Catholic conversions rising: Inside the Catholic Church's quiet revival
In a Nutshell
Catholic conversions to the Church are surging across US archdioceses, especially among young millennials and Gen Z, marking the highest numbers in decades—such as 1,800 at Washington DC's Shrine of the Immaculate Conception this Easter—reversing years of decline driven by scandals, secularization, and fewer weddings/baptisms. Cardinals McElroy, Tobin, and Cupich attribute the trend to young people's hunger for life's meaning, healing from wounds, and moral leadership from Pope Leo, the first US-born pontiff. Converts make up just 8% of 53 million US Catholics per Pew, with many drawn spiritually; American Catholic patriotism emphasizes unity for opportunity, justice, and flourishing ahead of the nation's 250th birthday.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
60 Minutes overtime reports on Pope Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic Church, who has taken an outspoken stance on global conflicts and US immigration policy. In the pews, a quieter shift is occurring: more Americans are joining the Catholic Church, with the largest number of converts in recent history in some archdioceses, many young adults. Reports from around the country note packed services and increased regular attendance by millennials and Gen Z.
Cardinal Robert McElroy of Washington DC, Cardinal Joseph Tobin of Newark, New Jersey, and Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago discussed this surge.
We are doing some surveys about people who are coming to church to see what's motivating them. I do think though that research is showing that there really is a deep hunger in the hearts of young people for something that can help them with the meaning of life, but also there's a woundedness on the part of young people that they are seeking healing for. We don't have all the answers but we are going to try to drill down to find out more about that.
This trend follows decades of decline. Georgetown University data shows fewer adults joining since the early 2000s, with decreases in weddings, baptisms, and funerals since 2000. Since around 2022, dioceses report more people joining, many young adults. This Easter, some archdioceses saw their highest number of new Catholics in two decades.
The number of those joining the church this year is a record for the archdiocese which is a wonderful thing... We had 1,800 this year at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. So that's a wonderful thing because we're seeing this across the country, but we're not quite sure what's bringing it about other than moral leadership in the world. What a tragedy to have a world in which there are not moral leaders. And I think young people and young adults particularly are looking for a sense of that in their lives. And some of those are coming into the church for that reason.
Cardinal Tobin attributes the surge partly to Pope Leo:
Yes, I do. I've had the privilege of working closely with four popes, very different people in a lot of ways, but each one in some way was the right one for that moment in time. I believe that Pope Leo is the right man at this time.
The rise follows years of decline due in part to the church sexual abuse scandal, which caused many Catholics to feel the church lost its moral standing.
Well, I think that prompts us to be even more forthright in doing everything possible to protect children, but also to address the harm that was done. That I think is something that's always on the front burner for us with regard to the falloff in terms of people practicing. We're seeing this, however, in other religions. So it's also part of the secularization that's happening in society today and people have a lot more options on Sunday and the weekend than they did before. So I think there are a number of factors that contributed to that decline.
A Pew Research Center study last year found that only about 8% of the roughly 53 million Catholics in the US are converts. Most came through marriage, while others cite spiritual reasons or people close to them.
Ahead of the nation's semiquincentennial (250th birthday), discussion on patriotism:
For me, patriotism is about being united in the common task of creating the opportunities for everyone to flourish. That they would have the opportunity to be the person God intended them to be. That is part of the aspirations that immigrants came here with just an opportunity to have a fresh start. So, how can we work together to make sure that everybody has an opportunity to flourish? I think that's patriotism.
This mark is more permanent than any government identity or record. For us as American Catholics, we love our country not merely because we were born here if we were, but rather because of its aspirations of democracy, justice, equality, of freedom that have been lived out with differing levels of success all through our history and having to change it and readapt it to make it more true to its core. So for us as Catholic Americans, we love our country because of it. What it aspires to be and has for the past 250.
Keep 60 Minutes in your library
Save the videos and channels worth coming back to, and find them again in one place.
