An increasing number of students at the University of Rhode Island are gathering at the school’s Catholic Center in search of purpose, fulfillment, and community, according to recent reports.
Attendance at weekly events at the university’s Catholic Center, which serves as a campus gathering space for prayer, study, and fellowship, has grown from about 15 students to more than 60, according to NBC 10 WJAR.
The growth reflects a broader trend reported at some Catholic campus ministries across the country, as Zeale News previously reported, where students are showing renewed interest in faith and in-person community amid rising concerns about loneliness, anxiety, and social isolation among young adults. In some cases, student participation has doubled in recent years.
Father Ryan Simas, campus chaplain at the University of Rhode Island, told NBC 10 WJAR many students are becoming Catholic or returning to the faith after realizing worldly pursuits did not provide the sense of purpose they were seeking.
“They’ve tried the ways of the world … so they’ve turned to the faith to find that fulfillment and that happiness and purpose in their life,” he said.
Student Fisher Everin told the news outlet that he had once viewed religious people as “crazy.” But this was before meeting students at the Catholic Center, whom he described as people who “genuinely care about you.”
Everin also said the Catholic faith encouraged him to reflect more deeply on “the meaning of life” instead of seeking distraction through activities such as video games.
The outlet also cited recent Georgetown University data showing Gen Z Catholics are more likely to attend Mass at least monthly than Millennials, Gen X, or Baby Boomers, reflecting what researchers described as a “broader shift” nationwide.