{"id":195702,"date":"2026-04-13T17:51:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:51:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/195702\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T17:51:38","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:51:38","slug":"my-manhattan-parish-went-viral-this-easter-heres-what-the-headlines-missed-national-catholic-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/195702\/","title":{"rendered":"My Manhattan Parish Went Viral This Easter \u2014 Here\u2019s What the Headlines Missed| National Catholic Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve been reading the headlines lately, you know that urban Gen Zers are flocking to the Catholic Church in droves \u2014 or, at least, to a few, particular parishes. <\/p>\n

Last month, Fox & Friends released a clip<\/a> titled \u201cGEN Z REVIVAL: NYC church sees lines out the door every Sunday.\u201d The New York City church in question was my own: the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village, colloquially referred to as \u201cSt. Joe\u2019s.\u201d <\/p>\n

Soon, the New York Post<\/a> followed suit: \u201cGen Z Catholic influencers make church look cooler than ever \u2014 snapping up hundreds of thousands of social-media followers.\u201d The article includes photos of influencers and TikTokers descending on my parish. (I can\u2019t say I\u2019ve seen or met any of them.) <\/p>\n

Not to be outdone, The Washington Post published an article<\/a> titled \u201cWhy Catholicism is drawing in Gen Z men: Young men in their 20s and 30s are increasingly drawn to the Catholic Church as they seek truth, beauty and, yes, girlfriends.\u201d Evie magazine, hailed as the \u201cconservative Cosmo,\u201d published a viral piece titled \u201cNYC\u2019s Hottest New Club Is Catholic Mass.\u201d <\/p>\n

Additionally, my church and the media coverage of it have attracted members of the Twitterverse and other influencers. <\/p>\n

A user by the name of \u201cMid Thirties Manhattan Guy\u201d posted a photo of the line outside the door of my church on Easter, a post which has since garnered 1 million views:<\/p>\n

\u201cTried to go to Easter mass but they ran out of seats and standing room<\/p>\n

Next best thing: soho house brunch with a jazz quartet <\/p>\n

The libs have lost. Being WASPy is cool again.\u201d <\/p>\n

(I can assure \u201dMid 30s Manhattan Guy\u201d that the next best thing to Mass at St. Joe\u2019s is not a boozy brunch, but Mass at any of the other 60-some parishes<\/a> in Manhattan.)<\/p>\n

Another poster<\/a> seemed to discount the legitimacy of Gen Z interest in places like St. Joe\u2019s on the basis that its parishioners are too good looking and successful, errantly calling my church<\/a> a \u201cClavicular podcast,\u201d a reference to a TikToker who champions \u201clooksmaxxing.\u201d <\/p>\n

And a Catholic academic also attempted<\/a> to weigh in on the perceived political trends of my church, asserting that \u201cthis is a very right-wing parish \u2026 and has other right influencers promoting it. It\u2019s representative of that and not much more.\u201d <\/p>\n

All of this, shall we say, \u201cinternet discourse\u201d has depicted my church as a hip venue full of young, hot, right-wing attendees, eager to don their Sunday best, mingle with their pew mates, and \u201cget swol\u201d for God. <\/p>\n

What these stories and posts fail to explain, however, is why so many Catholics are actually flocking to St. Joseph\u2019s in Greenwich Village and Manhattan parishes like it. Yes, Dominican Father Jonah Teller and the other priests stationed at St. Joe\u2019s are fantastic (if you\u2019re reading this, Father Jonah, don\u2019t let it go to your head.) <\/p>\n

\"DominicanDominican Father Jonah Teller greets Massgoers after an evening Mass on Ash Wednesday 2026.(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

But the majority of my fellow parishioners aren\u2019t going to Mass (or converting to Catholicism) to join an exclusive social club, unlock a new self-improvement routine, or partake in real-life CatholicMatch (although I\u2019m sure many wouldn\u2019t be opposed to that last outcome). They\u2019re going to Mass to partake in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. <\/p>\n

\"AshDominican Father Jonah Teller and other Dominican priests give Communion, Ash Wednesday 2026, at the Church of St. Joseph.(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

Certainly, a vibrant community or inspirational preaching can help a tentative observer walk through the front door. But the draw of a church \u2014 where attendees participate in the daily, weekly commitments of actually being or becoming Catholic \u2014 cannot be explained away in the same language one might describe the popularity of Soho House or Equinox. <\/p>\n

\"TheThe faithful pray with Dominican Father Jonah Teller on Ash Wednesday 2026 at St. Joe\u2019s.(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

It is precisely because the Catholic Church offers something that cannot be found in the world \u2014 the real presence of the living God and the hope of eternal life \u2014 that she draws souls unto herself.<\/p>\n

\"ChurchYoung adults pray at the Church of St. Joseph in Greenwich Village, Feb. 18, 2026.(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

The Church proclaims a reality entirely opposed to the modern, secular views that undergird our self-focused culture of self-optimization. The Church teaches that we are not our own, but made by God, for God. Of all the friends I have made at St. Joe\u2019s since I moved to New York last year, not one attends Mass every Sunday in order to boost their social status or mingle with their fresh-faced peers. They go to draw near to God, that He might draw near unto them. <\/p>\n

\"St.Young adults fill the pews of St. Joe\u2019s on Ash Wednesday 2026.(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

At a parish like St. Joe\u2019s, the core and irreplaceable purpose of the Mass is made more immediate through traditional liturgical aids: a homily that centers the listener on Christ, music that calls the soul to heaven, and a pervasive atmosphere of sacred devotion. <\/p>\n

Most recent mainstream coverage missed that parishes like St. Joe\u2019s draw young people en masse because their services are both orthodox and normal, a seemingly rare but ever-popular combination among devout Catholics of all ages. Neither the hardcore \u201ctrads\u201d nor the kumbaya boomers are capable of winning over mainstream, urban-dwelling normies. <\/p>\n

The three main parishes in Manhattan that draw the young, fresh, consultant-class Catholics are St. Joe\u2019s; St. Vincent Ferrer\u2019s on the Upper East Side; and Old St. Pat\u2019s, the original cathedral church of the Archdiocese of New York. (The National Catholic Register gave an excellent rundown<\/a> of parish life at all three.) <\/p>\n

\"St.Young people pack St. Joe\u2019s on the first day of Lent 2026.(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

These churches have much in common. For one, both St. Joe\u2019s and St. Vincet Ferrer\u2019s are run by the Dominican Province of St. Joseph\u2019s. The Dominicans (whom I spent much time with as a former employee of the Thomistic Institute) are a serious bunch. They take the cultural questions of our time as seriously as they take the metaphysical questions of all time, often illuminating how the latter hold the key to the former. <\/p>\n

The Dominicans are also surprisingly young. By the demographic standards of religious-order priests nationally, the Dominicans are downright juvenile, with some \u201c30 under 30\u201d in formation in the Eastern province alone. According to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops<\/a>, religious-order priests over 70 years of age outnumber those under age 70 by nearly 4-to-1. <\/p>\n

Further, the Dominicans are not to be outdone with regards to religious education. They are the Ordo Praedictorum (Order of Preachers), after all. St. Joe\u2019s hosts programming geared towards young professionals nearly every day of the week. Upcoming events include an introductory lecture to Ren\u00e9 Girard\u2019s mimetic theory, a lecture on the liturgical significance of the Haec Dies chant, and a book club on The Brothers Karamazov. At St. Vincent Ferrer\u2019s<\/a>, parishioners can discuss The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy by \u00c9tienne Gilson or hear a talk on the history of the Church in the midst of the French Revolution. <\/p>\n

Old St. Pat\u2019s is similarly attractive to yuppies. After the 7 p.m. Sunday Mass, parishioners in their 20s and 30s head to a local bar to commune over a couple of beers. (It doesn\u2019t take too much to make a Catholic happy.) <\/p>\n

Why else are these three parishes so popular? On a simple, human scale, like attracts like. Devout, Catholic young professionals tend to be friends with other devout, Catholic young professionals. They tend to go to church where their friends go to church. And they tend to go to Mass where the priest can relate to their experience. <\/p>\n

As much as I wish every Catholic church in Manhattan was bursting with enthusiastic young people, these three parishes appear to have an oligopoly on the zealous youths. This piece<\/a> by Luis Parrales in The Atlantic offers a more sober analysis of the isolated spikes in Mass attendance and Catholic confirmations among young adults in the U.S. Although many dioceses are experiencing an increase in the number of young converts<\/a> joining their parishes, cradle Catholics continue to leave the Church at a faster rate than new Catholics are joining. <\/p>\n

But this is not a cause for doubt or fear. To be Catholic is to live apart from trends, to ascribe to ancient beliefs, and to pledge allegiance to an eternal Church. In their own lives, Catholics must choose to practice their faith day after day, week after week, year after year. <\/p>\n

And, of course, the event that draws so many young adults to these parishes, the Mass itself, is anything but a passing fad; it\u2019s an ancient rite. The first \u201cmissals\u201d \u2014 texts containing the order of the Mass \u2014 were found in monasteries<\/a> nearly 1,000 years ago. The sacrament of the Eucharist spans two millennia, tracing its origin to Christ\u2019s own words and actions at the Last Supper. The Gen Zers who come to Mass in Manhattan are seeking to participate in this radical tradition \u2014 not an alternative club scene or a \u201cpersonalitymaxxing\u201d program.<\/p>\n

\"MassMass underway at Old St. Pat\u2019s(Photo: Jeffrey Bruno for the National Catholic Register) <\/p>\n

The Church has lasted through countless trends, and she will prevail through countless more. While I hope my generation continues to find a home in the Body of Christ, I will place my trust in the Lord, not TikTok. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve been reading the headlines lately, you know that urban Gen Zers are flocking to the Catholic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195703,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[74734,56233,235,75,84,83,78037,9,24,63,78038,78036],"class_list":{"0":"post-195702","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-catholic-converts","9":"tag-catholic-life","10":"tag-gen-z","11":"tag-manhattan","12":"tag-manhattan-headlines","13":"tag-manhattan-news","14":"tag-massgoers","15":"tag-new-york","16":"tag-new-york-city","17":"tag-nyc","18":"tag-sacrifice-of-the-mass","19":"tag-young-catholics"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195702"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195702\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}