‘Cool’ Catholicism?

The Easter season brought what many hailed as good news for Catholicism: data showing a surge in conversions, a story that captured secular media attention around the world, from the United States to Europe, South Korea, Asia, and New Zealand. But what to make of the phenomenon? After all, it’s indisputable that the number of adults now joining the Church can’t make up for the decades-long collapse in membership just about everywhere. What it really might suggest is something else: the end of the “sociology” of mass Catholicism and the new appeal of the Catholic “form” in a disconnected, de-ritualized world. Conversions seem to express the desire for physical, in-person gathering places, a trend among young adults in large urban centers post-Covid. Read Full Article »