MONACO (OSV News) — Monaco has a record number of people entering the Catholic Church this year, including one with a dramatic conversion story that took her from the fast lane of Formula One to a life-changing moment in the Holy Land.
Daniela Boutsen, 57, is one of Monaco’s 70 people preparing to enter the Catholic Church this year.
“I was married to a Formula One racing driver, so we were living on a fast track,” Boutsen told OSV News.
Boutsen said she grew up without practicing any religion, but experienced a profound moment during a trip to Jerusalem at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. When the tour guide pointed out the stone on which Jesus Christ’s body was laid after his crucifixion, her first instinct was anything but reverent.
“Oh, that’s a really nice social media spot,” she recalled thinking, asking a friend to take a photo of her.
“And when I touched the stone, I got electrified,” Boutsen said.
The stone, known as the Stone of Anointing or Stone of Unction, is the slab at the entrance of the church, where tradition holds that Jesus’ body was laid as he was prepared for burial in the nearby tomb known as the Holy Sepulchre.
A journey of faith through hardship
The feeling Boutsen experienced was so strong that it stayed with her for weeks, until she finally went to the Archdiocese of Monaco and asked to enter the Church.
“I had no idea that I was baptized when I was young,” she said.
As a candidate, Boutsen is preparing to receive the sacrament of confirmation, and complete her sacraments of initiation, at Pentecost. Originally from Berlin, she has lived in Monaco for more than 30 years.
After entering the process of becoming Catholic three years ago, she faced a series of hardships — her mother died, she went through a divorce and was diagnosed with cancer.
“The Holy Spirit helped me through all my suffering,” Boutsen said. She postponed her confirmation last year due to cancer treatments, and said experiencing a papal visit just before receiving the sacrament has brought her great joy. She is now cancer-free.
Catechumens share conversion stories with Pope Leo
Just a week before many of Monaco’s catechumens are set to receive the sacrament of baptism, they had the opportunity for an intimate encounter with Pope Leo XIV in front of the Church of St. Devota, one of Monaco’s most cherished religious sites. Dedicated to the patron saint of Monaco, an early Christian martyr from Corsica executed during the reign of Rome’s Emperor Diocletian, the church lends its name to the first corner of the Formula One Monaco Grand Prix Circuit.
Among those days away from baptism is Alexandre Bizzoca, 46, who told OSV News he felt drawn to the Catholic faith because he “felt that something was missing in my life.”
“I wasn’t baptized because my parents made this choice to give me the choice for later if I would like to be baptized or not,” the catechumen said.
“But when the years passed, I felt something missing in my life and it became quite logical for me to get closer to my faith and to share this faith with other Christians,” he added.
“I didn’t expect at all that this year would be the year that Pope Leo would come to Monaco. So it’s a wonderful grace,” he said.
Record numbers for Monaco
Deacon Simon Ardiss, who leads the Christian initiation courses for the Archdiocese of Monaco, told OSV News this is the largest group of catechumens and candidates to enter the Church at Easter in the decade he has been involved in the formation program.
“We have 70 people in Monaco which are either preparing to be baptized, some this year, some are on route for next year, and the others to be confirmed,” he said.
“And to put in perspective last year we had 35 and the year before we had 20,” he said.
The numbers reflect trends seen across France, where more than 20,000 catechumens are expected to be baptized during the Easter Vigil, a 20% increase over that of 2025.
According to an annual survey published by the French bishops’ conference March 25, more than 13,200 adults and more than 8,100 adolescents will be baptized during the April 4 Easter Vigil. The figures mark a sustained increase in adult baptisms compared to 2016, when just over 4,100 adults were baptized.
“It’s happening all over France — it’s a wave,” Deacon Ardiss said, adding that he does not know why. “There’s no specific characteristic which allows us to say, ‘Ah, that’s why.’”
But he said, “It’s people which get converted in their hearts, each one on their different path.”
Catechumens from diverse backgrounds
He noted that the people entering the Catholic Church in Monaco span nationality, age and social background, including a doctor working in a hospital and several students. They range in age from 20 to 55 and represent many nationalities, including Monégasque, French, Italian, Guatemalan and various African countries.
The one trend that runs counter to broader patterns, he said, is that slightly more women than men are becoming Catholic in Monaco this year.
Deacon Ardiss was ordained a permanent deacon nearly a year ago. He went through the process of entering the Church himself after experiencing a conversion in his 40s. He has now spent more than a decade volunteering with those preparing to join the Church.
“And then came a calling to be a servant,” Deacon Ardiss said. The archbishop then entrusted him with responsibility of overseeing the program after his ordination.
He thought religion was ‘for fools’ — then Christ called
Ethan Fender, 25, who is to be baptized on Easter, was among the few who had the opportunity to share his testimony directly with Pope Leo.
He told OSV News that before deciding to join the Catholic Church, he thought religion was only “for fools.”
“I was in a state of numbness,” Fender said. “Like wherever I go, wherever I look, I did not find a sustainable meaning to keep me going.”
Fender is a French engineer who came to Monaco 2 1/2 years ago to manage the construction of a luxury villa. He lives in a French town near Monaco.
In front of the Church of St. Devota, Fender told the pope that five years ago, Jesus Christ found him during a difficult period, when the pursuits the world offered — wealth, pleasure and power — felt very hollow.
“Without bearings, I entered a kind of lethargy where nothing really had any meaning anymore. It was in this state of confusion and despair that Christ came to meet me,” Fender said. “He came with a very simple request: ‘Come and follow me!’ What more beautiful request could there be? What joy for Christians — and those who are not yet — to receive this invitation!”
Pope tells catechumens the world needs their witness of conversion
He continued, “During this Lenten season, tens of thousands of my brothers and sisters, catechumens throughout the world, have made the decision to follow Christ in his crucifixion and resurrection. All united in the same Spirit and the same will to follow our Lord, they have responded to the call and are preparing to be baptized.”
“One week enough before our baptism, the pope arrives. It’s unexpected. It’s a blessing,” he told OSV News.
In his message to young people and those getting ready to enter the Church, Pope Leo encouraged them to trust in the Lord completely.
“Do not be afraid to give everything — your time, your energy — to God and to your brothers and sisters, to pour yourselves out completely for the Lord and for others,” the pope said.
“Only in this way will you find an everlasting joy and an ever-deeper meaning in life. The world needs your witness to overcome the errors of our time, face its challenges and, above all, to rediscover the sweet taste of loving God and neighbor.”
Courtney Mares is Vatican editor for OSV News. Follow her on X @catholicourtney.
Editor’s note: Read OSV News’ main story on the papal trip to Monaco here.
The post From Formula 1 to dramatic conversion: Monaco’s new Catholics this Easter season tell their stories first appeared on OSV News.
