Archbishop of Sydney sees ‘second spring’ of Catholic faith

Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP told the Sydney Catholic Business Network that signs of a revival in Australia were “a genuine hunger for spiritual meaning in an increasingly fragmented world”.

The archbishop said at the May 30 event that he had noticed encouraging trends, especially among young people and those previously disconnected from the faith. There has been a 26 per cent year-on-year increase in adult converts for five consecutive years in Sydney. 

“These aren’t just people raised Catholic who are returning, but individuals from diverse backgrounds who are encountering the faith for the first time and finding something deeply compelling,” Archbishop Fisher said.

Catholic education and lay movements are also thriving: “Our Catholic school enrolments are the highest they’ve ever been, and keep growing,” he said. Surveys “found a significant rise in the overall religiosity of our students in the Catholic schools”. 

Other positive indicators include strong seminary enrolment and a revival in parish life.  

“The numbers at Sunday and feast day Masses just keep growing. Soon, I might have to get a bigger cathedral,” the archbishop said. “In the past month, we’ve ordained a bishop, two deacons, and tomorrow, a priest, and he will be the 36th since 2015.” 

When asked what’s driving this revival, which is happening in other countries as well, Archbishop Fisher said “a simple answer would be the Holy Spirit”.

But he added that “for some, it was COVID that thrust the big questions about life and death before them”. Others are “wowed by the beauty and sacredness of the liturgy, art or music”, while still others “crave real community”.

The archbishop concluded: “It might be too early to declare winter now past, but flowers have appeared in our land. There are signs of hope.” 

As Catholic author and philosopher G.K. Chesterton famously said, and Archbishop Fisher quoted: “Christianity has died many times and risen again, for it had a God who knew the way out of the grave.” 

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Archbishop Fisher declares Spring of Faith in Sydney (By Darren Ally/The Catholic Weekly)