One could argue that every great movement and moment in the Catholic Church’s 2,000-year history began when young people were engaged. Whether it was St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi beginning their commitment to poverty and the poor, or St. Catherine of Sienna calling the pope back to Rome in the 1300s, young people have always shown an immense ability to change the Church for the better.
And it looks like it might be happening again, amid reports of a resurgence of religious belief and increase in Catholic converts among Gen Z.
In a meeting this week with Catholic Extension Society’s Board of Governors, Pope Leo XIV had an opportunity to greet one of our special guests: a young adult leader from Kentucky named Sara Spellman.
As she greeted the Holy Father, Spellman said, “Thank you for inspiring young people,” to which the pope beautifully replied, “I’m so happy to see the young people here today.”
Investing in young adult leaders
Spellman came to represent the thousands of young people Catholic Extension is currently investing in by providing scholarships for master’s degrees in theology that give young people a sound education to become leaders in the Church, as well as supporting Catholic campus ministries that create healthy families of faith for college students.
At 23 years old, Spellman is the youngest staff person in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky. Nearly everyone else is over the age of 45. Thanks to Spellman’s positive experiences with the Catholic Church during her youth and college years, she saw the diocese as a great place to start her career coming out of college.
Today she is a development coordinator, helping raise funds that support parishes in the Appalachian Mountains—where there is great poverty and the Church’s ministry is transformative. This includes St. Paul’s Mission in McKee, pictured below.
Her superiors describe her as “open to learning,” “tenacious” and “flexible.” In other words, she is an asset, and they are treating her as such.
Diocese of Lexington Bishop John Stowe asked Catholic Extension Society for a scholarship for Spellman to pursue a master’s degree at the University of Notre Dame as part of our Young Adult Leadership Initiative. She will finish the degree next year and continue her ministry with young people in the diocese.
Spellman says that working in the Church is not just something she does as a “day job.” It’s part of a larger vocation. She wants this degree so that she can help other young adults stay in touch with their faith and their church.
She said, “I desire to work alongside other youth and young adult ministry professionals to create programming that will provide students with applicable tools for participation in the life of the Church; empowering them to become active leaders in their parish communities as young professionals.”
When we encounter young people with this kind of willingness to lead, serve and sacrifice, it is incumbent upon us to find a way to invest in them. Because when we invest in the education of young adult leaders, we are really investing in ourselves, and in a future for the Catholic Church in America that is led by generous and faithful leaders.
This includes these enthusiastic youth Catholic leaders, who are serving in poor regions throughout America after they earned master’s degrees from the University of Notre Dame through our scholarship program.
Spellman, eager to join the latest wave of young leaders, told us,
I want to stay in the Catholic Church working for years to come. I feel very convicted about the work we are doing.”
Conversations with Gen Z converts
Spellman’s generation is seeing an influx of young converts. Catholic Extension Society has seen it firsthand on college campuses across the country. In the past decade, Catholic Extension Society has supported 115 college campus ministries in over 50 dioceses. This includes Georgia Southern University in the Diocese of Savannah.
We spoke with some of these new converts in the campus ministries we support. Young people love the sacraments as well as the sacramentality of the Catholic Church. This is evident at the campus ministry “Catholic Noles” at Florida State University.
On this campus, each weekend up to 1,500 students attend Mass—a significant increase from just a few hundred a couple years ago.
Chloe Klumpp, a rising junior at Florida State University, is part of this wave of converts, having been confirmed this past Easter.
She said she has fallen in love with the sacraments. “My biggest conviction for why I converted is the Eucharist,” said Klumpp. “This is our Lord truly present to us. It was such a beautiful moment to finally have it click.”
Many young people at the Catholic ministries form deep, meaningful friendships with their fellow students in the ministries—who are always welcome to all.
Collin Achee at Louisiana Tech, pictured below right, said, “Just being around people who share the faith creates this community in my own heart, where I know I can be comfortable and know that God is here within this community.”
Among the many factors contributing to young people coming into the Church, a love for Pope Leo XIV was mentioned by everyone we spoke to.
As the number of young people entering the Church rises, the Holy Father said to young people in November 2025:
“[Jesus] alone fully knows who we are and why we are here; young people, he knows your heart, your indignation in the face of discrimination and injustice, your desire for truth and beauty, for joy and peace. Through his friendship, he listens to you, motivates you, and guides you, calling each of you to a new life.”
Catholic Extension Society is eager to embrace the vision of Pope Leo XIV as we commit to increasing our funding to nurture Catholic faith among our promising young people.
We can’t do it alone! Catholic Extension Society relies entirely on the generosity of donors like you. Please support our mission and help us build a bright future for the Catholic Church in America!
Header image credit: © Vatican Media
