FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 Gen Z is filling pews across the country, and local faith leaders in Fresno say they\u2019re seeing the shift up close \u2014 with more young people showing up, asking questions, and looking for community.<\/p>\n
Bishop Joseph Brennan of the Diocese of Fresno said what stands out to him is the level of devotion he\u2019s seeing among young people. \u201cWhat struck me is that they’re on that level, they’re holier than I was when I was their age,\u201d Brennan said.<\/p>\n
The increase is also reflected in national data. Adult conversions to the Catholic Church are surging nationwide, jumping from about 70,000 in 2020 to a projected 160,000 this year. The Diocese of Fresno is seeing a similar spike, growing from more than 700 new members last year to over 1,200 new additions this year.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s pretty amazing,\u201d Brennan said.<\/p>\n
KMPH<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
At Fresno State\u2019s Newman Center, Executive Director Katie Fleener said the growth is visible week after week. \u201cOften on Sundays, you’ll see not a vacant seat in the house people lining the back of the chapel and out into our halls,\u201d Fleener said.<\/p>\n
Fleener said the Newman Center\u2019s reach spans multiple campuses. \u201cWe served about 700 students combined at those four campuses,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
She said many students are seeking in-person connections after growing up in a world shaped by screens. \u201cThey need community, they need face time. they need that, that pastoral time and care,\u201d Fleener said.<\/p>\n
Brennan said he believes some young people are drawn to faith as they look for stability amid turmoil. \u201cI think young folks are tired of chaos. They’re tired of things they see in the street,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Local Jewish leaders say they\u2019re seeing increased engagement among young people as well. Rabbi Rick said faith can provide answers and a sense of grounding that people may not find elsewhere. \u201cWhen religion is doing its job well, it’s answering things that other things can’t answer so well it can be grounding and can provide hope,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Rabbi Rick also described religion as a stabilizing force. \u201cIt’s like putting a firmer foundation under our feet when it can feel shaky,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Brennan said he encourages young people who are struggling or searching to engage with faith. \u201cHe will meet you where you’re at.”<\/p>\n
Confused? He’ll meet you there. Are you hopeless? He’ll meet you there. Are you angry? He meets us where we’re at. He always does.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"FRESNO, Calif. (FOX26) \u2014 Gen Z is filling pews across the country, and local faith leaders in Fresno…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255253,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[112,114,113],"class_list":{"0":"post-255252","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-fresno","8":"tag-fresno","9":"tag-fresno-headlines","10":"tag-fresno-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255252"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255252\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}