(NewsNation) — On Ash Wednesday, Christian Americans will join in a tradition of penance, asking for forgiveness of sins.
Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, a 40-day period of fasting and prayer. Parishioners are marked with an ash cross on their foreheads.
However, some Americans may have to travel across their hometowns to attend church services Wednesday as neighborhood parishes are being absorbed due to an increasing disinterest in religion.
Of the 62 million Catholics in the U.S., many are quietly witnessing their services and parishes shrink.
Too few people are attending mass services throughout the year, only attending services on big holidays like Christmas and Easter. The Catholic church has seen a dramatic loss in the number of faithful attending mass, causing diocese downsizing to happen.
Cities including Chicago, St. Louis and Seattle are all seeing the consolidation take place. In St. Louis, several Sunday masses are ending at area churches. In Seattle, 136 parishes are being consolidated into only 60. Some of the churches will close completely.
In recent years, Pew Research shows the highest-attended church service of any denomination for 18- to 29-year-olds is Latin mass. It may signal a new interest in faith for this generation.
It’s part of the human experience to seek meaning. Some call it spirituality, while others are crying out for God.
But are Americans more interested in spirituality than religion?
Most polls show Americans are increasingly uninterested in religion, but that’s only part of the picture.
The Survey Center on American Life says a higher number of Generation Z are affiliated with a religion than millennials or even baby boomers.
Generation Z, colloquially known as zoomers, are attending mass more often.
According to a 2024 poll by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, teens and young adults say they are more open to the freedom of religion but are wary of organized religion, like church.
It may explain, in part, why a show led by a very devout Catholic superstar is growing in popularity.
Jonathan Roumie, whose portrayal of Jesus in The Chosen, has landed him an audience with the pope — twice. Some have claimed Roumie is making being Catholic “cool again.”
“My prayer is always that God uses me to let people see him, and I try to get out of the way through my portrayal. Use me, Lord, in the way that you want to have people see you and experience you,” Roumie said.
Americans of all ages are discovering The Chosen, with viewership doubling over the last year to 200 million. On social media, it has gained over 12 million followers.