Muslim conversions trending in France, sometimes aided by the Virgin Mary

In Marseille, France, the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde, which the locals refer to as “the Good Mother”, has been visited for years - and increasingly so - by families from the other side of the Mediterranean, for whom the climb to the Good Mother is “sacred” and a beacon of hope. This is one of the sources of the current trend, which every year sees several hundred Muslims convert to Christianity and who ask to be baptized. 

Take for instance 16-year-old Chaïnez: suffering from a deep depression, she was taken by her Muslim mother to the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseille, where Muslims often go to  light candles. 

Standing before a statue of the Virgin and Child, Chaïnez felt an inner transformation: “It was as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I've never felt such happiness,” she confided to Le Figaro magazine. 

This experience prompted her to seek answers in the Bible, and, after twelve years of spiritual quest, she was baptized at Easter 2023. Her conversion led to family rejection, cutting her off from many family members and forcing her to live her faith in secret. 

“When a Muslim friend saw my cross, she almost ran away,” Chaïnez says. 

As Catholics, in imitation of Jesus and Mary, Mother of all men, we need to welcome these courageous converts who have dared to take the plunge.

Source : www.observalgerie.com