{"id":38968,"date":"2026-04-02T12:16:34","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:16:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=38968"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:16:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:16:34","slug":"gen-z-catholic-influencers-on-tiktok-and-instagram-are-making-the-church-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=38968","title":{"rendered":"Gen Z Catholic influencers on TikTok and Instagram are making the church &#8216;cool&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Jesus rose from the dead. Now, he\u2019s raising follower counts.<\/p>\n<p>A new class of hip, young Catholic content creators is making a viral splash on social media,\u00a0eagerly spreading the good news in an age of uncertainty, and making Catholicism cooler than ever \u2014\u00a0just in time for Easter.<\/p>\n<p>From poking fun at the idiosyncrasies of age-old customs (just <em>how<\/em> many times do Catholics have to kneel during Mass?) to sharing passionate takes on religious texts and teachings, these young, virtual evangelists have made it their mission to take the Church further into the 21st century \u2014 with many simultaneously urging followers to return to more \u201ctraditional\u201d values.<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s actor <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/davidhenrie\/\">David Henrie<\/a>, 36, who regularly posts about his Catholic faith for his 2.9 million Instagram followers, and chats with other big names like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bishopbarron\/\">Bishop Robert Barron<\/a> from Minnesota, who has 654K followers on Instagram himself. On TikTok, there\u2019s Gen Zer Emily Dinneny, creator of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@catholic.converts\">@catholic.converts<\/a> \u2014\u00a0a lively channel with nearly 100K followers, where she shares her journey as a converted Catholic.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Actor David Henrie posted a picture of himself and his wife, Maria Cahill, on Ash Wednesday. <span class=\"credit\">David Henrie\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Even young priests, like Instagram standout <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/father_david_michael\/\">Father David Michael Moses<\/a> (1.1 million followers), are part of the trend, posting videos with grabby titles that range from \u201cA Weekend As a Catholic Priest\u201d to \u201cThe Gospel According to Shrek.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>New Yorker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/anthonygross_\/\">Anthony Gross<\/a> is among the growing chorus of young voices, hoping to help Gen Z make sense of the world they\u2019re living in \u2014\u00a0the 22-year-old regularly posts Catholic-centric content alongside shirtless fitness vids for his 125K avid Instagram followers.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Anthony Gross, a 22-year-old digital creator, posts a mix of fitness and  Catholic-centric content.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gross said he\u2019s been sensing a craving for something more from life, among his peers \u2014 telling The Post that he\u2019s seeing an increasing number of them \u201cturning back to God.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA couple of years ago, faith had a more negative connotation \u2014 like, \u2018Young people prioritize other things, young people prioritize X,Y, Z,\u2019\u201d Gross, who was raised Catholic, told The Post. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut the pendulum has swung, and now people are turning back. It\u2019s more vocalized through the media and social media\u2026 Like, \u2018Oh, there\u2019s a lot of people doing this. This is social proof, this is acceptable. This person I really respect is going back to Mass and all their friends are, maybe I should start doing it, too,&#8217;\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gross says the \u201cpendulum has swung\u201d back toward a life of faith, and that more of his fellow young people are \u201cturning back to God.\u201d <span class=\"credit\">stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gross prides himself on practicing what he preaches in regard to both content creation and his faith \u2014 perhaps in some unorthodox ways.<\/p>\n<p>While he\u2019s been a content creator since October 2023, his account started picking up steam when he posted a series of reels ranking the top Catholic churches in the Big Apple shortly after his move to NYC this past summer. <\/p>\n<p>He attributes the burst of online notoriety to a phenomenon top-tier creator <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/01\/14\/entertainment\/mrbeast-claims-he-has-negative-money-despite-billionaire-status\/\">MrBeast<\/a> calls the \u201cpurple elephant\u201d \u2014 aka, something viewers have never seen before.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRanking Catholic churches sounds a little bit edgy \u2014 like really, you\u2019re going to rank churches?\u201d said Gross. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I think people don\u2019t associate New York City with faith. I also think my angle of Gen Z coming back to church was interesting, and that\u2019s why it caught people\u2019s attention. A lot of young people in New York are looking for a strong sense of community, and this way they could see what churches had good communities for young adults,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Gross and his friend\/fellow content creator Kate DePetro pose with Father Jonah Teller of St. Joseph\u2019s in Greenwich Village at the pre-Mass pizza social. <span class=\"credit\">stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Recently, Gross and his friend\/fellow content creator <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/katedepetro\/\">Kate DePetro<\/a> had the idea to take their faith beyond the grid. After an impromptu meetup to grab a pre-Mass slice of pizza, DePetro suggested making the casual hang a community event.<\/p>\n<p>A week later, the influencers sent out a Partiful invite, urging friends and followers to join them for a \u201cpizza social\u201d at a popular Greenwich Village pizzeria, where they would break bread before attending service at nearby St. Joseph\u2019s \u2014 with an hour to spare, so as not to break the Eucharistic fast. <\/p>\n<p>Nearly 100 young people, ages 22 to 30, showed up. Gross and DePetro now plan to host the event on a regular basis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think Gen Z feels really lost, and some of that is a lack of purpose and direction,\u201d Gross said. \u201cThe best antidotes to finding those are number one, God, and number two, connection\u2026 (Here), you\u2019re surrounded by people with similar values and who are here for the same purpose. We can connect over something we have in common, and then all go to Mass together.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>New converts are flocking to the Church at record highs. <span class=\"credit\">stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Gross\u2019 experience matches a recent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/03\/26\/us\/catholics-converts.html\">NY Times<\/a> report, which stated that new converts are flocking to the Church at highs not seen in a decade, in some cases \u2014 many of whom will be officially received as Catholics for the first time during the Easter Vigil Mass, which takes place the night before Easter Sunday on April 5.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n\t<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cIn our age of uncertainty, and in our age of great anxiety, is a thirst and hunger for God and stability that faith brings to people\u2019s lives,\u201d Archbishop Mitchell Thomas Rozanski of St. Louis, Mo., told the Gray Lady.<\/p>\n<p>Rozanski and other clergy believe that a variety of factors, like the election of Pope Leo XIV in 2025 (the first American pontiff) and a general desire for community during \u201can age of uncertainty,\u201d are bringing more people back to the faith \u2014 specifically, those in the 18 to 35 age range.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/johniscatholic\/\">John French<\/a>, a 22-year-old Catholic influencer whose Instagram account boasts 180K followers, feels this inundation of new Church members is coming from a place of seeking direction and higher guidance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese days, people are very unsure of themselves and what to trust,\u201d French told The Post. \u201cI think the Church can be an anchor to this because of the values she upholds\u2026 It offers hope to young people who would otherwise despair in a culture of fluidity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Though French, who holds a BA in theology from the University of Notre Dame Australia, harbors serious ideas about Catholic apologetics \u2014 the theological practice of explaining and defending Church doctrines \u2014 his own media content has a more light-hearted, approachable feel.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>John French, who goes by @johniscatholic on Instagram, regularly posts Catholic-centric content on the more light-hearted side. <span class=\"credit\">@johniscatholic\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Featuring text overlay with a pop art-esque font, French\u2019s recent Instagram reel topics range from \u201cThe Top Three Catholic Intrusive Thoughts\u201d (\u201cWhat if I randomly confess to murder for no reason?\u201d ranks number two) to imagining how the Catholic saints might act on a livestream today (playing St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, he proudly shows off a chicken).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI try to communicate the faith through a sense of humor, because everyone wants to have a laugh,\u201d said French. \u201cI think it\u2019s important to uphold a certain light-heartedness, so that not all Catholic content out there is focused on serious matters.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>French posted a reel in which he imagined what the saints may look like if they livestreamed today. <span class=\"credit\">@johniscatholic\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>He even likens the ethos of his content creation to that of J.R.R. Tolkien, devout Catholic and famed author of \u201cThe Hobbit\u201d and \u201cThe Lord of the Rings\u201d \u2014 though he was quick to note that those who tell him he\u2019s doing great missionary work \u201cmaybe give me too much credit.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTolkien didn\u2019t like allegory, or work that is overtly evangelizing in nature,\u201d noted French, who considers himself a content creator first, evangelist second. \u201cMy work has more of an entertainment focus, but if it\u2019s properly ordered toward the goodness, truth and beauty of God, then it will naturally draw people toward that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While <a href=\"https:\/\/www.lycoming.edu\/faculty\/heyes-michael.aspx\">Dr. Michael E. Heyes<\/a>, chair of the religion department at Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pa., told The Post he\u2019s worried that when it comes to the recent deluge of religious content creators, the bad may outweigh any good they\u2019re doing.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Dr. Michael E. Heyes, chair of the Lycoming College religion department, feels concerned that religious influencers of any creed may do more harm than good. <span class=\"credit\">stefano Giovannini for NY Post<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cMy concern is that (religious influencers) are doing the same kind of thing that normal social media does to people, which is to make them feel inadequate in some way,\u201d Heyes explained. \u201cIt might give them a depiction of life that they can\u2019t possibly live up to \u2014 a kind of carefully curated spirituality or living condition that drives a sense of inadequacy in the population.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Heyes also worries about popular religious influencers who\u2019ve introduced politics into their feeds \u2014\u00a0which could end up \u201cdriving division.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Catholic influencer and Substack author Eliza Monts, posing here with Bishop Steven J. Lopes, aims to create a sense of faith-based community with her content. <span class=\"credit\">@elizawritesthings\/Instagram<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think that combining religion and politics is necessarily always a bad thing, but I think the people who get the most clicks tend to be those whose views tick off the most people,\u201d said Heyes. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOftentimes, our motivation for consuming religious content is to revel in our sense of justifying rightness in a community we belong to\u2026 Social media generates engagement through controversy, anxiety and through a sense of building communities that exclude \u2014 not by encouraging everybody to come to the table and learn,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Monts likens her Catholic content creation to other influencers who post about their interests. <span class=\"credit\">Sofie Harangozo Artistry<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/elizawritesthings\/\">Eliza Monts<\/a>, a 27-year-old Catholic influencer and <a href=\"https:\/\/elizawritesthings.substack.com\/\">Substack<\/a> author based in Charleston, SC, with 82.6K followers on Instagram, said that she wants her content to help cultivate an inclusive, faith-based sense of community.<\/p>\n<p>Even if many of her posts take on a more serious, intellectual tone, with politics on the table for discussion, she\u2019s really online to \u201cshare what\u2019s on her heart,\u201d she said \u2014\u00a0and that she just happens to be Catholic.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople like talking about what they\u2019re interested in,\u201d Monts told The Post. \u201cSourdough accounts come from people who love making sourdough, and fashion accounts come from people who really love fashion\u2026 For some Catholics, that\u2019s just their Catholic faith.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.tiktok.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/02\/lifestyle\/gen-z-catholic-influencers-on-tiktok-and-instagram-are-making-the-church-cool\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jesus rose from the dead. Now, he\u2019s raising follower counts. A new class of hip, young Catholic content creators is making a viral splash on social&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":38969,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[43],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38968","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38968","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=38968"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38968\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/38969"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=38968"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=38968"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=38968"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}