Canada sees surge in people joining Catholic Church

Calgary’s St. Bonaventure Parish welcomed 27 new members into the Catholic Church this past Saturday, setting a new record for confirmations through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA). The increase reflects a broader trend, as the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary has reported a 50 percent rise in people seeking to join the church since the Covid pandemic.

Brian Trafford, an RCIA instructor and convert, told Global News the surge is noticeable. “We set a record last year in the number of people coming in and we broke that record again this year,” he said. “We’re already hearing that for next year, the class might even be bigger.” Trafford noted that both couples and recent immigrants are key drivers behind the uptick. “We’ve had a fair number of immigrants coming in, probably having their first chance to hear the gospel, meet folks who are Christian themselves and as a result, saying to themselves, I like what they have, I want some of that — and so they end up coming in, maybe out of curiosity, but they end up staying.”

Michael Macleod, another convert, described reconnecting with Catholicism as coming “home.” He had been baptized but spent much of his life attending Protestant churches. “(I) decided more recently because of the richness of the Catholic traditions, the intellectual tradition, the sacred tradition, that I felt I needed to come home, in a way, and be part of this movement,” Macleod said. “There wasn’t one epiphany, but there was a series of convictions… I needed to be home somewhere, and this felt like home.”

Macleod added that the shared faith strengthened his marriage. “We talk about things and we’re agreeing on things, spiritual things, like never before. And I think it’s an opportunity to be honest and open with each other and feel like we’re contributing as part of a family,” he said. He also said his renewed faith motivates him to volunteer and engage in community work: “I just come at this from a perspective of faith and a perspective being grounded that I haven’t experienced before.”

Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary said the increase in confirmations spans age groups and backgrounds. “We have people who are coming from other faiths, Eastern religions, also those who are later in life, even at age 60 or 70… When you talk to some of our young people, university students, young professionals, seeking purpose, meaning, seeing some of the traditions of the church, desiring a spirituality and a relationship with God — others, it has taken years and it’s sometimes been the example of a family member, a spouse,” he said.