Roman Catholic Churches See a Surge of New Converts
This Easter the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years.
By Elizabeth Dias -
People are joining the Roman Catholic Church in surprising numbers.
The Times gathered data from two dozen dioceses. Each reported a significant increase in new converts.
Bishops are trying to understand what’s behind the wave. People joining the church described their reasons as highly personal.
This Easter the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have its most in 15 years. In the Diocese of Des Moines, the count is jumping 51 percent from last year, from 265 people to 400.
The first year after the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States, many Catholic churches across America are welcoming their highest numbers of new Catholics in recent years. The newcomers are set to officially be received into the church during the Easter Vigil Mass, the night before Easter Sunday on April 5.
Bishops are buzzing about the surge, and confounded by what is behind it.
“Of course we think the Holy Spirit is,” Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington said. “But we are kind of stymied.”
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