A number of media reports are speaking of a trend that indicates increasing numbers of Gen Z, or ‘post millennials’, are turning to Christianity, many seeking out the Catholic Church.

 

Increasing numbers of particularly young adults are being baptised at Easter in many countries in Europe and in the United States. France reported that there were 17,000 adult baptisms this Easter, and many were young people. Belgium, Austria, the UK, Sweden, the Netherlands all report record numbers of adult converts, again, the majority of them are young people.

In England now there are more people attending Catholic Mass on Sundays than those attending Church of England services – 1.75 million Catholics as against 984,000 Anglicans. Gen Z Catholics outnumber their Anglican peers by two to one.

In the United States many dioceses are reporting increases of 30 percent, 40 percent and 50 percent in adults embracing the Catholic faith.

How are we to understand this surge in interest in the Church? The narrative over the past decades has been quite the opposite. Media reports readily refer to the decline in church attendance, suggesting that Christianity is dying. It is true that this has been the trend over recent decades, with many younger people choosing to walk away from participation in the life of the Church.

Yet now we are witnessing some prominent personalities – actors, sport stars, media influencers – publicly embracing the Catholic faith.

Many commentators, like Jordan Peterson, have no hesitation in speaking of the importance of Christianity and its value in providing a necessary foundation for a healthy human life. Various podcasts and apps that promote the Catholic faith and encourage daily prayer are receiving millions of downloads.

One factor seen in the United States particularly has been the influence of online presentations of the Catholic faith in social media by personalities like Bishop Barron and Dr Scott Hahn, and a number of popular Catholic apologists. They present the Catholic faith in an intelligent way. There is no watering down of the faith to make it palatable, but rather a confident and clear expression of the depth and beauty of the Catholic faith. These apologists address the real questions that young people are asking. This is attracting many young people to seek what the Catholic faith has to offer them.

It is important to note that while the journey towards Catholicism begins online, it eventually takes concrete form in making contact with a parish, an RCIA program or some active group of young Catholics. Eventually this leads to the young person being baptised and embracing the sacramental life of the Church, or returning to active participation in the Church of their baptism.

Another aspect to the attraction of the Catholic faith is the reverent celebration of the Sacred Liturgy. The whole world was recently exposed to the noble simplicity and profound reverent beauty of the Roman Liturgy at the funeral of Pope Francis and then the Inauguration of Pope Leo. Google reported a 373 percent increase in the search ‘How to become Catholic?’, following the death of Pope Francis.

In a time when the spiritual quest has become disembodied in many contemporary so-called spiritualities, the timeless symbols of the faith speak to each person’s humanity – Holy Water, incense, words of Absolution, anointing in time of sickness, and, of course, bread and wine being the Body and Blood of the risen Christ. The Catholic faith is not just ideas or words but is made real in powerful symbols.

The Church in its liturgy and devotions touches the humanity of people.

Young people are attracted to many of the traditional devotional practices in the Catholic Church like Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and the Rosary. They are drawn to silence, contemplation, quiet methodical prayer. They long for the sacred and desire the sense of the holy.

The Catholic Church is also attractive because it is deeply rooted in history. It has endured over time revealing the soundness of its tradition. It has a solid theological foundation which is attractive to young adults weary of so much superficiality. Once young people become aware of the history of the Church, come to appreciate its doctrines, discover the saints, they are drawn to what the Church has to offer them.

In a podcast a young man who recently returned to the faith comments that what drew him was “reverence, truth and beauty”.

Other converts to the faith speak of seeking meaning and purpose as they sense that contemporary culture is barren and empty. Others are looking for a moral compass in the midst of the relativism of our day. They are finding their needs being met by the solid and unchanging moral beliefs of the Catholic Church. The Church has remained faithful to its identity when many other groups have sought to compromise with the age.

There are encouraging signs here in Australia. It is interesting to observe the increasing numbers of young men wanting to give public expression to their faith by participating in religious processions. What is noticeable is that these conversions to the faith are not quiet and secretive, but bold and confident. They have found something, a pearl of great price, and are not ashamed to witness to their new-found faith.

While the numbers of young people turning towards the Church are still small within the wider context of the youth culture of today, they represent an encouraging sign that the Catholic faith has something to offer to Gen Z.