charismatic revival through the Emmanuel para-church movement in the 1970s, has form when it comes to defending Christianity in his city. Recently attracting the attention of the global media for challenging the organisers of a street festival which included large animatronic creatures with demonic roots, he is not afraid to stand up against the spirit of the age.

Young adults are tired of living superficial, digital lives

Discerning that the time was right to invest in student mission, Bishop Guy made some bold and costly decisions. French law prevents the Church from working on any university campus, so a huge outlay of €2m is underway as the diocese refurbishes an old convent and church into a student outreach centre. In addition, six parishes located in the student areas of the city have been repurposed as a network of churches staffed by a team focused solely on evangelising and discipling young people. 

Meeting the team

I dropped into Toulouse to meet this team of leaders and find out more about their unique ministry. It turned out to be an extraordinary 24 hours. 

Fr Antoine Laviale is a young priest, freshly ordained in 2023 and with a countenance that only the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can provide. He explains that one of his problems is coping with the sheer numbers of students who are asking to be baptised. People even stop him in the streets requesting baptism, he says, and the numbers are rising all the time. Last year 40 students went through a two-year programme leading to baptism but now, only one week into term, 160 have signed up for the weekly evening course (growing to 240 at the time of writing). 

The ancient forms of Christian faith have become more attractive to young adults seeking a solid foundation on which to stand

I ask Fr Antoine what he thinks is driving this interest from a sector of society better known for embracing liberal culture and a lifestyle at odds with the gospel. He tells me that many young adults are tired of living superficial, digital lives on social media and crave more authentic friendships. Fears about climate change and war, alongside uncertainty over jobs, politics and housing create a sense of turmoil. In a world where nothing seems assured, it makes sense to find something solid to hold on to. So, the ancient forms of Christian faith, with wisdom and liturgies stretching back millennia, have become more attractive to young adults seeking a solid foundation on which to stand.

Talking to the team, it is clear that they think, discuss and pray about their strategy to reach the next generation in great detail. Asking anyone about the tiniest detail in their project plan elicits an eloquent explanation of why it’s mission critical and why the team decided to do it this way. Absolutely everything is intentional. They waste no time on activities that don’t cohere around the core principles that guide the whole mission; and, like a great symphony, it unfolds in three movements.

In French, these are Gagner, Édifier, Envoyer or, in English, Win, Build, Send. The approach comes from the founding Jesuit principles adopted by St Ignatius of Loyola in which souls are “won” for the Lord through strong and profound friendships. New Christians are then “built” into strong disciples through a programme teaching them how to pray, build fraternity, transform the mind, evangelise and serve the poor – when they feel like it and particularly when they don’t. The team call these the “five vitamins” essential to “building” effective Christians. Finally, when they graduate, they are “sent” into the world to make new disciples wherever they end up.

Leaders call individual students to become Frateux. It’s a word they made up to describe one-year peer-leadership roles that exist alongside their studies. It’s tough, admits Fr Antoine, because all the Frateux undertake additional teaching and discipleship to equip them for their role. Beyond this, they enjoy the freedom to initiate ideas because they are often best placed to know what will work among their friendship groups. Fr Antoine tells me he is ready to give advice, but he knows he doesn’t always have the best answers and it’s far better to give the Frateux the space to grow as leaders of mission.

As part of the team, several families live and share their lives among the students. These familles d’accueil (families of welcome) provide extra support and encouragement to students. They are skilled at signposting to professional services when needed, but their most important contribution is to model the Christian faith through good relationships, hospitality and times of teaching and fellowship.

Curious to know if the sudden surge of interest in traditional forms of Christianity is being driven by a search for conservative values, I ask Fr Antoine. He tells me: “Some are searching to return to the ‘true France’ but we have to gently explain that saying yes to baptism is not a political act and we must learn not to cling to tradition, but to the Lord Jesus Christ.” 

We must learn not to cling to tradition, but to the Lord Jesus Christ

The next day, I caught up with Fr Damian Verley, the priest in charge of student outreach. After joining him for morning prayer, we shared breakfast together. He explained that they offer students practical teaching and a well-planned liturgy, executed with care and reverence. Bells, robes, incense and polyphonic signing. And the students love it so much they bring their friends, and their friends bring their friends. Clearly not all young people are attracted to churches with bright lights, drum kits and smoke machines!

But are their sermons attracting more young people into the church, too? Fr Damian tells me he had been concerned for a new young woman who was brought by a friend to her first ever Mass when he preached a conservative message on the topic of abortion. Sensitive to the offence he may have caused, he asked how she had received what he had to say. Although she wasn’t ready to accept everything, she appreciated the value of what she had heard on account of being treated disrespectfully by a recent boyfriend. This generation of young people may be more open to conservative values than we sometimes think.

The Mass and the after-party

Arriving early on the weekday evening set aside to welcome the students back for another academic year, I settled into a choir stall in the vast cathedral in Toulouse. An army of organisers bustled around with cables, musical instruments and boxes of all sizes – yet their movements remained reverent, bowing or genuflecting each time they passed across the altar.

With moments to spare, students arrived, filling the cathedral to its 2,000-seat capacity. The choir, organ and trumpets sounded, and we all rose to welcome a procession of deacons, priests and bishops floating in a cloud of incense. The Mass proceeded with beautiful music and a great sense of occasion and reverence. Unmistakably, this was a holy moment, set apart for the Lord, unlike anything else we experience in our daily lives. Everyone dropped to their knees at the holiest moment when, Catholics believe, the bread and wine become Jesus – completely present in body, mind, soul and divinity. 

When the service ended, the students spilt into the courtyard, set for a carnival with a marketplace of 60 different stands representing Christian groups that students can join. Some were drawn to theology-orientated activities, others charismatic praise, evangelism or contemplative prayer, following in the footsteps of the Christian mystics. Besides the obvious fellowship the groups provide, they are a pretty neat way of boosting the five ‘vitamins’ that Fr Antoine mentioned.

Prayer fuels this mission 

Banners invited us to wonder if we “soif d’autre chose” (thirst for something else – the theme for this academic year). The fliers and posters were high-quality, branded and in eye-catching Barbie pink. Despite the odd spit of rain, the forecast storm never came, and a party atmosphere took over, with spontaneous singing and dancing. 

As I chatted to the students, I heard many testimonies from every kind of background – atheist, agnostic and lapsed believers. Prayer fuels this mission – which is why they have no hesitation inviting their friends. 

In addition to making themselves available to hear confessions, Fr Damian and Fr Antoine provide a daily evening Mass in two of the student parishes, preceded by an hour of silent prayer. They acknowledge a great weight is being borne on just four shoulders, and thus without dedicating considerable time to prayerful adoration of the Lord, concede that they would sink. For the machine that is this mission, prayer is its fuel.

As my train pulled out of Toulouse, I was unable to immediately process everything I’d seen and heard. Perhaps it is not uncommon to find mission with systems as tight as these, or ones where prayer underpins everything, and others where Spirit-filled leaders balance great vision with humility – but the team at Toulouse has all three. The Holy Spirit is at work, and the student world there is being turned upside down.