Bishop Barron says young adults are 'leading the charge' back to faith
As adult Catholic conversions rise across the U.S., young adults are expressing a desire to return to church, Bishop Robert Barron says.
Catholic leaders across the U.S. are reporting sharp increases in the number of adult converts, a trend that they say is driven primarily by young adults.
The Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey, reported 1,701 individuals were preparing to join the Church, a 30% increase since 2025, according to The Catholic Standard. Other archdioceses reporting similar rises include Cleveland, Ohio, Boston, Massachusetts, and Portland, Oregon, according to the outlet.
"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," Bishop Robert Barron told Fox News Digital.
Catholic ministries on college campuses, including Texas A&M University, University of Notre Dame and Arizona State University, are also reporting increasing converts, The Catholic Standard reported. Notre Dame saw its largest group of new Catholics in at least 25 years, with 125 receiving the sacraments last Easter, according to The Catholic Standard. The outlet noted that, this year, Notre Dame expects there to be 163 candidates and catechumens, which are unbaptized individuals undergoing conversion.
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An annual Catholic conference geared toward young people drew at least 26,000 people across multiple locations, with church leaders saying the overwhelming turnout shows the continued vibrancy of the Catholic Church. (Getty Images )
Barron said that when speaking to new adult converts about their decision, many describe themselves as "hungry for truth." He argued the trend is, in part, a reaction to the rise of atheism in the early 2000s, with younger generations having "inherited this bleakly secularized world" and now "leading the charge" back to religion.
The bishop pointed to St. Augustine, saying the theologian’s words still ring true today.
"St. Augustine said, ‘Lord, you've made us for yourself, and therefore our heart is restless till it rests in you,’ and that remains true," Barron said. "There's a longing in the heart that can't be satisfied by anything in this world, and so religion speaks to that."
Bishop Robert Barron, accompanied by President Donald Trump, speaks during a National Day of Prayer event in the Rose Garden at the White House on May 1, 2025. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
The bishop also explained that many young adults are looking for something steady with strong roots as they navigate the modern world and its online distractions. In his view, Catholicism has been attracting new converts because of its 2,000-year-old traditions.
"Our culture today is very ephemeral, right? It's evanescent... Catholicism speaks to something much deeper, and older, and more permanent," he said. "I also think that people are attracted to the ritual expression of Catholicism. So, the beauty of our liturgy, we're not just gathering in a bland room and singing pop songs, we're entering into this ancient, beautiful ritual involving vestments and incense and candles and ancient prayers and ancient chants. And I do think that appeals to people's souls, especially young people."
Even as he spoke about the beauty of the Church, Barron touched on the scandals of sexual abuse that came to light especially in the early 2000s. He said the scandals were important for the Church to acknowledge and deal with, but that for young adult converts, they were "more of a memory" and "less of a lived, immediate reality."
A woman holds a rosary during a Mass and prayers for the healing of Pope Francis at Archbasilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, on Feb. 23, 2025. (Tiziana Fabi/AFP via Getty Images)
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In 2025, Pew Research Center issued findings on Catholic converts in the U.S., saying that 1.5% of all adults in the country fit into the category. According to Pew's 2025 report, 92% of U.S. Catholics were raised in the faith, while the remaining 8% had converted. The research center said that when asked why they converted to Catholicism, "the most common response offered by converts is because of a spouse, or to get married in the Church." Meanwhile, others said Catholicism made sense to them or that it aligned with their values.
Now that the Church has attracted these new converts, it is tasked with retaining them. Barron said that first and foremost, the Church must listen to them.
"I think it needs to listen to them. You know, that's something Pope Francis kept emphasizing, correctly, that first you listen and find out what's attracted them, find out maybe what kept them away for a long time, what made a difference," Barron told Fox News Digital.
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Barron emphasized that, ultimately, the Church exists for the purpose of bringing people into the faith.
"The Church is about the business of evangelization. That's what we are. I mean, every Catholic institution exists for the purpose of evangelization, meaning bringing people to Christ. And so, the people who are coming back to the Church, that makes me the happiest. That's why what the Catholic Church exists for, is to invite people back," the bishop said.
