Monaco sees record conversions this Easter as new Catholics share moving stories—from Formula 1 glamour to faith in Christ.
Newsroom (30/03/2026 Gaudium Press )Under the Riviera sun, Monaco is more often associated with luxury yachts and the shrill crescendo of Formula One engines than quiet prayer. Yet this Easter season, the world’s second-smallest country has become the unlikely setting for a surge in spiritual renewal. A record seventy residents are preparing to enter the Catholic Church—among them, former Formula One insider Daniela Boutsen, wife of Thierry Boutsen who competed in Formula One for Arrows, Benetton, Williams, Ligier and Jordan. He finished fourth in the 1988 World Drivers’ Championship with Benetton. Boutsen also competed in 10 editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 1981 to 1999, finishing runner-up in 1993 and 1996 with Peugeot and Porsche, respectively , whose journey from racing glamour to deep faith began with one electrifying moment in Jerusalem.
“I was married to a Formula One driver, so we were living on a fast track,” Boutsen recalled. The Berlin-born Monégasque had long lived without religion until a trip to the Holy Land changed everything. Standing in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, she casually leaned over the Stone of Anointing, where tradition holds that Christ’s body was laid after his crucifixion. At first, her reaction was almost irreverent—“Oh, that’s a really nice social media spot,” she remembered saying. But when she reached out to touch the ancient stone, something indescribable happened.
“I got electrified,” she said simply, describing a rush of spiritual energy that would echo in her thoughts for weeks. That sensation sent her to the offices of the Archdiocese of Monaco, asking to join the Catholic Church.
Boutsen, 57, discovered she had been baptized as a child but never practiced the faith. Now, three years into her journey of initiation, she will complete her sacraments at Pentecost. The road to this moment was far from easy: her mother’s death, a painful divorce, and a battle with cancer tested her new faith. “The Holy Spirit helped me through all my suffering,” she said. Cancer-free today, Boutsen sees her confirmation—delayed by treatment last year—as an act of thanksgiving.
Her story resonates deeply in a principality better known for extravagance than religion, suggesting a quiet shift in spiritual hunger among its residents.
A Wave of Conversions Across the Riviera
Deacon Simon Ardiss, coordinator for the Christian initiation courses in Monaco, said this year’s class is the largest in his decade of service. “We have seventy people—some to be baptized this year, others next year, and others to be confirmed,” he explained. The numbers have doubled every year since 2024. “It’s happening all over France—it’s a wave.”
That wave mirrors national trends. According to the French bishops’ conference, more than 20,000 catechumens across France are expected to receive baptism during the Easter Vigil—13,200 adults and 8,100 teenagers—marking a 20% rise from 2025. The numbers are five times higher than a decade ago.
But in Monaco, the faces behind those figures show remarkable diversity: doctors, students, engineers, and expatriates from Europe, Africa, and Latin America. Slightly more women than men make up this year’s group. “Each one converts for a personal reason,” Ardiss said. “It’s people whose hearts are moved—each on their own path.”
The deacon understands that path intimately. Himself a late convert, Ardiss was ordained only a year ago. “And then came a calling to be a servant,” he said, his voice soft but certain. His mission now is to accompany others through their encounter with grace.
Faith and the Fast Lane Meet at St. Devota
Monaco’s catechumens recently gathered before one of the city’s most symbolic landmarks—the Church of St. Devota, named for the principality’s patron saint and marking the first corner of the world-famous Monaco Grand Prix circuit. The juxtaposition of faith and Formula One was not lost on the group.
There, the soon-to-be Catholics were greeted by Pope Leo XIV, whose historic visit brought warmth and surprise. Among them was Alexandre Bizzoca, a 46-year-old Monégasque who said he had long felt a void in his life. “My parents wanted me to choose whether to be baptized. But as the years passed, something felt missing. It became natural to get closer to faith,” he said. “I didn’t expect Pope Leo to come this year. It’s a wonderful grace.”
At the same gathering stood Ethan Fender, a 25-year-old French engineer who once dismissed religion as “for fools.” Working on luxury villas, Fender found worldly success—but no purpose. “I entered a kind of lethargy,” he said. “It was in that confusion that Christ came to meet me with a simple request: ‘Come and follow me.’”
Now preparing for baptism this Easter, Fender believes that call gave his life meaning. “What more beautiful request could there be?” he told the crowd, his words echoing against the limestone facades of the old port.
Pope Leo’s Message: “The World Needs Your Witness”
Pope Leo XIV’s visit has electrified Monaco’s Catholic community much like that moment in Jerusalem changed Boutsen. His address to the catechumens connected their personal awakenings to a broader spiritual renewal.
“Do not be afraid to give everything—your time, your energy—to God and to others,” the pope said. “Only in this way will you find everlasting joy and a deeper meaning in life. The world needs your witness to rediscover the sweet taste of loving God and neighbor.”
For Boutsen, Bizzoca, Fender, and dozens of others, this Easter marks not just an entry into the Church, but a crossing from speed and spectacle to silence and faith. In Monaco—the kingdom of engines and elegance—the whisper of conversion carries its own quiet power.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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