Catholicism Draws Growing Interest at Harvard

Harvard University’s Catholic community is seeing a significant increase in interest in the faith. Last spring, a record 85 people became Catholic at St. Paul’s Church, including 45 Harvard students and faculty members, according to EWTN News.

Interest has remained strong this year, with 65 people registering so far to become Catholic. Harvard undergraduate chaplain Nathaniel Sanders said student attendance at Mass had also increased by 10%–20% in recent years. Sunday Mass at St. Paul’s now draws an average of around 300 students, up from about 200 a few years ago, according to a separate report cited by EWTN.

Sanders attributed the trend to a broader cultural shift among young people and the work of the Holy Spirit. He also pointed to around 30 student Bible study groups run with the help of missionaries as an important factor in attracting converts.

According to Sanders, the converts broadly fall into two groups. The first consists of young people who grew up in culturally Catholic homes but were not active in the Church and never received the sacraments. The second consists of former Evangelical Protestants whose interest in Catholic teaching eventually led them to convert.

(max)