December 17, 2025

By Keith Benman
Contributing Writer

Blessed Sacrament Parish in Watertown had 17 people sign up for the Order of Christian Initiation for Adults (OCIA) this fall, a record number by far for recent years. The Blessed Sacrament program provides preparation for adults wishing to convert to the Catholic Faith or desiring to complete their reception of sacraments in order to come back to the Faith.

A hundred miles northeast in Malone, at St. André Bessette Parish, they also have a record number seeking instruction in the Catholic Faith through OCIA. And at Our Lady of Grace Church, in Morristown, Pastor Father Christopher C. Carrara reports getting more than half a dozen inquiries about converting or reverting to the church in the past year. Three of those are now in OCIA and more seem to be in the pipeline. That number compares to just one convert coming forward in Father Carrara’s first eight years at the parish.

“Finally our young people are turning to a place where they will get truth,” Father Carrara said.

Some other parishes are reporting similar surges.

“I get the feeling that we aren’t unique, said Deacon Kevin Mastellon at Blessed Sacrament Church about the increase in OCIA candidates there. “That it’s happening. That it’s widespread. … the pendulum is swinging back a little. We’re having more people come to church and come back to the Church. “

In addition, diocesan youth leaders report dramatic increases in attendance at events such as diocesan-wide retreats, leadership groups, Mass, and certain prayer rituals.

That all runs counter to national surveys conducted over the last few decades that have shown the number of Catholics declining and less church participation by those that remain. But one of the most recent national surveys seemed to pick up on the trend. According to a 2025 survey by the Catholic non-profit Leadership Roundtable, young adult Catholics are now the most likely of all age groups to attend Mass and engage in parish activities beyond Mass. That’s a reversal from previous surveys which showed they were the least likely of all age groups to do those things.

That finding didn’t surprise Patrick Looby, the Ogdensburg Diocese’s director of Youth Ministry and Campus Ministry. People are looking for truths they can put to use in their lives and relationships, he said.

That’s one reason why three young people, non-Catholics, joined the St. Francis Solanus Church youth group recently in Harrisville looking to convert, he said. And a few others have followed them there since. And it’s why youth retreats like ones for college students at Camp Guggenheim in September are attracting increased numbers.

“Once they get in there, there is a thirst for what’s being offered,” he said.

The “hook” for getting young people into youth activities 30 years ago might have been things like pizza or music, Looby said. Now, ancient rituals like Eucharistic Adoration seem to be a fascinating enticement for many of the young.

“To sit in silence and reach out in faith and pray is much more acceptable now, because people are open to it,” he said.

At Blessed Sacrament, OCIA co-leader Kathy Allan has also noticed the pull of tradition. She said would-be converts are often “in awe” of Catholic churches when they first walk in. And it’s something more.

“Many of them come because the world is so unstable. And they’ve researched this. They say ‘This is the church Jesus gave to Peter,” she said.

The extent of that research is another big change Allan has noticed over the years. Some OCIA candidates at Blessed Sacrament were already among the 2.7 million YouTube followers of Bishop Robert Barron or the 1.2 million who follow Father Mike Schmitz before coming to parish offices to inquire about conversion.

“Soldiers on base (Fort Drum) will actually talk with each other about it,” she said. “One will say to another ‘You should listen to Bishop Barron’ or ‘You should listen to Father Schmitz.’ It’s like that now.”

The diversity of the OCIA classes also gives Allan hope. This year’s included a 76-year-old, a professional hockey player, soldiers, soldiers’ spouses, three older teens, and a corrections officer. Some are of Hispanic heritage and bi-lingual.

“The single most important thing is witness.” said Deacon Mastellon. “We have to be the same person outside of Church that we are in the Church. ... That attitude is obvious and becomes obvious to anyone who is searching.

The person says, ‘I want what he has or what she has.’”