The years-long trend of American de-Christianization recently came to an end, with the Christian share of the U.S. population stabilizing at roughly six in ten Americans, according to Pew Research Center data. Of the 62% of adults who now identify as Christians, 40% are Protestants, 19% are Catholics, and 3% belong to other Christian denominations.
There are signs in multiple jurisdictions pointing to something greater than a mere stabilization under way — at least where the Catholic Church is concerned.
The New York Post recently found that multiple New York City Catholic parishes have not only seen a spike in conversions but their churches routinely fill to the brim. That's likely good news for the Archdiocese of New York, which was found in a recent Catholic World Report analysis to have been among the 10 least fruitful dioceses in 2023 in terms of baptism, conversion, seminarian, and wedding rates.
'We've got a real booming thing happening here.'
Fr. Jonah Teller, the Dominican parochial vicar at Saint Joseph's in Greenwich Village, told the Post that the number of catechumens enrolled in his parish's Order of Christian Initiation of Adults for the purposes of conversion has tripled since 2024, with around 130 people signing up.
Over on the Upper East Side, St. Vincent Ferrer has seen its numbers double since last year, jumping to 90 catechumens. The Basilica of St. Patrick's Old Cathedral has reportedly also seen its numbers double, ballooning to around 100 people. The Diocese of Brooklyn doubled its 2023 numbers last year when it welcomed 538 adults into the faith and expects the numbers to remain high again this year.
Attendance in New York City reportedly skyrocketed in the wake of the assassination of Charlie Kirk, who was apparently attending mass with his Catholic wife, Erika, and their children.
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"We're out of space and exploring adding more masses," Fr. Daniel Ray, a Catholic Legionary priest in Manhattan, told the Post. "We've got a real booming thing happening here, and it's not because of some marketing campaign."
While a number of catechumens cited Kirk's assassination as part of what drove them to the Catholic Church, others cited a a desire for a life- and family-strengthening relationship with God; a desire to partake in the joy observed in certain devout Catholics; a desire for community; a desire for "guardrails"; and a desire for anchorage and meaning in a chaotic world where politics has become a substitute for faith.
"My generation is watching things fall apart," Kiegan Lenihan, a catechumen in the OCIA at St. Joseph's told the Post. "When things all seem to be going wrong in greater society, maybe organized religion isn’t that bad."
Lenihan, a 28-year-old software engineer, spent a portion of his youth reading the works of atheist intellectuals such as Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins. After experiencing an anxiety-induced crisis at school, he apparently sought out something of greater substance, devouring the works of Marcus Aurelius. He found that his life still lacked greater meaning despite achieving material success.
'The Catholic Church is a place of sanity.'
"I realized on paper, I had everything I wanted, but I had no fulfillment in my soul," said Lenihan, who remedied the problem by turning to Christ.
Liz Flynn, a 35-year-old Brooklyn carpenter who is in OCIA at Old St. Patrick's, previously sought relief for her anxiety and depression in self-help books and dabbled in "pseudo spiritualism."
After finding a book about God's unconditional love for his children in a gift shop during a road-trip stop at Cracker Barrel, she began praying the rosary and developed an appreciation for Catholicism.
"I'm happier and calmer than I've ever been," Flynn told the Post. "Prayer has made an enormous impact on my life."
New York City is hardly the only diocese enjoying an explosion in conversions.
The National Catholic Register reported in April that numerous dioceses across the country were seeing substantial increases in conversions. For instance:
Besides the Holy Spirit, the conversions were attributed to the National Eucharistic Revival, immigration, and evangelization.
Pueblo Bishop Stephen Berg told the Register that people are flocking to the church because it stands as a bulwark against the madness of the age.
"I think the perception of the Catholic Church is changing," said Bishop Berg. "In a world of insanity, I think that people are noticing that the Catholic Church is a place of sanity."
"For 2,000 years, you know, through a lot of turbulent times — and the Church has been through turbulent times — we still stand as the consistent teacher of the faith of Christ," continued Berg. "The people are intrigued by that."
As of March, 20% of Americans described themselves as Catholics, putting the number of Catholic adults at around 53 million nationwide.
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Governor Greg Abbott (R) ratified legislation in June requiring all public-school classrooms in Texas to display the Ten Commandments.
Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick noted that "by placing the Ten Commandments in our classrooms, we are ensuring students receive the same foundational moral compass that guided our state and country’s forefathers."
The prospect that children in the Lone Star State would be publicly reminded from Sept. 1 onward to honor their parents and not to lie, murder, steal, commit adultery, or worship false gods proved intolerable to a number of liberals and anti-religion activists who promptly filed legal challenges.
'These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters.'
Obliging one set of plaintiffs who alleged in a Sept. 22 lawsuit that the display of the historically significant moral code violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction on Tuesday that requires certain public school districts to remove displays of the Ten Commandments and further prohibits them from posting new displays.
Judge Orlando Garcia, an appointee of former President Bill Clinton, claimed that the display of the Ten Commandments on the wall of a public-school classroom as set forth in Senate Bill 10 violates the Establishment Clause.
The Clinton judge noted further that while the plaintiffs in the case were a motley crew of parents — some are atheists, agnostic, Christians, Jews, Baha'i, and Hindu — "they share one thing in common: Plaintiffs do not wish their children to be pressured to observe, venerate, or adopt the religious doctrine contained in the Ten Commandments."
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Garcia added that it was "impractical, if not impossible to prevent Plaintiffs from being subjected to unwelcome religious displays without enjoining Defendants from enforcing S.B. 10 across their districts."
The ruling applies to 14 school districts across the state.
The ACLU, which has defended classroom displays of LGBT symbols signifying liberals' rejection of sexual morality, celebrated the ruling.
"A federal court has recognized that the Constitution bars public schools from forcing religious scripture on students," said Daniel Mach, director of the ACLU Program on Freedom of Religion. "This decision is a victory for religious liberty and a reminder that government officials shouldn't pay favorites with faith."
Rachel Laser, president of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, similarly celebrated the prohibition of the Ten Commandments in the classroom, stating, "Families throughout Texas and across the country get to decide how and when their children engage with religion — not politicians or public-school officials."
While Laser insinuated that Texans did not sanction the introduction of the Ten Commandments into public-school classrooms, voters across the state elected those lawmakers who passed S.B. 10 this year in decisive votes in the Texas legislature. Moreover, Texans — 4,437,099 to be exact — also gave Abbott a clear mandate in 2022 to ratify such legislation.
"We're extremely happy to have secured this victory for the plaintiff families we represent," said Sam Grover, senior counsel at the Freedom from Religion Foundation. "The law is quite clear that pushing religion on students in public school is unconstitutional."
Attorney General Ken Paxton, who has vowed to enforce the law, is appealing the decision, reported KLTV-TV.
On Tuesday, Paxton also announced that he was suing a pair of school districts for refusing to comply with S.B. 10.
"These rogue ISD officials and board members blatantly disregarded the will of Texas voters who expect the legal and moral heritage of our state to be displayed in accordance with the law," said Paxton. "This lawsuit makes clear that no district may ignore Texas law without consequence."
A panel of judges on the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals claimed that a similar law passed by Louisiana Republicans was "plainly unconstitutional." A hearing on the case by the full appeals court is scheduled for Jan. 20, 2026. The New York Times indicated that the court will also hear a challenge to Texas' S.B. 10 in that hearing.
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Bishop Joseph Strickland, the cleric removed from his office in Tyler, Texas, in 2023 by the late Pope Francis, urged his colleagues gathered on Wednesday for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' plenary assembly to address the matter of a woke priest's apparent willingness to run afoul of the church's custom and to turn a hallowed Catholic ceremony into a non-straight spectacle.
Gio Benitez, a homosexual ABC News correspondent who is "married" to a man, apparently decided after Pope Francis' passing last year to make his way back to the Catholic Church. Benitez, who was allegedly baptized in secret at the age of 15, was confirmed at St. Paul the Apostle's Church in New York City on Nov. 8.
'Here we are talking about doctrine.'
"My Confirmation Mass was a very small gathering of family and friends who have quietly been with me on this journey," Benitez wrote on Instagram. "I found the Ark of the Covenant in my heart, stored there by the one who created me… exactly as I am."
The ABC News correspondent also received holy communion from the church's woke pastor, Rev. Eric Andrews, at the highly publicized mass where LGBT activist Fr. James Martin was a concelebrant and where Benitez's "husband" served as his sponsor.
Blaze News reached out to Rev. Andrews for comment, but did not receive a response.
While the Catholic Church holds that homosexual acts are "acts of grave depravity," "intrinsically disordered," "contrary to the natural law," and "can under no circumstances" be approved, the Catechism states that homosexual persons must nevertheless "be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity."
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The church has also made clear that Catholics with same-sex attraction who are chaste can "participate fully in the spiritual and sacramental life of the Catholic faith community."
However, those who regularly engage in sexual activity or are partners in a committed homosexual relationship that includes regular sexual relations are not to receive holy communion or serve in public ministries.
"Receiving the sacrament is the ultimate expression of our Catholic faith, an intensely personal matter between communicant and priest," wrote the late and posthumously exonerated Cardinal George Pell. "It's not a question of refusing homosexuals or someone who is homosexually oriented. The rule is basically the same for everyone."
"If a person is actually engaged in — by public admission, at any given time — a practice contrary to Church teaching in a serious matter, then that person is not entitled to receive Holy Communion," continued Pell. "This would apply, for example, to a married person openly living in adultery. Similarly, persons who openly declare themselves active homosexuals take a position which makes it impossible for them to receive Holy Communion."
During a USCCB discussion of doctrine on Wednesday, Bishop Strickland raised the matter of Benitez's highly publicized reception of holy communion while flanked by his "husband."
"I don't know how many of us have seen on the social media priests and others gathered, celebrating the confirmation of a man living with a man openly," said Strickland. "It just needs to be addressed. Father James Martin once again involved. Great pictures of all of them smiling."
Bishop Strickland and Martin have traded barbs over the years, largely around Martin's subversive LGBT activism and apparent efforts to liberalize the Catholic Church's stance on such matters.
Martin — who shared an article titled "Gio Benitez, Openly Gay ABC Anchor, Joins the Catholic Church" on social media this week with the caption "Happy to be a part of your journey!" — has made no secret of his activism. For instance, he took issue with the Supreme Court's June 2025 decision to let parents opt their children out of lessons featuring LGBT propaganda and insinuated that homosexual persons aren't really bound by church teaching.
"Here we are talking about doctrine," continued Strickland. "I just thought I need to raise that issue. I know it's not part of any agenda, but this body gathered, we need to address it."
The panel, focused on updated ethical and religious directives for Catholic health care services, did not take up Strickland's concern.
The Catholic Herald noted that Strickland's tenure as bishop of Tyler was "marked by a reputation for directness, a strong emphasis on Eucharistic devotion, and a willingness to challenge trends in the wider Church that he believed risked undermining the clarity of Catholic teaching."
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Tiny everyday miracles: This is the short answer for how a group of monks in Wyoming built a sprawling monastery worthy of awe.
For more than a decade, the Carmelite monks have been hard at work building a 145,000-square-foot French Gothic-style monastery, set on a 2,500-acre cattle ranch.
As images and video of the work had already captivated the faithful online, Return reached out to the group to find out exactly how such a work of art, typically seen at historical sites, is physically possible.
'The decision immediately was to build this monastery to last for centuries ...'
During the initial design phase, it became painfully obvious to the monks that if they took the path of least resistance by acquiring the services of an architect, there would never be any monastery to speak of.
"A number of national contractors presented their bids to build the monastery, and we realized that if we went that route, we would never be able to raise the astronomical funds needed," Brother Isidore Mary told Return. "Rather than quit, or dumb down the vision, we adapted."
Spotting that the stonework was by far the largest cost in the build, peak male curiosity took over: "How hard can it be to cut stone?" they asked.
Without any background in fields like computer design or stone carving, the monks went to work applying themselves to each trade.
Brother Isidore cited "a series of millions of little, tiny everyday miracles" that manifested through the acquisition of skills while already "on the job."
This meant learning software programs to design buildings, digital sculpting, and CNC machine programming; all were self-taught. The monks learned from local subcontractors and professional masons, taking in everything they could as a concrete block core was built in order to secure the structure from seismic activity that comes from being so close to Yellowstone.
The monk explained, "These skills have certainly taken years to acquire, and we are still learning every day. We started construction in 2014 with the simplest buildings, such as the hermitages where the monks live, and as our skills developed, so did the complexity of each building we undertook, until finally we have now set to work on the most challenging part and crown jewel: the chapel itself, the throne room of God."
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Your browser does not support the video tag. Video courtesy Carmelite Gothic
Brother Isidore revealed that the project was completed in poverty, which he even admitted may be surprising to hear given the beauty of the structure. He claimed every dollar was stretched as far as it could go, and the team took extra time and invested in more durable materials to ensure a long-lasting architecture.
"The decision immediately was to build this monastery to last for centuries rather than something to fall apart in 20 years, leaving a problem the next generation of monks would have to face."
The images of monks using 3D design programs and engaging in complex stone-carving techniques has certainly raised questions as to whether or not the use of such advanced machinery is becoming of such religious servants. Brother Isidore said the monks encounter this idea regularly, but it is not consistent with the truth.
"I think it stems from the notion that something traditional must be archaic. The monastery certainly reminds one of something medieval, from the architecture and stonework, to the Latin and Gregorian chant, to the very robes the monks wear," he explained.
The use of technology is not at odds with monastic life, he went on. "In fact, monks have frequently been pioneers in many of the trades and sciences, in fields as varied as metallurgy and genetics. We find the use of CNC technology and these sophisticated stone-cutting machines quite in keeping with this tradition of innovation and our monastic way of life."
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The monastery's construction is mainly funded by donations, domestic and abroad, the monk explained. These, coupled with the monks' coffee roasting business, have helped fund their modest lifestyle as well.
Mystic Monk Coffee, started in 2007, has a "loyal following [of] coffee drinkers" who have helped contribute to construction costs, but purchases primarily cover daily expenses at the monastery. The business funds food, utilities, medical bills, and education on-site.
Any gaps that are inherent in such a modest income have been overcome by the group's desire to create an expression of their faith. In line with this, Brother Isidore described a want to battle the apparent "cult of ugliness" that pervades modern culture.
"We have lost the understanding that humans are composite beings, made body and soul in God's likeness, and that the natural world around us does influence our soul. Beauty is an attribute of God and reflects Him. So shouldn't the churches we build for Him be beautiful?"
The monks took design elements from Gothic structures across the world, particularly from Sainte-Chapelle in Paris. At the same time, the window tracery was described as Bohemian Gothic, the vaulting is English Gothic, and the spires are inspired by German architecture.
When asked about the positives of living and working in such a remote area in Wyoming — about seven miles from the nearest neighbor — Brother Isidore described the architecture and wilderness of God's creation as the perfect backdrop for the monks' primary work: a continual act of worship and praising God.
At the same time, though, the mountains of Wyoming "aren't exactly gentle, and the remoteness and weather certainly introduce many challenges in the construction of the monastery."
While not many were familiar with Catholic monks, any initial concerns the locals had (reported previously as possible environmental disturbances) have since faded away, the representative said.
Still, other than Wyoming weather, it seems the monks don't have much, if any, outside interference in their mission.
"The locals saw there was nothing to worry about. I think many don't even realize this monastery exists."
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When women are told that the biggest issue they face is their self-esteem — not their sin — it doesn’t bring them closer to God or make them more likely to walk through the church doors on Sunday.
Instead, it leaves them feeling like they can find that kind of advice anywhere.
“Why would you go to church and sacrifice your free time if you’re going to hear the same message anywhere?” BlazeTV host Allie Beth Stuckey asks ex-Green Beret and Virginia delegate Nick Freitas, noting that they’re simply being told what “they want to hear.”
And women aren’t the only ones being fooled.
“Do you feel like that also might be happening among the Andrew Tate acolytes of the world who say, ‘Okay, in order to attract these young men, we have to not be like Jesus was. We have to be crass, and we have to be rude, and we have to be arrogant, and we have to be materialistic, and we have to be promiscuous, and we have to talk about women like they’re objects ’cause that’s real masculinity’?” she asks.
Freitas agrees, calling the approach symbolic of the “manosphere.”
“So, I think there’s two things that we have to recognize whenever we talk about what we might call the manosphere — Andrew Tate, Justin Waller, some of these other guys, Fresh and Fit. ... The first thing that we need to recognize is the reason why they resonated so much with young men was not simply because all these guys have admirable accomplishments in their own right,” he explains.
“But they tend to be strong. They tend to be wealthy, and they tend to, you know, women tend to be attracted to them, right? So, these are all things that, if you’re a young man without a spiritual basis in your life, you’re looking at these things going, ‘I want that,’” he continues.
“The most important component, though, is a lot of young men felt like those guys were sticking up for them when nobody else would,” he says, noting that “men associate loyalty with love.”
“And so, a lot of young men look at guys like Andrew Tate, and they say, ‘That guy had my back when none of you people in the church were mentioning any of this. And now the first time you want to come up and talk about the problems with masculinity, you want to bash Andrew Tate, the one guy that had my back,’” he explains.
“And so, the way I think we need to approach something like that is certainly not by excusing what I believe is disastrous, sinful, and ultimately not genuinely masculine behavior, but I think we need to recognize the source of the problem and from whence it comes,” he adds.
Freitas also explains that the “masculinity” that the manosphere pushes is “hedonistic masculinity,” which says that “you should dominate for the sake of your own pleasure.”
“Essentially, your will to power is the highest moral standard that you can appeal to. That is not in line with Christianity at all,” he says, adding that in order to be in line with Christianity it would have to be “sacrificial in nature.”
“The thing that I would tell young men is, I can appreciate that Andrew Tate is fit, right? I can appreciate that the man can fight. ... But if you really want something that’s going to give you ultimate meaning and purpose, ... you get that when you recognize that there is a God,” he explains.
“He has a meaning and purpose for your life,” he continues, adding, “and he requires you to be strong because it is a difficult world.”
To enjoy more of Allie’s upbeat and in-depth coverage of culture, news, and theology from a Christian, conservative perspective, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.
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