Théo, soon to be baptized: ‘Mass touched something in me’

“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. 

God can use many different paths to touch hearts. There are sudden conversions, great revelations, and then there are gradual paths, rooted in everyday life. Without a doubt, Théo, 25, wouldn’t have followed the same path if he hadn’t grown up in Vendée, a department on the western coast of France.

He’s very attached to his small homeland, and it’s partly through his heritage that this tall young construction worker with a broad smile found his way to faith. Théo comes from a “culturally Christian” but not practicing family. However, from a very early age he had the intuition that something greater existed.

An illness that struck him at the age of 21 accelerated events. “It was the driving force that really opened me up to faith. When you’re very alone, at rock bottom, when you have nothing left, you realize that there are more essential things.”

He began to read a lot, to learn about the Catholic faith. But he still couldn't take the step. The wayside shrines of Vendée helped him to take the step. “After recovering from my illness, I found it difficult to be around crowds, and I couldn't see myself going to Mass. So I joined SOS Calvaires, because it was smaller,” says Théo, referring to a non-profit dedicated to restoring and maintaining chapels, roadside shrines, etc.

“I was still discovering my faith, and I really liked the heritage aspect. And I met my godfather there.” It was during a break in the work that the young man met Fr. Alexandre-Marie Robineau, the parish priest of La Roche-sur-Yon. The priest suggested he come to Mass.

“I had never dared to take the plunge; I didn't feel ready yet. But he insisted and I went in September 2024,” says Théo. “I went into the church and it was a revelation. The mass touched something in me.”

At the moment of Communion, he was seized by certainty regarding truths of the faith. ”I truly realized what Mass is and who Christ really is. Sacrificing himself for us, giving himself to us with so much love, that touched me deeply.” Theo then asked to be baptized.

Having made good progress on his journey of faith, he was offered the opportunity to be baptized just a few months later, during the Easter Vigil of 2025. In the meantime, the young man is trying to live the Lenten season to the full, thinking about the Passion of Jesus.

“He died as a human being so that he could give eternal life to all. He endured all that suffering. So I tell myself that if he could endure all that, we can endure more than we think, whether physically or morally. Even during Lent, it's such a small sacrifice to deprive oneself a little.” 

Théo is a diligent student and attends catechism class twice a week. Théo sometimes works up to 55 hours a week, so he has found a way to pray more often. “I always have a cross with me; I have several, and I wear one around my neck to avoid hurting myself at work, and I pray every time I change them.”

As the date of his baptism approaches, the young man is impatient. “I can't wait, but at the same time I'm nervous,” he says. “I'm always afraid of not being good enough. I always want to try to do better.” But he’s not discouraged, and knows that the time has come. ”It's okay to stumble; what's not okay is not getting back up.”