Young Men and the Return to Rome, by S.A. McCarthy

By S.A. McCarthy, The American Spectator, April 11, 2026

A surprising rise in Catholic conversions points to shifting cultural and spiritual currents in the United States.

Over the Easter weekend, the Catholic Church in the U.S. saw a surge in adult conversions. According to an analysis from the Catholic prayer app Hallow, the Church in the U.S. saw a 38 percent increase in conversions from 2025 to 2026, predominantly driven by men in their 20s. Some dioceses saw conversion rates significantly higher than the rest of the nation, with the Diocese of Duluth in Minnesota (+145 percent) and the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (+139 percent) leading the way. The Diocese of Rapid City in South Dakota (+96 percent), the Diocese of Pensacola-Tallahassee in Florida (+85 percent), and the Archdiocese of Chicago (+52 percent) also saw significant spikes.

The National Catholic Register found a similar trend: the Diocese of Norwich in Connecticut (+112 percent), the Diocese of Pueblo in Colorado (+105 percent), the Diocese of Venice in Florida (+94 percent), the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown in Pennsylvania (+84 percent), and many others saw drastic increases in the rate of adult conversions. “Last year, we had no idea where all the people came from then; 2025 eclipsed every year we had had up to then. We thought it might be an anomaly,” Father Armand Mantia, director of the Archdiocese of Newark’s OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults), told the National Catholic Register. Newark saw a 30 percent increase in adult conversions, accounting for over 1,700 converts welcomed into the Catholic Church. “And then, all of a sudden,” the priest continued, “we had our rituals for 2026, and 2026 blew away 2025, which we didn’t think was possible.” …

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