It was early in what would have been a sleepy Saturday morning and the campus of Donovan Catholic High School in Toms River was teeming with life. 

This was obviously no ordinary Saturday. It was March 19, the threshold of Holy Week, and a day set aside for the Diocese of Trenton’s first large-scale gathering for the Year of Mercy.  And the turn-out was nothing short of historic.

An estimated 1,400 men, women and children came from all corners of the Diocese’s four counties to take part in the multicultural day of prayer, Eucharistic adoration, spiritual talks and joyful song. They came to gather around their Bishop, spend time in fellowship and receive the plenary indulgence offered to all those eligible in this special Jubilee year. 

Not exactly what one might expect from a Church that is often characterized as waning, diminishing and becoming irrelevant.

To be sure, there are many reputable surveys that point to the drop-off in Mass attendance and the number of practicing Catholics overall. These trends are understandably a source of concern for Church leaders and point to areas that require immediate attention and effort. The data identify challenges that should inspire a renewed sense of mission and a passionate commitment to live the faith and witness to our beliefs.  Indeed, in many dioceses, including this one, there is an earnest effort to use the awareness that these trends provide as a guidepost in the work that will strengthen the Church.

But just as real as these trends are the signs of new life that can be seen all around us. The unparalleled level of participation in the March 19 celebration was the result, in large part, of the enthusiastic response by the Spanish-speaking community to the invitation. The Hispanic Catholic community is growing throughout the Church, including here in the Diocese. Spanish-language Masses in parish churches are consistently filled to capacity and the engagement in parish life overall exceeds what many of us have come to expect in mainstream communities.

Hispanic Catholics are inspiring their non-Hispanic brothers and sisters with their wholehearted embrace and lively celebration of the faith. Their Catholicity is part of their culture, and they hunger for the holiness that comes from drawing closer to Christ.

It is clear, however, that the desire for a deeper spirituality does not begin and end with the Hispanic Catholic community. Take, for instance, the gathering that took place just a few weeks earlier – the Catholic Men for Jesus Christ conference held Feb. 27 in St. Mary Parish, Middletown. This event consistently brings out hundreds of men, often with their teenaged sons, for a day centered on their faith. This year’s attendance of 700 was typical and there is a true sense that interest in this faith movement is growing.

In fact, encouraging signs of life abound. This week, hundreds of men, women and children will become fully initiated members of the Catholic Church, receiving the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist for the first time at the Easter Vigil. Our newest Catholic brothers and sisters are added to the thousands across the U.S. who enter the Church at this time. 

Other demographic trends point to growth as well. The Vatican’s yearbook for 2016 reports that the number of baptized Catholics worldwide has grown at a faster rate than that of the world’s population. The statistics reveal that the number of baptized Catholics reached 1.27 billion, or 17.8 percent, of the global population, representing an increase from past years.

There are also hopeful signs with the ranks of men who are pursuing the priesthood. Many seminaries in the United States are reporting growth in enrollment, including the Pontifical North American College in Rome, whose numbers have now reached 240 seminarians from the United States.

This may be a Church in transition, calling upon the leaders and the faithful to make changes and embrace new ideas. But there is no question that it is a Church on the rise – building, transforming and, ultimately, we pray, thriving.