Adult Catholic conversions are increasing in several U.S. dioceses, with church leaders citing young adults seeking truth and stability as a driving factor.
Bishop Robert Barron told Fox News Digital that many new converts describe themselves as "hungry for truth." He said younger generations, having grown up in a secularized culture, are turning to the Catholic Church amid what he described as an ephemeral modern world.
The Archdiocese of Newark reported 1,701 individuals preparing to join the Church this Easter, a 30% increase from 2025. Similar increases have been reported in other dioceses, including Cleveland, Boston, and Portland, Oregon.
At the University of Notre Dame, officials expect 163 candidates and catechumens this year, following 125 new Catholics received last Easter, the largest group there in at least 25 years.
Elsewhere, the Diocese of Portland in Maine said 284 people from 26 parishes are preparing for baptism or reception this year, up by 88 from 2025.
In Boston, The Pilot reported that nearly 700 catechumens took part in the Rite of Election on Feb. 22.
At Notre Dame, the student newspaper The Observer reported the university's largest recorded OCIA class, with 76 yearlong participants, 60 in the spring short course, and 27 in the fall short course.
Barron, founder of Word on Fire, said the pattern is visible across the Church and has included back-to-back records in adult conversions in his experience.
He pointed to a deep human restlessness that secular culture does not satisfy, quoting St. Augustine: "Lord, you've made us for yourself, and therefore our heart is restless till it rests in you."
The bishop highlighted Catholicism's ancient liturgy, rituals, vestments, incense, and chants as attractions for young people seeking something permanent. He noted that the Church's sexual abuse scandals from the early 2000s register more as historical memory than as an immediate obstacle for many newcomers.
Still, the Easter intake figures do not, by themselves, show a national Catholic rebound.
Pew Research Center reported in 2025 that 8% of U.S. Catholics are converts, and 1.5% of all U.S. adults fall into that category, while a separate Pew analysis found that Catholicism still loses 8.4 people through religious switching for every convert it gains.
The local numbers moving toward Easter suggest a notable upswing in some dioceses, but this is not proof that the broader U.S. trend has reversed.
As Easter approaches on April 5, dioceses are preparing groups for initiation into the Church through baptism, confirmation, and the Eucharist at the Easter Vigil. Barron said the church should listen to new converts to understand their paths and stressed evangelization as its core purpose.
"The Church is about the business of evangelization," he said. "That's why what the Catholic Church exists for, is to invite people back."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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