New Yorkers turning to the church, number of Catholic converts soaring, according to priests

 By Kirsten Fleming

Published Nov. 16, 2025, 8:00 a.m. ET

Young people come to New York City to chase careers, materialism and pleasure. The pursuit of faith isn’t exactly on the Big Apple checklist.

However, at a recent, very crowded Sunday night mass at St. Joseph’s Church in Greenwich Village, Father Jonah Teller, OP made a simple announcement indicating that times are changing.

According to Teller, the number enrolled in the parish’s Order of Christian Initiation of Adults — the process in which adults convert to Catholicism — had tripled since last year, with roughly 130 people signing up.

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Cindy Zhao hadn’t been raised with organized religion, but she decided to become Catholic after she lost her cousin to cancer. Stefano Giovannini for N.Y.Post

There’s 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.

More: https://nypost.com/2025/11/16/lifestyle/new-yorkers-turning-to-the-church-number-of-catholic-converts-soaring-priests-say/