Why is NJ seeing a surprising surge in Catholic converts this Easter 2026? {Catholic caucus}

Five years ago, Nazlican Soylemez had little connection to religious life. A random discovery in her Jersey City neighborhood changed everything. An avid reader and aspiring nurse, Soylemez, 31, was perusing a "Little Free Library" kiosk near her home when she spied a tiny paperback titled "Jesus Lives." The pages of that Christian devotional book would carry her on a journey toward Catholicism. Soylemez is among 1,700 people in the Newark Archdiocese scheduled to complete her conversion to Catholicism this Easter weekend. She and other spiritual newcomers will be confirmed and receive the Eucharist inside the ornate sanctuary of Holy...