August 2, 2026 | Why Young Adults Are Entering the Catholic Church
Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~
I spent last week (July 21-26) at Ignite NW, a one-of-a-kind Catholic convention for high schoolers. It was a real shot in the arm for the 300 kids and 175 adult volunteers who attended at least some of it. Of those 175 adults, about twenty of them were young adults aged 18-25. These young adults are committed to their Catholic faith—some zealous—willing to help others on their journey with the Lord. One of these young adults was not even baptized but currently in our OCIA program to become a Catholic. She might have been the only non-Catholic at the whole convention. Having stumbled upon this nugget, I naturally inquired as to her conversion; what brought her into our OCIA program? The answer was the internet. There she discovered arguments for the Catholic faith, and, having a desire to know God and be in a relationship with Him, she dropped in on a local Mass.
Last Easter I wrote about the surge in young adult converts coming into the Church. You can find that pastor’s column here https://holyredeemervan.org/pastor-columns/easter2026. The catalyst for this is ironically the internet. I say ironically because the internet is probably the single greatest catalyst for sin (pornography, wasting time that needs to be spent on responsibilities that are not being met, wasting money shopping, etc.) Yet its tranche of easily accessible information on everything can’t be beat. That means fiction and false accusations, as well as factual information about the Catholic Church and faith. When honest people who are seeking God (or didn’t know they were) stumble upon the Truths of our faith, this “treasure buried in a field,” some actually “go and sell everything they have to obtain that field” (Mt. 13:44). Some actually enter the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA).
Ross Douthat, the only non-liberal/progressive who writes for the New York Times, has this to say about the search for meaning. I think it nails what people are looking for when they are honest enough to search.
“What I'm looking for when I gamble on a world-picture, is something that makes sense of the four major features of existence that give rise to religious questions:
1. the striking fact of cosmic order
2. our distinctive consciousness
3. our strong moral sense and thirst for justice
4. and the persistent varieties of supernatural experience.
... And, no surprise here, I think the combination of the Old and New Testament is the darkest swan in the sea of religious stories — the compendium of stories, histories, poems, prophecies, parables, and yes—eyewitness accounts—that most suggests an actual unfolding of divine revelation, and whose unlikely but overwhelming role as a history-shaping force, endures even in what is supposed to be our oh-so-disenchanted world.” [Taken from Ross Douthat’s Wikipedia page]
Animals don’t ask themselves: What is the meaning of life – why do I exist? To what purpose should I live? What happens to me after death? Those three questions are at the core of every human being’s identity—a concept that animals don’t concern themselves with. For varied reasons, some people will not pursue answers to these questions; while others will, but will give up short of answers; while some will persist until they find the answers to those questions in Jesus Christ and His Catholic Church. The parable of the sower and seeds comes to mind. There are people of all ages looking for answers to the questions people have been asking since Adam awoke from the dirt of the earth. Those answers are found in the Catholic Church, which in turn is being discovered by many on the internet.
Below I have attached an article from Extension Magazine, a publication of the Catholic Extension Society. An organization that seeks to help faith communities in the poorest areas of America.
May Almighty God Bless You,
Fr. Thomas Nathe
Fr. Nathe
https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/71239994/extension-magazine-summer-2026
Here’s What Young Catholic Converts Are Saying
This past Easter, dioceses across the Catholic Church saw an influx of young converts.
Catholic Extension Society spent several weeks with some of these new converts in the communities we support. Here are three trends we noticed that help explain why young people today 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 gives them assurances that help them navigate a world many feel is overwhelming or suffocating their happiness. In a world with seemingly so much to fret over and to fear, a little certainty and consistency can be consoling.
“I appreciate the structure a lot,” said Connor Peters, a junior and convert involved in the campus ministry “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 young people's decision to become Catholic. They didn't join the church because the pancake breakfast were good, the ultimate frisbee was epic or the music was great. Many attended Bible classes, watched online videos of Catholic apologist, asked hard questions and sought new understanding.
This was the case for Georgia Southern University Junior Michael hogan. He knows there are many "empty calories” to be consumed on his smartphone, which he refers to as the “rectangle nightmare” in his pocket.
Hogan can effortlessly quote Church Fathers like John Chrysostom or Ignatius of Antioch. He knows the scriptures, and all of it pointed him to Catholicism. 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.
Catholics specialize in that which is tangible, except our word for it is "sacramental.” There are material things we can see and touch that allow us to experience the grace of God. Young people love the sacraments and the sacramentality of the Catholic church.
Chloe Klumpp, a Junior at Florida State University, is a recent convert who has fallen in love with the sacraments. From just a few hundred students 2 years ago, Florida State now averages around 1500 students each weekend in Mass attendance.
"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 campus ministry there, triple the number from just 5 years ago. Father Walsh said that the most well-attended Masses are those with lots of incense!
Previous generations might have dismissed the rich sacramentality of Catholicism as quote bells and smells. 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.
Many young people grow up spending more time alone than any generation prior. Health and longevity experts are coming to the same conclusion: the best way to thrive physically and mentally in this life is to spend time with other people. Church is an opportunity to break out of the death spiral of loneliness that beleaguers this generation.
Several recent converts at Louisiana tech University said 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 God is here within this community,” said junior Collin Achee.
Junior Sarah Castille added, “I think the community here is great. It really is like a big family here.”
Carrying Momentum Forward
As we welcome these young converts into our parish family, let’s reflect on how we can continue the momentum, to help others find a way into the faith just as they did.
