This past Easter, dioceses across the Catholic Church saw an influx of young converts.
We spent these past weeks speaking with some of these new converts, their campus ministers, and pastors in the communities we support in different regions of the country to try to understand what is happening.
Here are three trends we noticed that help explain why these young people are drawn to the faith.
1) The “anxious generation” is attracted to Catholicism’s consistency and convictions
This is the generation we are told by experts that is riddled with unprecedented levels of anxiety. Faith is giving them the kind of assurances that are helping them navigate a world that many of them feel is overwhelming or suffocating their happiness. In a world where there is seemingly so much to fret and fear, a little certainty and consistency can be very consoling.
“I appreciate the structure a lot, said Connor Peters, a rising junior and convert involved in campus ministry with Catholic Noles at Florida State University. “While not every Catholic Church is the same, it’s the same message, readings, sacraments. Being able to stop wherever and go to Mass is very meaningful and reliable.”
We noticed the intellectual rigor and intentionality behind their decision to become Catholic. They didn’t join the church because the pancake breakfasts were good, the ultimate frisbee was epic, or the music was great. It was not the external things that brought them in, but the deeper offerings that spoke to their hearts. Many attended bible classes, watched online videos of Catholic apologists, asked hard questions, and sought new understanding. It doesn’t mean that these young people are looking for easy answers. They are smart and savvy.
This was the case for Georgia Southern rising junior Michael Hogan. He knows that there are a lot of “empty calories” to be consumed on his smart phone, which he refers to as the “rectangle nightmare” in his pocket.
Hogan can effortlessly quote the Church fathers like John Chrysostom or Ignatius of Antioch. He knows the scripture well, and all of it pointed him to Catholicism. He has a deep passion for the bible.
Hogan said he wanted to, “make this faith I had studied my own and actually live it out.”
2) For the generation in which life is increasingly more virtual and digital, having something concrete and tangible makes a difference
Remember, this is the generation that grew up spending hours in a digital world—pursuing likes and scrolling through endless content fed to them by an algorithm, not a person.
Catholics specialize in that which is tangible, except our word for it is “sacramental.” There are material things that we can see and touch that allow us to experience the grace of God. Young people love the sacraments, as well as the sacramentality of the Catholic Church.
Chloe Klumpp, a rising junior at Florida State University, is a recent convert who has fallen in love with the sacraments.
From just a few hundred students two years ago, Florida State is now averaging around 1,500 students each weekend for Mass. Klumpp is part of the newest wave of converts at Florida State University, having been confirmed this past Easter.
“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.”
“God speaks to us in and through those things – the sacraments and sacramentals.” said Father Joe Walsh, pastor at Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Newman Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. Over 900 students are involved in Catholic campus ministry here, triple the number from just five years ago.
He said that the most well attended Masses, are the those where there is lots of incense!
In a virtual world, there is something satisfying about a real and sensory experience. Previous generations might have dismissed the rich sacramentality of Catholicism as “bells and smells.” Maybe they were vestiges of a nostalgic or old-world Church. It turns out, these signs, instruments and symbols are great assets in our tradition that speak to the souls and imaginations of these new Catholics coming of age in an increasingly digital world.
3) Finally, in this age of crushing loneliness and isolation, the Church offers our young people community and connection
Church is an opportunity to break out of the death spiral of loneliness that beleaguers this generation. And young people are finding a human connection at church.
In speaking with several recent converts at Louisiana Tech University the sense of community is what they appreciated most.
“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,” said rising junior Collin Achee, pictured below left.
Rising junior Sarah Castille, below left, added, “I think the community here is great. It really is like a big family here.”
Carrying momentum forward
Certainly, there are other factors contributing to young people coming into the Church—including a love for Pope Leo XIV, which was mentioned among everyone we spoke to.
As we welcome these young converts into our churches, this is not a moment to rest, but to reflect on how we can continue the momentum. Instead of just absorbing these young converts, perhaps we can build around them, so that they can use their gifts to help others find their way into the faith just as they did.
Catholic Extension Society works in solidarity with people to build up vibrant and transformative Catholic faith communities. In the past decade, we have supported 115 college campus ministries in over 50 dioceses. Please support our mission.
