How to keep Ash Wednesday and Easter attendees coming back

Mass attendance for Ash Wednesday and Easter are two of the highest attended Masses of the entire year, surpassed only by Christmas. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University, which documents and studies Catholic Mass attendance estimates that approximately 51% of Catholics in the United States attended Ash Wednesday in 2024 and Easter Mass (despite Ash Wednesday not being a holy day of obligation), while Sunday Mass attendance hovers around 24%.  

As a parish leader, that reality should make your eyes light up, your heart palpitate, and your mind race with engagement ideas! There are two liturgies bookending the Lenten season where you can expect to welcome twice as many people into your community. 

To be clear, the research doesn’t suggest that you need to do anything different. These people will come to you voluntarily, regardless of how you prepare to receive them. The question, then, is what will you do to welcome them and invite them into deeper engagement at your parish? How do you get Ash Wednesday and Easter guests to return, and how do you graft them into the life of your parish community?

Help every person feel known and connected

Create space for relationships to flourish beyond Sunday morning, turning fleeting faces into a deeply connected church family.

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Help them make friends. People are more likely to return if they know someone at the church. Equip your hospitality team (and your general congregation) to be warm and welcoming to newcomers and encourage them to make connections during a post-Mass fellowship opportunity (think the classic Catholic “coffee and donuts” vibe… but maybe water and crackers after Ash Wednesday, or something else. Get creative!). 

Give them a gift. Lent might not be the season of giving, but it is an opportunity your parish has to make itself memorable to visitors. Consider creating or purchasing a Lenten resource for Ash Wednesday—a devotional, a journal with your parish’s logo, or a bookmark with encouragement for the season are all simple ways you can send visitors home with something that will remind them of your parish throughout the Lenten season. You can give Easter Mass attendees a small bottle of holy water, host a post-Mass resurrection party (featuring donuts, of course!), or have an Easter photo booth available after Mass where parishioners and their families can make a memory at your parish while wearing their Sunday best!  

Give them a job or meet a need. If people find a ministry to serve in or belong to at your parish, they’ll have a reason to return. Consider making a postcard or handout available including a brief overview of existing ministries, meeting times and contact information for ministry leaders, and details on how folks can get involved.

Ensure consistent communications with the parish. Guests will evaluate your church by how you communicate with them. Make sure your website, bulletin, and mobile church app communicate consistent information in an engaging manner. Send Ash Wednesday attendees home with a list of any and all Lent and Easter related liturgies and parish activities coming up, and make it prominent on your parish’s home page. Consider placing tap cards or QR codes in your pews to give visitors instant access to your website, app, giving page, etc. 

Spend less time on tech and more time with people

Streamline your administration and eliminate digital barriers so your team can focus on what matters most—building a community where everyone is known.

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Follow up with guests in multiple ways. Let people know that you’re glad they came, and they will want to return. Be sure to invite visitors to fill out a newcomer form so that you can document their information and follow up with them intentionally. Pushpay customers can build forms that will automatically build ChMS people profiles, creating a seamless process for your team to capture information and make connections with newcomers. 

Make things simple. If you want visitors to participate in your church, you’ll need fast, simple, and immediate ways to get involved. Guests have little patience with involvement that seems complicated and confusing. Consider making things like the readings or song lyrics more available and accessible, prepare your hospitality team to help late arrivals easily find a seat, and be sure to make bathrooms and baby changing areas easy to locate!

Equip your regular attendees to be the church to visitors. One of your most effective yet underused strategies for connecting with your visitors and getting them involved in the church is your lay people. Make sure your most involved parishioners are on the same page for how to welcome and involve newcomers, and invite them into the life of your community.

Ash Wednesday and Easter Masses are more than just liturgical highlights—they are opportunities to invite visitors into a closer walk with Jesus within your parish community. With attendance more than double than that of a typical Sunday, these Masses should challenge you to think creatively about hospitality, engagement, and connection. By preparing thoughtfully and equipping your community to welcome others warmly, your parish can transform these high-attendance days into lasting relationships, deepened faith, and a stronger, more vibrant parish life.