In the weeks leading up to Easter, dioceses and media outlets latched onto the high numbers of people set to become fully initiated into the faith in certain places to declare a sort of “Catholic revival,” which, according to one expert, isn’t exactly happening. “For example, I’ve heard how the Archdiocese of Newark has doubled…
Religion data expert: Easter convert numbers are ‘drop in the bucket’
Holy Cross Father Brian Ching baptises a student in the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) program during the Easter Vigil Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the campus of the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., April 4, 2026. Photo: OSV News/Michael Caterina, courtesy University of Notre Dame.