The Archdiocese of Los Angeles welcomed more than 5,500 converts into the Catholic Church this Easter — the largest number in over a decade and a striking figure for the nation’s biggest archdiocese, according to leaders there.

Father Juan Ochoa, who directs the archdiocesan Office for Divine Worship, has been watching the numbers closely and told CNA he didn’t expect the surge.

“We usually see a 10% increase from the year before,” he said. “This year, it was about 45%. That’s significant.”

The group includes nearly 2,800 people baptized at the Easter Vigil — individuals with no previous affiliation to Christianity. 

Just as many were already baptized in other Christian traditions and received the sacraments of confirmation and the Eucharist in Catholic parishes across Los Angeles, Ventura, and Santa Barbara counties.

For many, the choice to enter the Church was deeply personal. Ochoa said the conversions this year felt different than other years.

“I can’t point to one reason,” he said. “It’s not just one thing. I think COVID made people reflect. For some, it created space to ask questions. And maybe now they’re ready.”

The release of the 2025 conversion numbers comes just after the death of Pope Francis. Ochoa didn’t hesitate when asked about the late pontiff’s impact. 

“He gave the Church a different image,” he said. “He reached people who didn’t feel seen. And because of that, some people started looking at the Church in a new way.”

For Ochoa, the late pope’s legacy lives on in the very people coming through the Church’s doors this Easter. 

“They’re not here because someone pressured them,” he said. “They’re here because something called them.”

He’s seen a growing number of parishes embrace that same outward focus. “Some pastors are realizing it’s not enough to keep doing what we’ve always done,” he said. “They’re asking how to reach the people who aren’t here yet.”

That shift has taken time. Ochoa pointed to the Office of New Evangelization and Parish Life, which has helped parishes think more intentionally about outreach. Instead of applying a single model everywhere, the office works with local leaders to understand what’s possible — and needed — in their community.

“I’ve worked in three different parishes,” Ochoa said. “Even with similar demographics, you can’t just copy and paste. What works in one place might not in another. Culture matters.”

He also credited a range of Catholic voices on social media and digital platforms for helping people learn about the faith — especially those who might have been hesitant to walk into a church right away. 

Elsewhere in the country, other dioceses are also reporting increases in adult conversions. Thomas Rzeznik, an associate professor of history at Seton Hall University in New Jersey and co-editor of the quarterly journal American Catholic Studies, believes it reflects a deeper moment. 

“There’s a hunger for meaning right now,” he said. “People are searching for something more grounded. And when they find a parish that’s welcoming and prepared, that can make all the difference.”

Even as national data show a decline in infant baptisms, the growth in adult initiations tells another story. Ochoa sees that contrast every year.

“Infant baptisms reflect culture, tradition,” he said. “But adult baptisms — that’s personal. It’s someone deciding, for themselves, that this is what they want. That matters.”