ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — There’s a surge in Americans interested in joining the Catholic Church, according to local experts and data.
The Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg welcomed its largest group in recent years into full communion with the church during its Easter vigil.
What You Need To Know
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- The Catholic Diocese of St. Petersburg welcomed its largest group in recent years during its Easter vigil
- It was a 40% increase from last year
- University of South Florida Associate Professor of Sociology said COVID-19, political uncertainty and the first American Pope could all play a role
Kristie McNamee was baptized and received full communion.
“I wish I could say this is how it feels. I think it’s different for everyone. For me, there was just complete peace,” Kristie McNamee said.
McNamee didn’t grow up going to church every Sunday, but later in life, she said she felt a pull. She was attending a non-denominational church before she was introduced to the Catholic Church.
After classes and studying, she was welcomed into the church with nearly 750 other people during the Easter vigil. That’s nearly a 40% increase from last year.
“It was a huge group of people, very diverse and it was nice to support all of them and be supported by them at the baptism,” McNamee said.
University of South Florida Associate Professor of Sociology James Cavendish specializes in sociology of religion. He suspects there are multiple reasons for the interest in Catholicism. He said there was a lag effect after the COVID-19 pandemic, with people catching up on church practices they had missed.
“During COVID, in the years immediately after COVID, people withdrew, understandably withdrew from their involvement in the church,” Cavendish said.
The other potential reason Cavendish said is Pope Leo XIV. He’s the first American pope, which he said can be relatable for the U.S. He also said that the political and social environment can lead to an interest in the church.
“In the midst of that uncertainty, people are looking for something that will provide them with a sense of meaning in life, a sense of security, a sense of community,” Cavendish said.
Now McNamee said she hopes she can be a good disciple.
“I hope that I honor the blessing that has been put on me,” McNamee said.
While there are more people interested in joining the Catholic Church than there were years ago, Pew Research Center’s data published in 2025 shows for every person joining Catholicism, the religion lost eight people due to “religion switching.”
