The Andrew Klavan Show Does Catholicism Make Life Too Difficult?
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Apr 8, 2026 Michael Pakaluk, philosopher and Aristotle scholar at the Catholic University of America and author of The Shock of Holiness, talks about a modest surge in Catholic conversions. He explores why people are drawn to Catholicism, the risks of rushed public conversion, the romance of daily sacrificial life, and how struggle shapes virtue and greatness.
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Small But Real Catholic Conversion Trend
- The recent uptick in Catholic conversions is real though modest, driven by people seeking the enduring institutional presence of Christianity.
- Michael Pakaluk links this to civilization's need for Christianity's continuity, singling out the Catholic Church as that stable institutional form.
Delay Public Advocacy After Conversion
- Avoid premature public prominence after converting; take time for prayer, study, and spiritual formation before becoming a public voice.
- Pakaluk cites St. Paul spending 14 years in study and says new converts often surface too quickly on social media.
Invest In Religious Education For Future Generations
- Prioritize religious education to sustain faith across generations if converts have large families.
- Pakaluk emphasizes converts will likely have many children and must be able to provide formation for those children to carry on the faith.
