Gen Z Men Are Turning to the Catholic Church

Generation Z men may be helping reverse declining Catholic Church membership in the United States.

“Gen Z men face a time of choosing,” Andrew Lohse, author of “Confessions of an Ivy League Frat Boy,” told the “Washington Post.” “It’s either porn, drugs, gambling and debt or truth, beauty, discipline and meeting a pretty girl at Mass.”

The trend began when Catholic influencers on TikTok and Instagram began sharing their faith online with new audiences. These influencers received the greatest response from men in their 20s and 30s, who were disillusioned by the modern, secular society in which they live.

Among Catholics, young men are now about as religious as women in the same age group, according to the Pew Research Center.

READ: Catholic Church gets first millennial saint.

Men have turned to Catholicism for several reasons, including a desire for more stability and purpose in their lives, a greater sense of community and a longing for traditional values and more structure. The website Medium, which describes itself as “a home for human stories and ideas,” pointed out that Gen Z men apparently are more religious than women. However, the story urged people to be cautious about celebrating and said the narrowing of the gender gap points to “a worrying future for American Christianity and society in general.”

Medium explained that Gen Z men are more likely than Gen Z women to do the following:

• Support Christian nationalism;
• Believe the end of the world is imminent;
• Be familiar with ideas such as repealing American women’s right to vote; and
• See themselves as victims of modern culture.

Rather than signaling division, many see the renewed interest among these young men as an opportunity for renewal within churches, Catholic or otherwise. Church leaders for decades have noted that the majority of church attendance is made up of women.

Advocates say this generation is searching for meaning and discipline in a culture without boundaries. If guided well, they say, the trend could strengthen families and ground young men in service to family and community and a lived understanding of the Gospel. Bishop Robert Barron said, “There’s a longing in the heart that can’t be satisfied by anything in this world.”

–Alan Goforth

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