Archdioceses across the country are reporting significant increases of adult conversions to the faith this year. The Archdiocese of New Jersey, for example, has reported a 30% increase in conversions from 2025 and a 72% increase from 2023.
The Diocese of Cleveland (Ohio) reports that its OCIA class has doubled since 2023, and the Diocese of Richmond, Virginia says a record number of baptisms (900) will occur this Easter.
The Archdioceses of Boston, Portland, and Denver are reporting similar growths, and college campus ministries are experiencing these surges, too.
Various Archdioceses and dioceses across Europe (Paris, Belgium, Westminster, Ireland, and the Netherlands) are also reporting record-breaking convert classes this year.
Catholic converts in the US have reached a near 20-year high, with Catholics on track to become the largest single religious group, surpassing American Evangelical Protestants.
— AF Post (@AFpost) March 24, 2026
Protestants as a whole will likely still outnumber Catholics, but the trend suggests the US may be… pic.twitter.com/TXMJEJOXHX
Bishop Robert Barron told Fox News, “Last year, we broke the record for the number of adult converts, and then this year — so, we have what’s called the rite of election, that’s when all the people are entering into the church — we broke that record again. So, it’s a trend that’s visible all over the church and it’s certainly been true in my diocese.” The bishop says that young adults, who inherited the rise of atheism and “this bleakly secularized world” in the early 2000s, are driving much of these conversions.
According to an analysis from CEU-CEFAS, a think tank based in Madrid, Catholics, which currently represent 19% of the nation’s Christian population, are positioned to overtake evangelicals (23%).
The English summary of the analysis explains,
“Overall statistics show a steady decline in Christian identification in the United States over the past few decades. However, Catholicism exhibits a different trend: it remains stable at around 20% of the adult population, in a context of marked decline for numerous Protestant denominations. Furthermore, almost one in two American adults today reports having a personal or family connection to Catholicism, revealing a cultural and social presence far exceeding its strictly demographic weight. Faith is in vogue.”
“This quantitative trend is accompanied by significant qualitative transformations. Although there has been no significant increase in the number of baptisms, there has been a gradual recovery in organized religious practice. After the collapse caused by the pandemic, Sunday Mass attendance has shown a steady recovery, especially in parishes with a clear liturgical identity. At the same time, other aspects of faith life—such as confession and participation in parish life—have experienced sustained growth, pointing to an internal consolidation rather than a superficial surge.”
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