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Catholic Churches See 38 Percent Surge in Adult Converts Over Easter Weekend

The report comes from the Washington Times: The U.S. Catholic Church experienced an estimated 38% increase in adult converts over the Easter weekend, driven by young men in their 20s, according to an analysis of data from 140 of the nation’s 175 dioceses. Hallow, a Catholic prayer and meditation app with more than 15 million registered users, analyzed aggregated diocesan data and found the Archdiocese of Los Angeles led the way, with a 139% increase from last year in Catholic converts via baptism and confirmation. That was followed by a 52% increase in Chicago and 36% growth in New York City…. “Young men who felt rejected during COVID and the ’great awokening’ of our culture in the last decade have turned to the right,” said Brad Wilcox, a University of Virginia sociologist who studies marriage trends. “One of the few institutions welcoming them with open arms is the Catholic Church.” He said conservative Catholic teachings have drawn a rising tide of young men to his public university’s Catholic chaplaincy (Washington Times). Salena Zito (a Catholic herself and author of “Butler” on the near assassination of Trump): For the first time in decades, faith in this country is growing, not retreating – particularly among our young people, something that I’ve been reporting for the past year. In my rural parish, a Roman Catholic Church in the Diocese of Greensburg, our attendance has nearly doubled since last fall. Unless you get to Mass at least 15 minutes before services begin, you are left standing for the entire service – and that is with added folding chairs in the back, along the side, and with the choir pews above us filled (Townhall).