07/15/2026
In yet another sign of revitalization in the Catholic Church both locally and nationally, the diocese saw a seven percent increase in Confirmations this year.
According to statistics presented by the Diocesan Office of Divine Worship, 8,745 people from 89 different parishes received the Sacrament of Confirmation, up from 8,166 people the previous year.
The diocesan numbers reflect a national trend of more adults being confirmed into the Catholic faith this year. About 38 percent of those confirmed in the diocese were of adult age, which significantly exceeds the national average of about 10-15 percent.
“I couldn’t ignore the call any longer,” says Montclair resident Viviana Santos of her journey to the Church as an adult convert. She was confirmed at St. Paul the Apostle parish at the Easter Vigil this year. “I felt like a brand-new person, in a way. You can feel the Holy Spirit coming down upon you and you have complete peace.”
St. Christopher parish in Moreno Valley confirmed 323 people this year, the most of any parish in the diocese. The parish added the option of multiple weekly online classes and used the same curriculum for those in its adult confirmation and Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA) programs, said Luz Mocete, OCIA and Adult Confirmation Coordinator at St. Christopher.
“We’ve had less drops because of the flexibility,” said Mocete. “It’s always good to know that you’re helping more and more people.”
Similarly, Holy Family parish in Hesperia introduced an online option in its adult confirmation program. As a result, nearly half of the 225 people confirmed there this year were adults.
“We have a lot of truck drivers, doctors, teachers, parents who have joint custody, those who can’t come weekly,” says Yolanda Serrato, Director of Religious Education at Holy Family. “So, it’s just being open and inviting and willing to work with people in their circumstances.”
Indeed, “meeting people where they are” was cited repeatedly by parish catechetical leaders as a reason for the increased confirmation numbers when they met for an end of the year debriefing at the Diocesan Pastoral Center on June 16. Many parishes are also structuring their youth confirmation, OCIA and adult formation programs together so that families can come to the parish together.
At St. Martha parish, which confirmed 225 people this year, youth confirmation students and their parents attend monthly Ignite sessions together and then supplement their learning through weekly bible study and youth ministry gatherings. The Murrieta faith community saw the second largest increase in confirmations among parishes in the diocese with 45 more than last year.
“We’re almost running out of space as of right now. It’s a good problem to have,” says Julia Toole, Coordinator of Confirmation and Youth and Young Adult Ministry at St. Martha’s. “We understand that we’re not always promised to see the fruits of our ministry, so this is really rewarding to see.”
In April, the diocese reported a 54 percent increase in the number of adults coming into the Church at Easter, mirroring a national trend and prompting several different explanations for the uptick in those wishing to join the Catholic Church. The popularity of Pope Leo XIV, the first American-born pontiff, who continues to voice the Church’s advocacy for the life and dignity of every human person in a world marred by war, poverty and inhumane immigration policies, was offered as one contributing factor.
“The Pope has made himself strong,” observes Jocelyn Cortez Ramirez, Coordinator of First Holy Communion at St. John XXIII parish in Fontana. “He has been a beacon that we stand for humanity.”
Others say that the authenticity and eternal truths of the Catholic Church hold increasing appeal for people, particularly youth and young adults, as a spiritual anchor in uncertain times.
“They’re running to the Sacraments. They can’t get enough,” reports Toole. “We are hearing from Confirmation students who come back and say, ‘I was one way, and now I’m another way,’ ”
Santos was raised in a Protestant family but married a Catholic man. As they searched for a Church that they could attend together she says she became attracted to her husband’s faith.
“The more I dug into apologetics and everything I found myself really pulled toward the Catholic Church – all the tradition and truth that she offers,” Santos said.
St. Francis de Sales parish in Riverside saw the biggest increase in Confirmations this year, more than doubling its total from last year. Father Alvaro Palacios Arregui, I.M.C., administrator of the parish, credits his committed catechists, and some extra efforts of the clergy to engage with Confirmation students on topics like reconciliation and witness for human life and dignity. But above all, he says, it is the work of the Holy Spirit.
“They want to commit to something more important than what they are seeing in the world,” Fr. Arregui says. “They have come back to Jesus.”