By Emily E Long
At the Easter Vigil on April 4, 2026, a record number of people in the Diocese of Syracuse were received into the Catholic Church. How amazing is that? Even better — this number isn’t an anomaly limited to Syracuse. All around the world, people are coming home to the church. Even “60 Minutes” aired a segment dedicated to talking about the increase in conversions. Praise the Lord!
I’ve been Catholic since birth, so I feel pretty in the dark when it comes to the experience of conversion. For weeks, I’ve been scratching my head trying to find an interesting angle about how we need to welcome our new brothers and sisters in Christ, but I’ve come up blank.
Luckily, I have four bright, shining lights in my life: my friends Hannah, Josh, Madison, and Kayla. They’ve all joined the Church in the past five years, and each before they turned 26. The four are on fire for their faith, active in their parishes, and are a continual source of inspiration for me. So, I texted them some questions, and they began to enlighten me on their experiences becoming Catholic.
The first question I posed was the one I had on my mind when I started writing this article: Did you feel welcome when you joined the Church? The answer was a resounding, “Yes!” Even though Hannah had heard so many negative things about the Church, when she started attending Mass, those assumptions were quickly proven false. For Kayla, she felt truly supported by her parish during her process of OCIA and then with the young adult community, who welcomed her with open arms. For Josh, it was hearing from a friend that they were genuinely happy he was joining the Church. Hannah fondly remembers meeting a woman at daily Mass who was quick to add her to her prayer list and even bought her a crucifix. Seeing the joy and authenticity of the Gospel reflected in many members of the church community helped to solidify their decisions to convert to Catholicism.
Although the process of conversion can seem a bit overwhelming, the young people stressed the need to take it slow. Faith isn’t a sprint; it’s a process that becomes clearer over time. Madison said that faith is, “A continuous learning process. Not just with the tradition of the Mass but Holy Days of Obligation, Holy Week, prayers, Adoration, and more. If you give yourself grace, it will come naturally. We simply need to have faith and trust.” Josh, however, encourages curiosity, too: “Asking questions isn’t a bad thing!”
When asked what advice they would give to cradle Catholics — they each spoke about the importance of not just going through the motions. Rather, realize what a treasure our faith is. To have the truth of the Church, to be able to know Christ, is a gift we should cherish and cultivate. Hannah has found that praying the Rosary and devoting herself to the Blessed Mother has been invaluable in her life as a new Catholic. Even if you think you know everything there is to know about Catholicism, Madison said that “there’s always more to learn. Wake up every day and pursue the faith with intention in your life because you want to do that and you want to please God.”
When communicating with these four inspirational young people, I was able to get a small but valuable peek into the practical aspects of conversion. At the beginning of this search for answers about welcoming new Catholics, I felt lost and over my head. How could I possibly be equipped for such a task? The solution lies in the truth of the Gospel — that the Lord calls each and every one of us to be a light unto others, no matter what our situation in life. We just need to follow the light and let our light shine within us.
Experiment of the Week: The next time you meet a new person at church, say hello! This simple gesture shows others that the light of Christ is burning brightly in your soul.
