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.

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.

At the Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral, they’ve also doubled their head count with about 100 people. Their Sunday 7pm mass has become overcrowded.

“We’re out of space and exploring adding more masses,” Father Daniel Ray told The Post.

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