Revival of the Catholic Church in the US, Part 2

PART 2

In part 1, I reviewed various statistics about the current revival of the Catholic Church in the US. It is indeed a fact that the number of people going to Mass has increased. The membership has increased as well, with an astonishing number of converts in the last few years, as measured by the number of people entering the Church at Easter in 2025 and 2026.

So WHY is there an increase in Catholicism in the US?

Inquiring minds want to know the reason for the trends. In an attempt to discover some answers, I went right to Reddit and searched: “Why is there a revival of Catholicism in the US?” The remainder of this article is taken from comments in this article: Reddit, “What is Causing the Catholic Revival in the USA?” (Accessed 7-27-2026. https://www.reddit.com/r/Catholicism/comments/1l2huc6/what_is_causing_the_catholic_revival_in_the_usa/).

The statistics

Tabulation:

182 comments from respondents reviewed

15.3%   Seeking truth in tradition 28

14.8%  Counterculture/against wokeness 27

 8.8%   Increased media access 16

 7.6%   Tired of shallowness 14

 7.6%   Seeking purpose/meaning/direction 14

 7.1%    Seeking morality 13

 4.9%   Popes 9

 4.3%   Holy Spirit 8

 4.3%   Seeking reverence, holiness 8

 4.3%   Awoke from atheist depression 8

 3.8%   Need discipline/routine 7

 3.8%   Seeking community and love 7

 3.8%   Others just entertain 7

 2.7%    Logic leads to the Church 5

 2.2%   Rosary/Mary 4

 2.2%   Latin Mass 4

 2.2%   Eucharist 4

 2.2%   Faith of others 4

 1.6%   Men disconnected/put down 3

 1.6%   Religious people are happier 3

Summary

What was the most striking to me was the obvious dissatisfaction with our culture. A full 30% said they chose the Catholic Church because they were seeking tradition or something that goes against American culture. Although lesser in numbers, some other significant comments were that 14% were seeking purpose and were rallying against the shallowness life.  A notable 10% also noted that older traditions such as the faith of others, the Latin Mass, the Eucharist and Mary were their reason for choosing the Catholic Church.

Great quotes from respondents

Because people are realizing this depraved world is circling the drain morally and ethically.

Society needs redemption.

tired of the filthy wickedness of my generation also the previous generations

The failure of secular consumerism

I want to live my life the way my ancestors did.

God and the absurdity of not having God

I agree with the part about the culture getting more and more degenerate. That's why I converted to Catholicism.

It's a counterculture movement for some young people. A lot of young people who are getting tired of the "wokeness" identity/identities (which used to be counterculture) being the norm are turning to Catholicism because Catholicism is, in this current day, counterculture.

I feel this strange pull, need for control in life, discipline and direction in my life. And I feel as if religion does exactly that. It gives me purpose and peace of mind. And makes me better as a person. Has made me much kinder, empathetic and respectful I feel.

There was so much depth in Catholic teachings. 

The mass was so beautiful to me, so meaningful. I was already tired of the protestant performative services, essentially concerts and TED talks. 

The truth in history is there. 

I think one of the reasons is because Catholicism has the most satisfying answers to life’s questions. The Church has existed for 2000 years. Every single question you could possibly have is probably already answered.

Podcasts. Podcasts. Podcasts. I’m not exaggerating when I say, my life completely changed when I found Catholic media. 

Well, lo-and-behold. Every question has an answer, a really good one, sometimes multiple answers, that All Make Sense, and can be EASILY FOUND online just by asking. Answers that, all together, make Much more sense than I had previously found, to support my Christian faith as a previously protestant-evangelical "sola scriptura" believer.

It‘s a counter culture to the woke hedonism that has consumed large parts of western society.

A friend of mine actually found his faith exactly this way. Initially Church was just his escape from the bombardment with woke politics we face every single day but the more he went, the more he believed.

Conclusion

In reading the many comments, I feel that there is little more for me to say. If you want to boost your reverence for your Church, you can talk to the many people entering the Church through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA), or search the internet for their answers to “Why is there a revival in the Catholic Church?