Aware of a growing number of converts to Catholicism in the United States, the Archdiocese of Chicago set out to find out what was driving this renewed interest in the faith. In collaboration with 20 (arch)dioceses, the Archdiocese administered a survey in English and Spanish to 2,127 U.S. residents who participated in OCIA in 2026. OCIA (Order of Christian Initiation of Adults) is the months-long program for adults who want to join the Church.
The intention of the survey was “to better understand what is driving that interest and how the Church should respond.”
“Why are so many people becoming Catholic” sheds light on who the men and women are who came into full Communion with the Church this year and what led them to seek out the Catholic faith.
Why did they come?
When it comes to conversions, one of the most foundational questions to ask is: What drew these individuals to the Catholic Church?
The survey found that responses about personal motivation fell in three basic categories: personal hunger, interest in the institutional Church, and attraction to communal Church-focused motivations.
“Personal growth in goodness, inner peace and an understanding of truth emerged as some of the strongest motivations for exploring the Catholic faith,” the survey reveals, with 84% responding that they were “interested in exploring a deeper spirituality/relationship with God.”
Sixty-eight percent responded affirmatively to the statement, “I was attracted to the Church’s sacred liturgy in Catholic prayer, ritual, and the sacraments,” with only slightly lower percentages responding that they were interested in the Church’s wisdom and tradition.
The third tier of responses “centered heavily on Church community, positive examples of Catholics in their lives, a desire to connect with family heritage and the Church’s charitable efforts. These were cited less frequently than the other two groups of motivations.”
Interestingly, while Gen Z respondents had similar responses on the whole to other generations, they responded more on “growing in goodness and virtue (81%), deeper understanding of truth (80%), exploring more about the existence of God and/or the person of Jesus Christ (77%), the liturgy (72%), longevity of the Church’s tradition (70%), belonging and more meaningful relationships (59%), and healing or redemption from a personal challenge (56%).”
Who are they?
The survey acknowledges a perception that more women than men have joined the Church. But the survey found that the numbers between the sexes are fairly balanced, with only a slight majority falling to women (54%) over men (46%).
Of note, respondents also reported higher education levels completed than the national average. The survey report from the Archdiocese of Chicago notes that potentially those with lower education levels are an underrepresented population among those entering the Church.
How did they get here?
While each individual has their own journey of faith, the survey reported that participants became interested in the Church via two main pathways.
The first is a “relational pathway” wherein respondents became interested in OCIA because of their family, dating or marriage relationships, or invitations to Mass by people they know. The second is a “content” or “experience-driven pathway,” which the survey categorizes as including coming to the faith through an attraction to Catholic liturgy or through books and online content.
About 66% of respondents said they interacted with meaningful digital content on their path to becoming Catholic. Some of the most frequent sources mentioned were the Hallow App (15%), Ascension Presents/Fr. Mike Schmitz (14%), the Bible in a Year podcast (8%) and Word on Fire/Bishop Barron (6%).
What’s different this time around?
In the Pew Research Center’s 2007 Religious Landscape Study, 72% of converts noted that their marriage was a significant part of being Catholic. In the Archdiocese’s study this year, only around 26% of respondents said that dating or marrying a Catholic was part of converting.
In the survey, the older demographic (Gen X and Boomers) were more likely to cite marriage as a reason for coming into full communion with the Church.
Hope in a chaotic world
One section of the report takes the data and recommends ways that dioceses and parishes can respond and “meet the moment.” This includes ways in which Church leaders can understand potential barriers reported from respondents such as being concerned about disapproval from family or friends or logistical barriers of making OCIA work for their schedules.
In a space for open-ended responses, according to the report, many participants described the Church “as a source of both stability and hope within an increasingly uncertain world.” The organizers of the survey hope to respond to this hunger for what the Church offers by living out the “Church’s vision for initiation ministry to accompany people from Inquiry through Mystagogy and invite them more deeply into the parish community’s life.”
