On 28 June 2025, the eve of the feast of St Peter and St Paul, in Notre-Dame Cathedral, Paris, Archbishop Laurent Ulrich, the Archbishop of Paris, ordained 16 men to the Sacred Priesthood.
These were the first ordinations held in the historic cathedral since it was nearly destroyed by fire in 2019 and subsequently restored.
Not only was this the cathedral’s first ordination Mass since the blaze, it also featured the largest cohort of new priests the Paris archdiocese has seen in over two decades. Around 5,000 people attended, with approximately 2,000 inside Notre-Dame and another 3,000 watching from the forecourt on large screens.
The 16 new priests, aged between 27 and 42, come from a variety of professional backgrounds. Among them are a former military doctor, an IT specialist and a sports coach. Eight belong to religious communities, with half of those coming from the Emmanuel Community, a French Catholic association of the faithful of pontifical right, founded in 1972 by Pierre Goursat and Martine Lafitte-Catta.
They represent a significant increase in ordinations compared with 2024, when only six men were ordained for the diocese.
In his homily, Archbishop Ulrich stressed that their public witness of faith, expressed through active charity and steadfast hope, is the true wealth of their lives as priests.
Across France, 90 men are expected to be ordained this year, including 73 diocesan priests. Among religious communities, the Community of Saint Martin will see the most new priests, with nine men being ordained. The community, founded in 1976 by Fr Jean-François Guérin, is known for its liturgical discipline, doctrinal fidelity and strong priestly fraternity.
The new priests will be much needed in a country witnessing a renewed interest in the Church. France’s Catholic Church welcomed more than 10,384 adult catechumens at Easter this year, marking a 45 per cent increase from 2024 and the highest number since records began.
(Photo by JOEL ROBINE/AFP via Getty Images)
