In recent years it has generally been considered that the United States is set firmly on a path to secularisation. Yet the data available, and the way in which religious communities have developed, depict a more complex scenario. Far from a homogeneous decline in faith, the country is experiencing an internal realignment of religious devotion where, rather than emphasising numerical growth, the onus is on strengthening its identi- ty. This report suggests that part of this process is due to the fact that tradition has become a major factor in ensuring that religion continues to thrive.

According to general statistics, in recent decades, there has been a sustained decline in identifying as a Chris- tian in the United States. However, Catholicism shows a differential scenario, remaining stable at around 20% of the adult population, and this within the context of a marked decline in numerous Protestant denomina- tions. Furthermore, at the present date, almost one in every two US adults states that they have a personal or family connection with Catholicism, which indicates a cultural and social presence way beyond its strictly demographic weight. Faith is in fashion.

Alongside this quantitative trend, there have been significant qualitative transformations. Although there has not been a notable rise in the number of baptisms, there has however been a gradual recovery of organised religious practice. Following the huge drop in attendance at Mass, due to the pandemic, there has been an ongoing recovery, particularly in parishes with a clear liturgical identity. At the same time, other components of the life in faith –such as confession or participation in parish life– have experienced a sustained growth, which points to an interior consolidation rather than a superficial rise.

The data compiled throughout this report has shown some significant phenomena:

• A modest yet continuing recovery of Sunday worship concentrated in communities that favoured liturgical tradition as opposed to stagnation or decline of parishes with a relativist approach.Clear signs of vocational strength in specific dioceses, where the number of seminarians and ordinations broadly exceeds the national average, confirming a direct correlation between doctrinal identity, liturgical life and a wealth of vocations.
• The growth of lay movements and university activities, particularly among the young, in a context in which sociological studies have shown that younger generations are attracted, not by ambiguous religious attitudes but rather by firm and consistent communities.
• The decisive role of Hispanic immigration, which has contributed both to maintaining the demographic heft of Catholicism and to renewing its community fabric. The United States Church has thus become a younger, more familiar and participatory Church, in sharp contrast to the religious ageing of other western contexts.
• The growing presence of Catholics in the public sphere, from the Supreme Court to Congress and the federal administration. In fact, according to recent data, approximately 87% of members of Congress declare themselves as Christians, which helps to keep the public arena familiar with religion.The main conclusion is clear: the United States is not witnessing the end of faith but instead is observing its redistribution. The apparent religious decline in actual fact conceals a change of direction, in which tradition is no longer seen as a burden but rather a source of renewal. In short, the North American experience con- firms that in a country that appeared to be set on an irrevocable path to complete secularisation, tradition has become the driving force of a religious renaissance that, rather than growing upwards has turned inward, believing that only by discovering how to establish one’s roots is it possible to be raised up again.

This report is the result of the training placement of our student from the 5th cohort of the University Diploma in Leadership and Civic Engagement, Pablo Mariñoso, at the most prestigious conservative think tank in the United States, The Heritage Foundation.