When 60 Minutes is interested in you, you know you’re doing something either really good or really bad. The program’s April 12th segment on the surge in Catholic conversions suggests that the Church is doing something really good. Somehow, we’ve managed to welcome record numbers of converts into the Church, and there are signs the trend will continue, at least for the near future.
Cardinal Robert McElroy proudly noted in the segment that the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., welcomed a record-breaking 1,800 catechumens and candidates into the Church at the Easter Vigil this year. The Dioceses of Norwich, Pueblo, and Rapid City witnessed a virtual 100 percent increase in conversions. The very fact that 60 Minutes decided to draw attention to such “dramatic” changes in Mass attendance, baptisms, and weddings over the past decade is remarkable.
But that’s not the whole story. Last year, 840 people left the Church for every 100 who came in. That trend is on track to remain steady or worsen this year. Many have stopped practicing the Catholic faith all together, and a rising number are switching to Protestant denominations.
