The number of Catholics attending weekend Mass rose again last year, reaching pre-pandemic levels.
The annual Mass count, conducted last October, showed that more registered Catholics (30.6%) are attending Mass now than in 2019 (29.3%), and 42 of 76 parishes and missions surpassed their 2019 average attendance.
Overall, average weekend Mass attendance in 2025 — including non-registered individuals — numbered 132,536, 174 people fewer than 2019’s average of 132,710.
Over the course of 2025, parishes saw an increase of 6%, or 7,372, among Massgoers compared to 2024.
An increase in the number of weekend Masses contributed to the rise in attendance. In 2024, parishes offered a total of 402 Masses, including Spanish and Latin, as compared to 412 in 2025.
Among 47 parishes, 32 utilized more than 50% of their seating capacity.
Campus ministries also saw a boost of 24% among weekend Massgoers, from 668 in 2024 to 827 in 2025.
Several parishes that observed remarkable growth were the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington and St. Katharine Drexel Mission in Haymarket.
St. Katharine Drexel, whose mission church was dedicated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge in October 2024, saw significant growth in its pews as Catholics flock westward.
Father Christopher D. Murphy, pastor of St. Stephen the Martyr Church in Middleburg and St. Katharine Drexel, said that the appointment of Father Edouard B. Guilloux, parochial vicar, allowed the parish and mission to host another weekend Mass, and a Friday noon Mass has welcomed an abundance of Massgoers, including families.
“They’re just so grateful,” he said of his flock. “We have a simple church, but I haven’t heard one complaint.”
He attributed the growth partially to a growing acceptance of religion in the area. “It’s not like it once was,” he said. “People are looking for tradition.”
At the cathedral, weekend attendance bounced back after the 2024 renovations. During the renovations, “size constraints played a significant role,” in the decrease, according to Father Patrick L. Posey, rector. During the renovations, parishioners attended Mass in the cathedral’s Burke Hall. “This was expected as we had seen similar results with previous renovations.”
But after the reopening of the cathedral in September 2024, people flocked to the pews. The cathedral parish community also worked to strengthen many of its popular parish ministries and events, including its young adult and youth ministries and pancake breakfasts and Lenten suppers.
“Having the renovation coincide with the 50th anniversary of our diocese generated an excitement, an enthusiasm, to return home to the ‘Mother Church,’ ” Father Posey said. “It was not only parishioners who returned but also numbers of visitors, and new registrations have increased. Curiosity brought new people initially into the door; the beauty of the renovations impressed the eye, but it was (and is) our community that touches the soul.”
