Lenten Campaign 2025
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“I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” These are the words that thousands of catechumens around the world are preparing to hear on Easter night when they are baptized. Throughout Lent, Aleteia is sharing with you the stories of some of these men and women, who are happy to become children of God. Read all of the testimonies here."
Describing their journey of faith as a "shower of graces," Ilona and Melvin themselves are still a little surprised by what they're undertaking. Four sacraments in two months: “That's a lot of upheaval, but so much joy!” exclaims Ilona.
On Holy Saturday night, the newly engaged couple, aged 24 and 23, will receive the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation … before getting married on Saturday June 28. Their covenant with God was an obvious choice. As was their meeting three years ago.
Melvin and Ilona met in 2022 on social networks. But both wanted to get serious. Gone were the days of temporary virtual relationships, and just two months later, the young couple began a relationship. Almost immediately, they started talking about God. Yet neither of them had grown up in a religious family, and it was only their Catholic schooling that drew their interest in the faith from afar.
As Melvin shares with Aleteia:
“I've always had some kind of sensitivity to the Catholic religion, I liked going into churches, visiting them… But that's all,”
Whereas Ilona has a slightly different story, as she explains:
“For my part, I have a Catholic mom and an Orthodox dad, but neither of them were churchgoers. There was no such transmission, so I grew up fairly indifferent to it all,”
A faith journey proving to be a sign of the times!
Their journey is proving a familiar story these days. There's been a surge of conversions in France and Great Britain this year. And every year, the Church counts few more newly baptized adults. Their testimonies are pouring in everywhere. And not only in the press, but also on social networks.
The survey of catechumens carried out by Aleteia and Famille Chrétienne in 2025 highlights this trend: the future Easter baptized are young, even very young (44% are under 25), and many have discovered the faith through social networks (78% consider that they played a role in discovering or deepening their faith, and 46% believe that they played an important role).
Melvin and Ilona are part of this wave of young people discovering their faith for themselves.
Although they didn't know each other yet, something was germinating in each of them during their studies. As Ilona describes:
I wanted to know more, so I downloaded some apps to help me understand the Bible … And I started going to Mass a bit just like that, just to see, but without really being convinced.”
Meanwhile, Melvin, too, was questioned by the faith he saw flooding social networks.
I started following accounts that talked about faith, such as Abbé Raffray's. It spoke to me, but like Ilona, I didn't really understand it. It spoke to me, but like Ilona, I didn't take action. In fact, it was when I met Ilona that things really clicked for me.”
Discovering the Tridentine Mass
“As we talked, we realized that we were both longing for something beyond ourselves. This fueled our search for faith, and we realized that we wanted to put God at the center of our relationship,” testifies Ilona.
For just under a year, Ilona and Melvin attended Mass together as often as possible. In October 2023, they requested baptism and began their catechumenate journey with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter in Essonne. Melvin had discovered the Tridentine rite some time before, and for him it was a new revelation.
“The first time I went there, I felt like I was plunging into a sacredness I didn't know. And I fell in love, perhaps even more than Ilona (laughs) with this liturgy, with Gregorian chant, which lifts the soul,” confides Melvin. “I found the depth and transcendence I was looking for,” agrees Ilona.
And if at the beginning this Mass requires some effort to master the missal, “nothing is insurmountable,” assures Melvin. “You may feel a little lost at first, but never excluded. We were always very well looked after when we arrived, and you quickly get used to the use of Latin, which is universal."
Both testify to the radical change in their lives brought about by their conversion. Ilona smiles as she recounts:
Nothing is the same anymore, because everything has a meaning. On a personal level, I know I'm no longer alone: beyond Melvin, I can turn to God in abandonment and trust, whatever my fears.”
“Now there are three of us in the equation. Our faith becomes the cement of our couple,” adds Melvin, recalling the words of Blessed Charles of Habsburg to his future wife Zita: "Now we must lead each other to Heaven."
