Catholic church pews are filling up again, with Sunday Mass attendance bouncing back to pre-pandemic levels, according to a new study.

Mass attendance stabilized after COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, according to Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). Data from CARA’s national surveys, along with Google Trends searches, confirmed the shift.

Virtual Mass kept participation steady during the pandemic, but in-person worship is now back to normal, with 24% of Catholics attending weekly — up from 15% during lockdowns.

Christmas, Easter and Ash Wednesday continue to draw the largest congregations, with Ash Wednesday taking the top spots as one of the most attended, despite not holding designation as a holy day of obligation.

Mark Gray, CARA’s director of polls, told OSV News that Lent — especially Ash Wednesday — offers a glimpse into the future of Catholic engagement and an opportunity for the church to connect with the next generation.

“[Ash Wednesday] is not a holy day of obligation, but it’s the third-highest attendance of Mass historically, according to the data,” Mr. Gray said. “And it also has probably the highest participation of young adult Catholics.”

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• Emma Ayers can be reached at eayers@washingtontimes.com.