The senior dean of Charleroi puts forward several elements for this growth, particularly observed since the Covid crisis. “Many are looking to give meaning to their lives. They go everywhere and discover Christianity”explains Daniel Procureur. “The circumstances of life can also play a role. The discovery of interiority and the spiritual in a very material world is also an explanation. Of course, you need what it takes to live physically, but giving meaning to your life also appears essential. Each approach to faith is, however, a little unique, everyone has their own personal journey.”
But in a world where Christianity is, certainly, a major religion, but where religious and philosophical currents are increasingly competing, why this choice? “It is, I think, the person of Christ, Jesuscontinues Daniel Procureur. He’s a bit like a light, someone you can follow, someone worth following.” The senior dean also puts forward other factors. “There is the meeting of Christians, of witnesses who, for young people, can also be teachers of religion. For these young people, the generation of grandparents, whose relationships are different from their parents, can be significant: a simple candle lit together when we are children, for example. We see that some young people in bring others to Christianity.”
The experience of the catechumenate can also explain this renewed attraction. “It’s an opportunity that allows us to stop, for more than a year. While we are in the realm of immediacy, here we take our time. In the past, the Christian faith was more in the realm of knowledge. Now, we make them see more of an experience.” The priest further adds that being baptized is possible at any age and that, for a long time, this possibility hardly arose due to the systematic baptism of children. Furthermore, we are also perhaps witnessing a “catching up” of adults who had not received the sacrament as children.
Is this clear revival of interest lasting or just a flash in the pan? “I think it’s sustainablesays Daniel Procureur. Seeking meaning in one’s life will continue, especially in a disoriented world which, sometimes, reduces happiness to the material. There, I think, is a field for “seekers” of meaning. A certain number find it in God.”
Alessia, soon to be baptized: “Like a new life”
Alessia, 21, is a smiling and friendly young woman from Gilly. She studies marketing, and her life is that of many women her age. Social networks are one of them. She comes from an environment where only her grandmother came from a Catholic family, but she did not receive a Christian education: she was not baptized, and considered herself an atheist.
Until the day when, while surfing YouTube, she came across the testimony of a young woman who converted to Christianity. “This touched me a lotshe remembers. I said to myself: what if there was something, someone who wants the good for all of us and who loves us? Why not me? Why can’t I be baptized too?
His journey began with the discovery of the Bible… on his phone. But during a “gap” year when she worked in a store, her attention was focused on the symbol of the cross. “I perceived this as a sign which encouraged me to go further, to cross the threshold of a church whereas, until then, I had never wanted to hear about this place which I perceived as sad, negative.”
His first contact took place at the Saint-Christophe basilica, in the company of a friend, his first mass in the Lower Town. “There were a lot of people. The songs touched me deeply. There were baptisms, and I felt like an intruder. That’s when I wanted baptism.” She will opt for Charleroi where she will be able to rely on a companion of around thirty years, Guillaume, for her Christian initiation.
From September 2024, she will discover everything you need to know to engage in Christian life, from the Scriptures to the subjects of everyday life. “I also shared with other young Christians my age.” Fruitful exchanges. She also got involved in the choir, which she really appreciates. It was also the occasion for great encounters which contrasted with others until then. “I didn’t know that people could be so kind, generous, welcoming, like a family, far from the selfishness, the nastiness that we can encounter.”
Last February 22, in Mons, Alessia, with the other catechumens, responded to the “decisive call” to become a Christian. On Easter night, Saturday, she will receive the sacrament of Christian initiation which brings together baptism, the Eucharist and confirmation. “It will be one of the happiest days of my life. I didn’t think we could need God. Now, I realize how much he is with us. I now feel surrounded by those who believe, and especially by God […] It will be like a new life.”
