Every day is a great day to be a Catholic. However, in this day and age in particular, it’s a really great time to be Catholic. Although the Church is far from winning the culture war, Catholics all around the world are noticing a certain levity in the air—and it’s definitely not just that parishes are going back to using more incense at Mass.

Worldwide, especially among young adults, conversions have increased by 30%. This past Easter, the United States saw a 38% increase in people entering the Church compared to 2025 across all dioceses, with notable spikes in major dioceses such as the Archdiocese of Los Angeles (139% increase), the Diocese of Phoenix (23%), the Archdiocese of New York (36%), and the Archdiocese of Chicago (52%).

In such a time as this, dare I say it might even be cool to be Catholic?

Certainly, it seems the youth of today are growing up in a time when it’s neither taboo nor frowned upon to be a Christian. Maybe it still is just as turbulent as it has ever been; however, with the increase in openness to the Holy Spirit or a return to orthodoxy and tradition, whatever it may be, people are proud to be Catholic, and they are less afraid to show it.

Now I don’t mean to be a Debby downer, but in the face of the golden era of Catholicism, I think Catholics need to hold their horses. I’m not saying we shouldn’t be excited, uplifted, and encouraged, but what I am saying is that we shouldn’t get ahead of ourselves. Especially for my younger sisters in Christ out there, who cannot get enough of Catholicmaxxing on TikTok. Being Catholic is trendy now, but what happens when that trend fizzles out?

Or worse, what happens when being Catholic goes against the next trend of the present moment?

When I came back to the faith after not practicing during the majority of my childhood at the age of 15, I felt like being Catholic was the coolest thing you could be on earth. In the safety of my youth group and among my friend group, largely made up of Catholics, I was able to build a community that sheltered me from the relativistic culture gaining momentum during that time. A typical Saturday night was a visit to the Adoration chapel with friends, followed by playing softball in the fields on the parish’s property, and finishing the night by walking to whatever fast food place we were craving that day. It wasn’t until I entered college, living away from my Catholic bubble, that I realized the real spiritual battle waging in the “real world.”

As I look around now at the landscape of that Catholic community (around 50 people) that nourished my faith through my high school years, I’m sad to say that only a third are still practicing their faith. Now, granted, those who are still practicing are as Catholic as ever; some are priests or religious, the majority are happily living out the Sacrament of Marriage, and others are living out their faith in various sectors of the workforce.

During the first few years after high school, as I slowly watched even my best friend fall away from the Church, I was in a state of disbelief. Maybe this is how the Apostle John felt as he watched Peter deny Jesus three times, the other nine apostles flee in Christ’s darkest hour, and above all, Judas betray the One he called “Master.”

I remember feeling a sense of grief, looking back on countless memories of going to daily Mass, praising the Lord, completing service hours, and living the faith out loud beside those who no longer go to Mass. I wondered:

Did they forget about all those times we spent together and with our Lord?

Did they forget all the times we talked about our faith with burning love and conviction?

Yet on the other hand, I also felt a great bit of doubt, worry, and fear… Would I be the next person to leave the faith?

I met with several of these friends over Christmas and Summer breaks. They assured me that with time, I would too. Though they couldn’t offer me a concrete reason for leaving, all offered something along the lines of: “It’s not that I don’t believe in the faith. It’s just that when you get out into the real world, leave your community of Catholic friends, it’s really hard to actually practice the faith… so I just stopped.”

As we behold this new golden age of Catholicism, I am reminded of this time in my life when, truly for the first time, Christ asked me the same question He asked His disciples after proclaiming, “my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink” (John 6:55):

Do you also want to leave?

This question, in light of seeing countless friends leave the faith, as well as encountering an outright anti-Catholic culture still present on university campuses across the country, challenged me to consider what was at the root of my profession of faith.

Was it friendships and belonging?

Was it because it was the popular thing to do?

Was it because it made me feel good?

Was it because I thought it made me look good?

Was it because it made me feel morally superior?

Was it because it was the easy thing to do at the time?

If the root of my faith had been any of those things, I would have left upon starting college. Living my faith on a Division 1 soccer team didn’t make me popular with my party-obsessed teammates who lived by the motto “we run things, things don’t run we.” Living my faith didn’t grant me special treatment, especially from professors who openly advocated for relativism. It didn’t get me invitations to parties, spring break trips, or events. If anything, it led to many quiet nights journaling in my dorm and visits to the perpetual adoration chapel at odd hours of the night.

When I got to the root of why I was Catholic, I realized it was because I was in love. Or better said, I had encountered the real and true love my heart had been wrestling with and longing for my whole life. Though I was young when I first encountered Jesus, and many things had changed since then, the same Christ who met me at 15 was the same One pursuing me in college—and even to this very day.

Though I could give a million theological reasons for why I believe in the Catholic faith, at the end of the day, I couldn’t walk away. Because walking away from my Catholic faith would’ve meant walking away from my relationship with Jesus.

Even in the face of the temptations of the world, which are often more popular and convenient than our faith, we must remember: though we live in a great moment to be Catholic, like all things of this world, this moment is “passing away” (1 John 2:17). We see throughout the history of the Church that she, like each of us, walks toward Christ in times of both light and darkness, yet continues forward on the path of righteousness regardless of the season she faces. So we too must live fully into the graces and consolations of this season, while remaining aware that the enemy stands by, “prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8).

With that awareness of a very real enemy seeking to take us down, we need not fear, but rather cling even more closely to Christ. For He is our Bridegroom, fully aware of our circumstances and sufferings, and He never fails to save us from our sins when they so often get the best of us.

As we live in this golden age of Catholicism, let us not be motivated by the current of pop culture being in our favor, but rather by love for Christ. As Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said, “love, to be real, must cost—it must hurt—it must empty us of self.” May we not lose sight of the kind of love we are called to: a love that demands our complete devotion and our whole selves.

Because if it is trendy to be Catholic right now, the real question is whether we will still choose to love Him when it is not. With that in mind, may we stand before our Lord confident that the foundation of our faith is more than a trend, more than doing what is easiest in a given moment, but a true offering of a heart conquered and convicted by a love stronger than death… a love that leads to eternal life.

More resources for Catholic teens

Read more from Allie HERE!

Yours, Not Hers: 40 Devotions to Stop Comparisons and Love Your Life

Go Bravely: Becoming the Woman You Were Created to Be

Emotional Virtue: A Guide to Drama-Free Relationships

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Image: Photo by ola szkolda on Unsplash