Young people come to New York City to chase careers, materialism and pleasure. The pursuit of faith isn\u2019t exactly on the Big Apple checklist.<\/p>\n
However, at a recent, very crowded Sunday night mass at St. Joseph\u2019s Church in Greenwich Village<\/a>, Father Jonah Teller, OP made a simple announcement indicating that times are changing.<\/p>\n According to Teller, the number enrolled in the parish\u2019s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults \u2014 the process in which adults convert to Catholicism \u2014 had tripled since last year, with roughly 130 people signing up.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a similar story at St. Vincent Ferrer on the Upper East Side, where their OCIA numbers have doubled since last year, swelling to nearly 90 people.<\/p>\n At the Basilica of St. Patrick\u2019s Old Cathedral<\/a>, they\u2019ve also doubled their head count with about 100 people. Their Sunday 7pm mass has become overcrowded.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re out of space and exploring adding more masses,\u201d Father Daniel Ray told The Post.<\/p>\n Cindy Zhao hadn\u2019t been raised with organized religion, but she decided to become Catholic after she lost her cousin to cancer. Stefano Giovannini<\/p>\n In the Diocese of Brooklyn, they\u2019ve also seen a surge. In 2024, they had 538 adults enter the church, nearly twice the amount of 2023. (All priests acknowledge some will drop off before the Easter Vigil, but they still expect numbers to remain high).<\/p>\n Since activist Charlie Kirk, an evangelical Protestant, was assassinated in September, there\u2019s been reports that mass attendance is way up. And over the last year, Catholic churches across the country have cited more conversions among young people<\/a>.<\/p>\n But such a large number of people seeking faith in uber secular New York City is remarkable.<\/p>\n Liz Flynn was first called to Christianity while reading a book about God in gift shop of a Cracker Barrel. She started praying the rosary, and is becoming a Catholic at Old St. Patrick\u2019s. Stefano Giovannini for Ny Post<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got a real booming thing happening here, and it\u2019s not because of some marketing campaign,\u201d said Ray.<\/p>\n However, in an unstable and fractured world, the promise of strength, love and community is a pretty good pitch.<\/p>\n \u201cMy generation is watching things fall apart,\u201d Kiegan Lenihan, who is in OCIA at St. Joseph\u2019s told The Post. \u201cWhen things all seem to be going wrong in greater society, maybe organized religion isn\u2019t that bad.\u201d<\/p>\n The Sunday 6 pm service at St. Joseph\u2019s in Greenwich Village is popular with young professionals. Stefano Giovannini<\/p>\n Indeed, the crop of converts \u2014 most of whom have no experience with formal faith, cited a variety of cultural forces pushing them toward the church.<\/p>\n Some are looking for balance and meaning in a chaotic, polarized world<\/a> where politics has become a stand in for real faith. In fact, a few cited Kirk\u2019s murder<\/a>. Many are high achievers unfulfilled by success.<\/p>\n \u201cMaterially, we have everything at our fingertips, and it\u2019s not reaching our hearts,\u201d said Teller, a charismatic teacher who is often cited by OCIA students as a draw.<\/p>\n Recent college grad, Ian Burns, 22 was drawn to Catholicism for a few reasons, including \u201cturmoil in the world\u2026I felt like I needed something to lean on.\u201d Stefano Giovannini<\/p>\n Others have been profoundly changed by a personal loss, like Cindy Zhao. The healthcare worker decided to convert after her 42-year-old cousin tragically died after a short battle with cancer.<\/p>\n \u201cMy own personal life drove me to faith. It\u2019s helped me to find clarity,\u201d said Zhao.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s Liz Flynn, who found the Lord in the gift shop of a North Carolina Cracker Barrel.<\/p>\n The charismatic and passionate Fr. Johah Teller, OP is often cited as a draw to St. Joseph\u2019s parish. Stefano Giovannini<\/p>\n The 35-year-old Brooklyn carpenter, like many in her generation had suffered from anxiety and depression, seeking relief in self-help books, yoga and \u201cpseudo spiritualism.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI thought I would struggle for the rest of my life,\u201d said Flynn, who is in OCIA at Old St. Pat\u2019s.<\/p>\n