7 Facts about U.S. Catholics

Gnarwhal

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Fr. Nix shared this Pew Research article on Twitter. Some disappointing and sobering data in there, hopefully we can all resolve to turn these things around and begin a new awakening here!

The Catholic Church is larger than any other single religious institution in the United States, with over 17,000 parishes that serve a large and diverse population. In spite of its size and influence, the church in recent decades has faced a number of significant challenges, from a decline in membership to a shortage of priests to continuing revelations that some Catholic clergy sexually abused minors and (in many cases) that their superiors covered up these actions.​

7 facts about U.S. Catholics
 

chevyontheriver

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Fr. Nix shared this Pew Research article on Twitter. Some disappointing and sobering data in there, hopefully we can all resolve to turn these things around and begin a new awakening here!

The Catholic Church is larger than any other single religious institution in the United States, with over 17,000 parishes that serve a large and diverse population. In spite of its size and influence, the church in recent decades has faced a number of significant challenges, from a decline in membership to a shortage of priests to continuing revelations that some Catholic clergy sexually abused minors and (in many cases) that their superiors covered up these actions.​

7 facts about U.S. Catholics
Some of those facts are quite neutral, like geographic diversity.

But the one about converts, losing 6.5 for every one gained, that's serious. We still get the more theologically trained, the serious prayer warriors, and those with multiple years of faithfulness to the Lord. And we lose our young adults in droves.

And the one about pope Francis, losing popularity in a big way, is nothing but bad news. We need a pope we can get behind in troubled times. And pope Francis does not have the confidence of lots of us. He has our prayers, and he needs more prayers.

Lastly the one about how many Catholics want a change of beliefs, is disheartening. Even a substantial portion of those who regularly practice their faith seem to have marriage all wrong. After such a long period of failure in catechesis we have lost many and many of those we have retained have misunderstood tragically what Catholic teaching is all about.
 
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zippy2006

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But the one about converts, losing 6.5 for every one gained, that's serious. We still get the more theologically trained, the serious prayer warriors, and those with multiple years of faithfulness to the Lord. And we lose our young adults in droves.

Catholics lose 6.5 for every convert, Christians lose 4.6 for every convert, and "unaffiliated" gain 4.2 converts for every loss. That's where the water flows: to the non-Christian religions but especially to the nones. (source)

PR_15.05.12_RLS_chapter2-00.png
 
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Halbhh

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Catholics lose 6.5 for every convert, Christians lose 4.6 for every convert, and "unaffiliated" gain 4.2 converts for every loss. That's where the water flows: to the non-Christian religions but especially to the nones. (source)

PR_15.05.12_RLS_chapter2-00.png
That's an interesting graphic. A few years back I read through such a Pew summary, and the "Unaffiliated" includes a diverse set of subgroups, including on the one hand non-believers, but also including a subgroup of believers that did not want to be labeled under any denominational label.

Those that did not want to be a denominational label. They did not want to be called "Protestant", etc. Just "Christian".

I'm still that way myself, and very strongly a believer and faithful, and comfortable enough in my mainstream church, which I've attended very consistently, but I'm unwilling to label myself with it's denominational title. I'm not "____", but instead I'm Christian, see. That's a common attitude of many.
 
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Gnarwhal

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And the one about pope Francis, losing popularity in a big way, is nothing but bad news. We need a pope we can get behind in troubled times. And pope Francis does not have the confidence of lots of us. He has our prayers, and he needs more prayers.

Indeed he doesn't. I hope the next pope is a unifying figure in a specific way. I don't think any orthodox Catholics are interested in a pope who's a unifying figure in the world. In fact quite the opposite, I'd love a pope who says what 'Pius XIII' said in The Young Pope, "I have no idea what to do with the friendship of the whole wide world! What I want is absolute love and total devotion to God." A pope who unifies the Church liturgically, theologically, practically, and morally. The Church isn't a democracy, and I pray for a pope who slams the door shut on controversy and locks it with the keys Christ gave Saint Peter.

Lastly the one about how many Catholics want a change of beliefs, is disheartening. Even a substantial portion of those who regularly practice their faith seem to have marriage all wrong. After such a long period of failure in catechesis we have lost many and many of those we have retained have misunderstood tragically what Catholic teaching is all about.

It is disheartening, and angering if I'm honest. I'd rather have a smaller but uncompromising Church than one as big as it is but full of apostates, heretics, and schismatics. Pray for them to be sure, but they should never steer the Church. "Better to have a few that are reliable than have a great many that are distractable and indifferent. The public squares have been jam packed, but the hearts have been emptied of God."

I think we need to re-evaluate how and what is taught. Perhaps we make use of the Baltimore Catechism more mainstream again in our Catholic schools, and we screen prospective teachers in those schools much more discriminately.

Adult catechism should be taught with zeal, with force using the timeless and approved materials like the Catechism of the Council of Trent. Not some Susan who may be more likely to quote Fr. James Martin and America Magazine in discussion than she is from the catechism.
 
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chevyontheriver

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I think we need to re-evaluate how and what is taught. Perhaps we make use of the Baltimore Catechism more mainstream again in our Catholic schools, and we screen prospective teachers in those schools much more discriminately.

Adult catechism should be taught with zeal, with force using the timeless and approved materials like the Catechism of the Council of Trent. Not some Susan who may be more likely to quote Fr. James Martin and America Magazine in discussion than she is from the catechism.
The CCC is actually really good. It's just that very few have read it. Very few. I'm all for some Baltimore Catechism and for some Catechism of the Council of Trent as well. And John Hardon's catechism too. He was one of the last of the great Jesuits before the tailspin demise of their society.
 
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zippy2006

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That's an interesting graphic. A few years back I read through such a Pew summary, and the "Unaffiliated" includes a diverse set of subgroups, including on the one hand non-believers, but also including a subgroup of believers that did not want to be labeled under any denominational label.

Interesting. In this study, though, there is a designation for "Other Christian" and "Other faiths," so it seems that unaffiliated does not include "non-denominational" believers.
 
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