What's going on to see such a surge in Catholicism these days?

 

Catholicism sees major resurgence among Gen Z, with young men leading the revival

Catholic identification among 13–28-year-olds jumped from 15% to 21% in just one year as schools focus on faith-based meaning

 By Taylor Penley Fox News

Published June 19, 2025

Young men are driving a growing surge in Catholicism among Gen Z, as they turn to faith as an answer to loneliness, cultural drift and a search for purpose.

A Harvard University study shows that Gen Zer's who identified as Catholic rose by 6% between 2022 and 2023, a shift that Father Michael Tidd — headmaster of Delbarton School, a Benedictine Catholic school for young men in grades 7-12 in Morristown, New Jersey — says he has witnessed himself.

"We present our students with an experience of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ. We propose, we don't impose, and they come to us, and that seems to be really resonant with them," he shared with "Fox & Friends" on Thursday. 

"For the last several years, we have also had students be received into the church, either be baptized as Catholics for the first time or to receive all of their sacraments, because the experience that they have had here… of what it means particularly to be a man in our society, what it needs to be a believing man, a Catholic Christian man, really resonates with our students. And the larger things that you read about in our society about how… what it means to be man, is really a difficult question for a lot of young men to answer. I think our school and the Catholic Church more broadly and the Catholic faith more broadly provide a compelling answer to that."

Father Tidd said he sees students responding to that question in a faith-based way "every day."

Students at Delbarton come from a variety of backgrounds – some from practicing Catholic families, others from non-Catholic families – but all are presented with what it means to be a Catholic Christian both in the theology classroom and while doing service out in the world.

Father Tidd described the school's retreat experiences as a "real game-changer" for students as well as the "common worship" at mass and morning prayer that brings together all students.

The sense of community is an answer to disturbing findings like a recent Gallup Poll, which found that younger men in the U.S. were "among the loneliest in the West."

More specifically, one in four men under the age of 35 reported feeling lonely the prior day, the data revealed.

In a video address last week to the faithful in his hometown of Chicago, Pope Leo XIV sent a message of encouragement to young Americans. 

"So many people who suffer from different experiences of depression or sadness — they can discover that the love of God is truly healing, that it brings hope," the newly elected pontiff said.

Father Tidd suggested that young men affected by loneliness take initiative and find others who share common experiences, dreams, ambitions and, together, work to find answers to questions about meaning and purpose.

"That's one of the benefits of coming to a Catholic school, is that we have that structure that if a student wishes to take advantage of – particularly not just in class, but on athletic teams or extracurriculars – when you form those tight bonds, then you can begin to ask those deep questions," he added.

Newly elected Pope Leo XIV, Cardinal Robert Prevost of the United States appears on the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica, at the Vatican, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane (REUTERS/Guglielmo Mangiapane)

Son of former Presidential Candidate Nikki Hailey received into the Catholic Church

 

Nikki Haley’s son, Nalin, becomes Catholic

From left to right: Pastor of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church, Father Jeffrey Kirby; Nalin Haley and his parents, Nikki Haley and Michael Haley. | Credit: Courtesy of Father Jeffrey Kirby/screenshot of X post

By Madalaine Elhabbal

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Apr 14, 2025 / 19:57 pm

Nalin Haley, the son of former U.S. presidential candidate Nikki Haley, was received into the Catholic Church on Palm Sunday.

“As parents, Michael and I always prayed that our children would have a faith and relationship with God,” Nikki Haley posted on social media Sunday.

“Today we were so proud to support Nalin in his faith journey as he was confirmed into the Catholic Church, completed RCIA, and received his first holy Communion,” she said of her son.

Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and South Carolina governor, was born and raised in the Sikh faith but converted to Christianity after marrying her husband, Michael Haley, in 1996. 

In a 2012 interview, Haley said she and her husband “chose Christianity because of the way we wanted to live our life and raise our children.” She was reportedly baptized in a Methodist church but has attended Baptist churches as well.

Nalin Haley, 23, is a 2024 graduate of Villanova University, a Catholic institution. In 2023 and 2024 he distinguished himself for his steadfast presence on the campaign trail and support for his mother. He is the younger of two Haley children. His sister, Rena, 26, is a pediatric nurse. 

Nalin was received into the Catholic Church by Father Jeffrey Kirby at Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina.

As his parents look on, Nalin Haley is received into the Catholic Church by Father Jeffrey Kirby at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Indian Land, South Carolina on April 13, 2025. Credit: Photo courtesy of Father Jeffrey Kirby and Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church/Facebook page

Kirby also posted on social media to celebrate Nalin Haley’s entrance into the Church, writing: “Congratulations to Wiliam Nalin Peter, who was received into the fullness of the Christian faith today! Welcome home, Nalin!”

In addition to serving as pastor at Our Lady of Grace, Kirby is the host of the YouTube channel “Daily Discipleship with Father Kirby” and is a regular contributor to the National Catholic Register, CNA’s sister news partner.

He is a Catholic convert coaching his team to the National Championship game

 

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman: 10 Things to Know About the Fighting Irish Coach and His Faith

The Catholic convert has his football team on the verge of its first national title in 37 years.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman and his team line up to enter the field against USC at the LA Coliseum on November 30, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (photo: Gina Ferazzi / Getty )

NationJanuary 17, 2025

Marcus Freeman is one of the biggest names in college football right now — not just because the Notre Dame head coach has led the Fighting Irish to the brink of its first national championship since 1988, but because of how he has done it.

Over his three years as head coach, Freeman, 39, has established a culture at Notre Dame grounded in humility, doing things right and developing the whole person — including the faith lives of his players.

Freeman, who was raised in different Christian communities but recently converted to Catholicism, also isn’t afraid to talk about his own faith —though he’s also quick to point out how he’s got room to grow.

“I’ve got a long way to go, just like we all do.”

In his relationship with Christ and the Church, yes, just like anyone else. But on the field, Freeman’s squad has one more game to win before claiming Notre Dame’s 12th national title.

With the popular coach set to lead the Fighting Irish against the Ohio State Buckeyes in Monday’s title tilt, here are 10 things to know about Marcus Freeman.

1. He’s a convert to Catholicism.

Freeman became Catholic in August 2022, just before the start of his first season as the leader of the Fighting Irish. He made his preparation with the team chaplain, Holy Cross Father Nate Wills, and was then received into the Church at a special Mass at the university’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. 

A few weeks later, his local parish shared the announcement in their bulletin.

“Marcus made a profession of faith, was confirmed, and received his First Holy Communion,” the announcement read. “Please pray for Marcus and his family as they celebrate and continue this journey in faith!”

2. His refers to his wife as an “Italian pistol.”

While Freeman is a newcomer to the faith, his wife, Joanna, isn’t. She’s a cradle Catholic, having grown up in an Italian-American family in the Cleveland area. 

Freeman has previously described her as an “Italian pistol” and does not hesitate to praise her for making his coaching success a possibility. 

The two met while he was a football player, ironically for the same Ohio State who his team will face off against on Monday, and she was studying at the nearby Otterbein University. The Freemans married in 2010.

3. He has a big team off the field, too.

The Freemans don’t quite have a family big enough to field an 11-player football team, but they’re close. The couple has six children, and their names reflect Joanna’s Italian heritage: Vinny, Siena, Gino, Nico, Capri and Rocco.

Freeman shared photos of his youngest’s baptism in 2021, and his family joined him on the field.

“I don’t pick and choose to be away from my family just because I want to,” he told the Register in a 2022 interview, underscoring that he believes in making sacrifices so others can succeed, including his own children.

4. He encourages his coaches to bring their families to practice.

Freeman loves to have his wife and kids stop by the practice facilities and encourages his coaches to invite their families too, for two reasons. 

He knows how demanding the life of a college football coach is and wants to maximize his time with his kids amidst his all-consuming job.

“I want to be able to blend my family with the football family that I have here,” he said.

But the Fighting Irish head coach also wants to model for his players the importance of being a family man.

“I want them to see us as fathers and as husbands, because those lessons that they learn from watching us will last forever.”

5. Faith is an integral part of the team. 

The Fighting Irish coach isn’t shy about his desire for his players to deepen their faith life.

“I want our guys to wonder about what it means to embrace Jesus Christ,” he previously told the Register.

And Fighting Irish players have a lot of opportunities to draw closer to Christ as a part of the team.

Quarterback Riley Leonard, a committed evangelical Christian, says one of the team’s “biggest bragging points” is a Bible study attended by 40 players. A saint is picked each game day by the team chaplain, who distributes a medal and a little catechetical talk. Players also pray the Lord’s Prayer in the locker room right before running out onto the field for kickoff.

6. He restored game-day Mass.

Of course, one of the biggest steps Freeman took to connect faith and football was restoring the game-day practice of players participating in Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart before walking over to Notre Dame Stadium.

Previous coach Brian Kelly (now at LSU) had players go to Mass on Friday night, but Freeman believed it was important for them to draw close to God right before the game, a time that he said young men can be particularly vulnerable to all kinds of outside noise.

“To me, what better time is there to go have Mass?” he told the Register in 2022. “What better time to be able to really be on the edge of your seat to get every word that comes out of the priest’s mouth and to be as close to God as you can?”

One former player criticized the move back to game-day Masses, saying it could make players too passive before kickoff. Coach Freeman sees things differently.

“If you’re any type of competitor, when the foot hits the ball, you’re going to be ready to roll,” he said. “Let’s be the calm today before the storm.”

7. He’s proud of his racial heritage, but doesn’t make it a distraction.

Coach Freeman is the son of an African American father and a Korean mother, making him the first Black and the first Asian coach to lead a team to the college football national championship. And he has previously expressed what a privilege it is to represent these two communities.

At the same time, he doesn’t dwell on questions of race, or to draw attention away from his team.

“I don’t ever want to take attention away from the team,” he said when asked about being the first Black coach in a national championship game last week.

“It is an honor, and I hope all coaches — minorities, Black, Asian, white, it doesn’t matter, great people — continue to get opportunities to lead young men like this.”

8. He’s got the backing of a Notre Dame legend.

Freeman has big support from the last Notre Dame coach to win a national championship — Lou Holtz, a practicing Catholic who led the Irish to victory in 1988.

“The players love him, they play hard for him, and those are the most important things you look for in a quality coach,” the legendary coach said in an August 2024 interview.

On Jan. 8, Holtz, 88, let Freeman know he had won the George Munger Coach of the Year Award, given by the NCAA to the top coach in Division I football. 

“I’m happy for you, but not surprised,” Holtz told Freeman in a video call.

9. NFL teams want him, but he’s committed to Notre Dame.

Freeman’s coaching prowess has caught the attention of pro football teams, and the former NFL player has been linked to openings with organizations like the Chicago Bears.

However, in the midst of chatter about the Bears job, Freeman signed a long-term extension with Notre Dame, committing him to South Bend for the next six years, and also making him one of most well-paid coaches in the country.

Freeman-to-the-NFL rumors continue to swirl, but for now at least, it looks like Freeman’s place is at Notre Dame.

10. He wants to keep on growing in his faith.

Since becoming Catholic in 2022, Freeman says his faith “has grown tremendously,” citing the importance of his local parish community in Granger, Indiana. 

But he also told his diocesan newspaper this past May that there’s still more to his journey.

“I’ve got a long way to go, just like we all do.”

The conversion to Catholicism of Candace Owens

 

Candace Owens converts to Catholicism

The long-expected move comes amid familiar controversy for the young Black conservative pundit based in Nashville.

NATE TINNER-WILLIAMS

April 22, 2024 

The firebrand conservative commentator Candace Owens has announced her conversion to Catholicism, a long-expected move for the controversial 34-year-old Black ideologue.

She announced the news on social media Monday afternoon, describing it as a “decision to go home.”

“There is of course so much more that went into this decision and that I plan to share in the future. But for now, praise be to God for His gentle, but relentless guiding of my heart toward Truth.”

The change for Owens comes amid shifting sands in her professional life, including an acrimonious exit from The Daily Wire in March following statements she made and supported that were seen as antisemitic.

Owens has lately made a decided shift toward more open support of Christianity, taking “Christ is King” as a mantra in many of her frequent online postings—often in support of ideas and policies seen as Christian Nationalist and anti-Jewish.

She began using the phrase online in November 2023, when she first came under fire from the well-known Jewish-American conservative and Daily Wire cofounder Ben Shapiro, who called Owens’ support for antisemitic tropes and criticism of Israel’s alleged Gaza genocide “disgraceful.”

Owens brushed off the criticism for months as she continued hosting “The Candace Owens Show,” then one of the most popular podcasts in the country—extending a long run of success for the millennial contrarian, dating back to her 2016 criticism of female victims in the “Gamergate” harassment campaign. 

Owens grew her platform as a rare Black conservative voice during the 2020 U.S. presidential election, in which she threw her support behind Donald Trump. In 2018, she cofounded BLEXIT, which advocates for Black Americans to leave the Democratic Party.

Long identified as a Reformed Evangelical Protestant, in recent years Owens began speaking more frequently about Catholicism, not least because of her convert husband, the British activist and former Parler CEO George Farmer, whom she married in 2019. Owens hosted a theological debate between Farmer and Fox News commentator Allie Beth Stuckey, an evangelical, on her podcast in May 2023, racking up more than a million views on the first part of the discussion alone.

In a rare interview this week, Farmer spoke to the Catholic Herald on his family dynamics and his own conversion, though conspicuously avoiding the topic of Owens' religion. He did, however, speak on their differing career focuses.

“We have different brands,” he said. “She is very outward-facing, and pretty much everything she says becomes a news story, whereas I am exclusively interested in faith.”

At the time of the Farmer-Stuckey debate, Owens revealed that she regularly attended Mass with Farmer and their children but was not yet decided on making a denominational change. By March of this year, however, in response to a social media post asking if she is Catholic, she responded, “Almost there. ✝️”

Some interpreted Owens' response as an indication that she would be received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil, but there was no announcement forthcoming from the Nashville-based pundit.

In her social media announcement post this week, she is seen with the Oratorian priest Julian Large and a large vigil candle in her husband’s native London at the Brompton Oratory, a Latin Mass community established by St. John Henry Newman in 1849.

Reactions to Owens’ conversion have varied, ranging from elation among conservative Catholics to reticence among those critical of her often far-right views. Several Black Catholics took to social media to express their thoughts.

“Perhaps someone can send her a welcome package of post-Vatican II official Church statements about antisemitism, and USCCB letters on immigrants to introduce her to her new faith?” wrote Dr. Jalane Schmidt, a scholar of religion at the University of Virginia.

“Former sex workers that became Christian have publicly repented for their past ways. I expect folks to reject & repent publicly of their previous overtly racist statements & actions when they join the Church,” added Gloria Purvis, who did not name Owens in her post. Purvis is a former EWTN Radio host who has made waves in recent years for her advocacy against racism.

“They have done too much harm to the human family.”

Christopher Smith, a convert like Purvis and a Jesuit regent in Baltimore, took a decidedly moderate stance on Owen’s new religious move.

“What wonderful news. I have never cared for your views, but, I am so so happy that you are a part of the Church,” he wrote. “Our faith is the only view that truly matters.”

From former porn actress to a brand-new member of the Catholic Church; a great conversion story

 

Former porn actress embraces Catholic faith after trip to Italy that changed her life

Bree Solstad, a young woman who previously produced and acted in the pornography industry, is among the adult converts who entered the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil this year on March 30, 2024. | Credit: Miss B Converted in X

By Walter Sánchez Silva, Christina Herrera

ACI Prensa Staff, Apr 12, 2024 / 14:30 pm

Bree Solstad, a young woman who previously produced and acted in the pornography industry, is among the adult converts who entered the Catholic Church this Easter, leaving behind her life of “countless sins” and embracing the Catholic faith.

Solstad told ChurchPop that prior to her conversion, she led a life full of promiscuity and self-obsession, which spiked when a “recruiter” reached out to her.

“I was drinking more heavily and started a blog about my hedonistic behavior. The blog caught the attention of a successful sex worker, who reached out to me and essentially recruited me,” she said. “She showed me how to get set up and introduced me to some important people in the industry who could help me make as much money as possible. I had no moral compass and was all about myself anyway.”

Solstad, who now goes by Miss B Converted on X and presents herself as “a repentant sinner who converted to Christ; former porn actress and producer,” announced on Jan. 1, the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, her decision to “quit sex work. To repent of my countless sins. To give up my life of sin, wealth, vice, and vain self-obsession.”

She shared with her followers that her decision came after a trip to Rome and Assisi in Italy, where touched by the beauty of the art she saw in the churches she visited and the theology it represented, she experienced “what can only be described as a life-altering conversion.”

“This is a humbling experience and one that I know may be mocked or questioned by many. I am giving up all my income and turning my life over to Christ. I am leaving behind my life of rampant sin, vice, pride, debauchery, vanity, and lies to — with God’s grace — live a life of truth, beauty, obedience to God’s divine will, virtue, and humility,” she wrote on X. 

Solstad, who had an account on various pornographic content platforms, said that she had been preparing for the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) for some time and that she planned to be confirmed and receive her first Communion during the Easter Vigil this Holy Week. She made her first confession on Spy Wednesday.

“Thank you, Jesus,” she prayed on X, “for not giving up on such a wretched sinner. Thank you Blessed Mary, Mother of God, for your immense love and consolation.”

The young convert added that “God’s forgiveness and mercy is real. If someone as broken and sinful as me can be redeemed and converted, there is no doubt anyone reading this can also be saved by his divine mercy.”

The Virgin Mary and St. Clare of Assisi

Solstad was baptized as a Lutheran when she was 8 years old and considered herself at least “nominally Christian,” she explained April 5 to ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner.

However, during college she lived a life of “drunkenness, drugs, and promiscuity.” Experiencing a tragedy in her life, she prayed hard but, she said, “I felt like God had turned his back on me and so I did the same to him,” Solstad commented to ChurchPop.

In 2023 she traveled to Italy, where she always noticed the crucifixes in the churches she visited. However in Sorrento, she said, “I noticed the Virgin Mary on street corners all over the place. All of a sudden, I felt like Mary was calling me in the strangest way. Each time I entered a church, I felt compelled to seek her out.”

At Assisi, she said, “I was impressed by St. Francis, but I was moved to tears by St. Clare. I knelt by her tomb and again asked for assistance. I felt like St. Clare was actually present with me and that she was going to take all the pain and anxiety from me and somehow give it to God,” Solstad told ACI Prensa.

After that experience and returning home, “I quickly realized that I didn’t like what my life was like,” she said. “I hated my job. I felt disgusting and guilty for the work I had been doing for a decade. I couldn’t stop thinking of all the things that I had done and all the lives I negatively affected through pornography. I felt grotesque.”

Solstad soon looked for a priest and spoke with him and his secretary, who told her “God loves you,” words that were like “a waterfall of light” and made her long “to be someone better. I wanted to be clean, I wanted to be happy and a great example of God’s love.”

While in RCIA, she said, she had to overcome some anti-Catholic prejudice she inherited from the Lutheran background, but she diligently researched everything “and I always came to the realization that what the Catholic Church was teaching was true.”

“I have honestly fallen in love with the Catholic Church,” she continued,  “There is such richness in the faith. The Holy Trinity, the Father, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary the Mother of God, all the inspiring, heroic, and beautiful saints, the sacraments, the history, the tradition, everything! But what has touched me the most is the Eucharist … something so surprising for me with Jesus physically present.”

Entry into Catholic Church, first Communion

On April 3, Solstad shared on her social media some photos of her first Communion at the Easter Vigil on March 30.

“These five seconds will forever be emblazoned in my heart, mind, and soul. This is the best moment of my life,” the young woman wrote. 

“My life has changed for the better so much during these past several months, but it pales in comparison to how much this moment of receiving my first Eucharist permanently transformed me,” she recounted.

“I will never be the same again and I thank God for this undeniable fact. I am so in love with you, Jesus. Never allow me to move even one inch from your most Sacred Heart,” she wrote.

Solstad concluded her post with the first part of the Magnificat, the prayer the Virgin Mary exclaimed when she was pregnant with Jesus and met her cousin Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John the Baptist.

“My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has regarded the low estate of his handmaiden. For he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. And his mercy is on those who fear him from generation to generation,” she wrote, quoting Mary’s response to Elizabeth as recorded in Luke’s Gospel. 

Solstad’s sole source of income now is from her religious goods store, which can be found here.

This story was first published by ACI Prensa, CNA’s Spanish-language news partner. It has been translated and adapted by CNA. Excerpts were also drawn from ChurchPop.

If you have new Catholics joining the Church this Easter look for these rites this weekend

 

Rites of Sending and Election

RITE OF SENDING

The rite of sending is a parish celebration that sends catechumens to the Rite of Election.  At the Rite of Election, on the First Sunday of Lent, the church names the catechumens to be baptized at Easter.

The church must verify the readiness of the catechumens.  We do not baptize based only on their desire. "There should be a deliberation prior to [the Rite of Election] to decide on the catechumen's suitableness."  This is carried out by those who help form the catechumens, by godparents, and members of the community (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults 122).

RITE OF ELECTION

ENLIGHTENMENT: The period of Lent during which the elect are involved in the final stage of preparation for celebrating the rites of initiation. (may also be called illumination and purification).

ELECTION: The process of selecting those catechumens who are considered ready to take part in the next celebration of the sacraments of initiation. The celebration of the Rite of Election takes place the first Sunday of Lent. The bishop declares in the name of the church that particular catechumens are ready and chosen for the sacraments at Easter. The Book of the Elect is presented to the bishop at this celebration.

ELECT: Catechumens who have been found ready by the community of faith to take part in the next celebration of the sacraments of initiation.

BOOK OF THE ELECT: The book the Catechumens for election are to sign at the Rite of Sending in their parish, this book is presented to the bishop at the Rite of Election on the first Sunday of Lent, from there they are ‘elected’ to partake of the Easter sacraments.

ENROLLMENT: The rite of inscribing into the Book of the Elect the names of those catechumens to be elected to take part in the next celebration of the sacraments of initiation.(usually done at the Rite of Sending in the parish, or can be done at the Rite of Election in some diocese.)