Cardinal Robert McElroy of the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., welcomed approximately 1,800 new adult Catholics at a ceremony this Easter at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. The figure marked the highest number of adult converts recorded by some archdioceses in two decades, according to archdiocesan records.

"The number of those joining the church this year is a record for the archdiocese, which is a wonderful thing." McElroy said. "We're seeing this across the country."

Adult conversions to Catholicism had been falling steadily since the early 2000s, according to data compiled by Georgetown University. The same data showed that weddings, baptisms, and funerals registered decreasing numbers of Catholic participants during that period. Since around 2022, however, dioceses across the United States have reported a reversal of that decline, according to diocesan reports, with growing numbers of Americans — particularly Millennials and Generation Z — choosing to join the Catholic Church.

A Pew Research Center study published last year found that converts represent roughly 8 percent of the approximately 53 million Catholics in the United States. Among those converts, most said they came to the Catholic Church through marriage. Others cited spiritual reasons or the influence of people close to them as factors in their decision to join.

Cardinal Blase Cupich of the Archdiocese of Chicago said that broader forces of secularization have reshaped religious participation across faiths. "People have a lot more options on Sunday and on the weekend than they did before. So, I think there are a number of factors that contributed to that decline," he said. "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."

The Archdiocese of Chicago is actively surveying its new members to understand their motivations for converting, according to Cupich. He also said the clergy abuse crisis remains a consideration. "It prompts us to be even more forthright in doing everything possible to protect children, but also to address the harm that was done. That is something that's always on the front burner for us," he said.