Thousands of people across the UK are to be received into the Catholic Church this Easter, with dioceses across Britain noting a marked increase in the number of adult baptisms, with young men leading the way.
Westminster Diocese alone will receive 500 adults into the Church this Easter, half of whom are catechumens, meaning they are not baptised and will receive the sacrament of baptism along with the other sacraments of initiation. The number represents a 25 per cent increase on the previous year.
Southwark, the other Catholic diocese of London, also reported large numbers of adults entering the Church. 450 will be received at the Easter Vigil, which represents a decade-high.
Among the unusually high number of converts, one mother of seven decided to join the Church after her youngest child began showing an interest in the faith as a toddler and was baptised himself.
Among the group is also a large contingent of young men, according to Archbishop Mark O’Toole, whose own diocese of Cardiff-Menevia has seen a 100 per cent increase in conversions on the previous year.
“We notice that large numbers who join us are young men,” he <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/04/13/extraordinary-comeback-catholicism/">told</a> the Daily Telegraph, noting that they use the words “coherent” and “consistent” when describing their reasons for joining the Catholic Church.
Fr. Daniel, of the York Oratory, has noticed a similar pattern. The Oratorians, the order founded by St Philip Neri and of which the notable 19th-century British convert St John Henry Newman was a member, have been at the forefront of Britain’s Catholic resurgence. The seven Oratorian houses in England and Wales, four of which have been opened in recent years, use a year-round and personalised approach to initiation into the faith, which has led to hundreds of conversions.
Fr Daniel explained, “There is a sense of moral chaos and lack of meaning in today's society. If people can find something that makes sense, provides meaning, and also gives a community, which the Catholic Church does, they are going to be attracted to this, and I think this is particularly true for young men.”
Commenting on the increase in adult baptisms, Archbishop John Wilson of the Archdiocese of Southwark said: 'Whenever I meet someone joining the Church, I am filled with so much joy. While each story is unique, at the heart of every story is the same yearning, the same feeling of restlessness. These feelings can only be answered and fulfilled by Christ.'
Also commenting on recent baptisms in his diocese, Cardinal Vincent Nichols said: "Meeting those coming forward at the Rite of Election in Westminster Cathedral made a deep impression on me. Many spoke of their search for a sustaining sense of purpose. I also heard from some that, on stepping into a Catholic church, the appeal of its sense of the sacred and beauty was irresistible. There is much encouragement for us here, and I pray that future years see this trend continue."<br><br>Across the channel, France’s Catholic Church will welcome more than 10,384 adult catechumens at Easter this year, <a href="https://eglise.catholique.fr/approfondir-sa-foi/la-celebration-de-la-foi/les-sacrements/le-bapteme/baptemes-adultes/">marking</a> a 45 per cent increase from 2024. The number is the largest since records began. The 18-25 age group now represents 42 per cent of adult catechumens.
In line with the trend, last week a <a href="https://www.biblesociety.org.uk/">report</a> released by The Bible Society found that church attendance in the UK since 2018 had increased by 55 per cent.
The extensive report, which compared data drawn from 19,101 surveys of adults in 2018 to 13,146 adults in 2024, enough to give a 99 per cent confidence level, was entitled “The Quiet Revival” and painted a picture of a surprising resurgence of Christianity across the UK, with young Catholics in particular leading the way. Among the 16 per cent of people aged 18-24 who regularly attend Church, 41 per cent were Catholics.
<em>(Photograph courtesy of the Oxford Oratory)</em>
