Photo Courtesy of Kylie Brewster, Catechuman 2026
On a quiet Sunday morning, the Christ the King chapel pews at SAU are fuller than they’ve been in years; not with the familiar faces of older generations, but with college students, young families, and first-time visitors searching for something they maybe can’t name.
What was once considered a fading institution is beginning to look different. According to the New York Times, young people across the country are joining the Catholic Church. SAU students say this increase isn’t out of obligation, but out of a deeper desire for meaning, community, and relationship in an ever-changing world.
In Our Campus Community
Photo Courtesy of Casper Altman
St. Ambrose University has witnessed this growth firsthand as the number of students joining the church within our campus community went from two to six in just one year.
One of these SAU students is Elaina Madlom, a sophomore who made the decision to fully enter into the Catholic Church this spring. She says that after taking steps away from her faith, an Antioch retreat with Campus Ministry stirred the desire to come back home to the Church.
“After experiencing Antioch this past fall, I had realized I truly found a family not just at St. Ambrose but within Campus Ministry and within the church community. Long story short, it felt like home.”
Beyond Our University Community
This conversion story goes beyond our campus community. The Catholic Messenger, the Diocese of Davenport’s Catholic newspaper, reported that in 2026, 410 individuals joined the Catholic Church. This is 178 more people than last year in 2025.
The New York Times reports that a fellow Iowa diocese, the Diocese of Des Moines, experienced a 51 percent increase from 2025 to 2026, and the Archdiocese of St. Louis has experienced the highest number of converts since 2016. The New York Times article interviewed Archbishop Mitchell Thomas of the St. Louis Diocese, who said that two things could be behind this search for God:
“I think technology has isolated us from one another. We are realizing many of the ills of our society, particularly anxiety and depression, come about from that isolation.” He says. “In our age of uncertainty, and in our age of great anxiety, is a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people’s lives,” he says.
SAU junior and confirmation sponsor Jaxson Eisenbarth agrees with the Archbishop’s diagnosis of looking for connection and something deeper.
“I believe the Catholic church is growing because people are yearning for something more. In a world full of sadness, depression, and anxiety, people are searching for the truth. They are searching for something that is greater than themselves.”
Many Lives Touched
Photo Courtesy of Kylie Brewster, Chatechuman 2026
While those joining the Church say their faith was strengthened and grown throughout the process, they weren’t the only ones touched by their conversion. Sponsors of the new members of the Church say this experience has touched their lives and their faith as well.
Caitie Meystrik, a St Ambrose sophomore Education major and confirmation sponsor this year, says the experience reminded her of the community she has within the Catholic Church.
“Being able to witness the power of a conversation, a prayer, or an invitation has deepened my own faith and has reminded me constantly that I am not on this journey alone. I have been able to look back at my own life and am so grateful for my Catholic upbringing, because it led me to a place where I get to now witness others become Catholic. Being asked to be a sponsor is a gift because you get to journey with somebody towards Heaven.”
Jaxson Eisenbarth also shared the beauty that being a sponsor brought to his life.
“Being able to see the bravery and courage of someone joining the church really strengthened my faith by motivating me to grow in those virtues myself. It was truly inspiring and has made a lasting impact on my faith.”
For these St. Ambrose students, their sponsors, and Catholics all over the world, the Church is no longer something inherited, but something chosen. In a world full of uncertainty, loneliness, and disconnection, young people say they are seeking faith as a response—a way to belong, understand, and hope.
SAU Chaplain, Fr. Dale Mallory, agrees that loneliness and a desire for authenticity is driving people toward the Church. “People are looking for authenticity and deeper meaning/purpose. The modern world, especially in the online world, often feels fake and inauthentic.
“Influencers, AI, the disconnect between the generations, all these things contribute to a feeling that nothing in life has real meaning. Religion, in general, provides a way for us to understand the world around us, to know what is true and good. It also provides us with friendship and connection with others, hence the Catholic Church’s strong focus on communal worship at Mass.”
As more voices join in the prayers and hymns, it is clear that this isn’t just a momentary trend, but the beginning of a renewal shaped by generations searching for something bigger than themselves—and finding it together.
