One of America’s most prestigious and famously secular universities is witnessing an unexpected growth in Catholic life, as students increasingly turn toward the Church, the sacraments, Scripture, and a deeper understanding of the faith.
At Harvard University, 85 people entered the Catholic Church through St. Paul’s Catholic Church this past spring, including 45 Harvard students or faculty members, according to EWTN News. The group represented the largest class of new Catholics in the parish’s history.
And the momentum appears to be continuing.
Father Nathaniel Sanders, Harvard’s undergraduate Catholic chaplain, told EWTN News that 65 people have already registered this year, keeping pace with the previous year’s “dramatic increase” in conversions.
“There is something really exciting happening here,” Sanders said while discussing the historic number of people becoming Catholic.
The growth extends beyond conversions. “Student attendance at Mass is very good right now. It has definitely increased by 10% to 20% in recent years,” Sanders said.
According to a December 2025 report from The Wall Street Journal cited by EWTN News, Sunday Mass at St. Paul’s now attracts an average of approximately 300 students, compared with about 200 several years ago.
Sanders does not believe Harvard itself provides the full explanation for the surge. Instead, he sees what is happening on campus as part of something much larger among young people.
“There’s a wider trend going on among young people, and I attribute that to the Holy Spirit,” Sanders told EWTN News. “I think there are real cultural factors at play leading students to want to discover more about the faith.”
Bible studies have become an important part of that evangelization. Sanders said approximately 30 Bible studies operate on campus with assistance from FOCUS missionaries, helping students encounter Scripture and become more involved in Catholic life.
Some of those groups are led by students themselves, including athletes who invite their peers to study the Bible. Sanders told EWTN News that “a lot of converts have come through that.”
Two groups in particular are appearing among those seeking entrance into the Church. Sanders described young adults who were raised in culturally Catholic families but never received the sacraments, as well as evangelical Protestants whose study of Catholicism eventually leads them toward conversion.
The growing community is also challenging assumptions that students cannot maintain a serious Catholic faith at an institution such as Harvard.
John Phillips, a former president of the Harvard Catholic Center, told The Wall Street Journal that he had considered turning down his admission because he had attended Catholic schools and worried about whether his faith could flourish at Harvard. After arriving in 2022, however, he discovered a committed Catholic community.
“I saw a community I could be a part of,” Phillips said, according to the newspaper.
Harvard senior Adaolisa Mba similarly described the strength she has found among fellow Catholic students.
“It’s really impressive to be in a Catholic community with a lot of people my age. We motivate each other to be closer to God,” she told The Wall Street Journal.
For Catholic families worried about sending their children into strongly secular academic environments, Sanders emphasized the importance of arriving with a faith capable of confronting difficult questions rather than avoiding them.
“If someone has a sense of themselves and a sense of God before coming, I think that will only flower,” he said.
The developments at Harvard reflect a striking reality: Even in an environment where Catholic beliefs may be questioned or challenged, students are not simply holding onto the faith they already possess. Some are encountering it for the first time, while others are choosing to embrace it more deeply.
For Sanders, the ultimate explanation goes beyond programs, demographics or the reputation of a particular university.
“I am really grateful for what God is doing here,” he said.
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