Pew’s new research on US Catholics shows ‘invasive’ action needed to fill church pews

Michie · Mar 8, 2025

The Pew Research Center released a new survey on religion in the United States last week, the first such major study since 2014. While it revealed that the precipitous decline in the Catholic share of the US population experienced in the early 2000s through to the early 2010s has more or less levelled off, the overall picture still wasn’t good for the Catholic Church.

According to the Pew report, only 19 per cent of Americans self-identify as Catholic. That’s down from 24 percent in 2007. That 19 per cent includes anyone one who listed “Catholic” as their religion in the survey, meaning it counts not only people who go to Mass at least semi-regularly but also those who haven’t darkened the door of a church in years or even decades.

It has taken roughly three generations to reach this point – a good while in secular terms, but a rapid decline for an institution that thinks in centuries. So it is fair and even necessary to acknowledge how the Catholic Church has seen a massive decline in the United States since the Vatican Council II ended in 1965.

In 1965, there were an estimated 60,000 Catholic priests serving a Catholic population of 45.6 million Catholics. By 2022, the number of priests had dropped to around 35,000 serving a Catholic population of roughly 72 million.

So beyond that levelling off of the “precipitous decline”, there’s really no other way to spin the numbers from the latest Pew report in an encouraging light.

Continued below.

Pew’s new research on US Catholics shows ‘invasive’ action needed to fill church pews - Catholic Herald

The Pew Research Center released a new survey on religion in the United States last week, the first such major study since 2014. While it revealed that the precipitous decline in the Catholic share of the US population experienced in the early 2000s through to the early 2010s has more or less...

thecatholicherald.com

RileyG · Mar 8, 2025

Lord, increase your Church :prayer:

fide · Mar 9, 2025

Michie said:
The Pew Research Center released a new survey on religion in the United States last week, the first such major study since 2014. While it revealed that the precipitous decline in the Catholic share of the US population experienced in the early 2000s through to the early 2010s has more or less levelled off, the overall picture still wasn’t good for the Catholic Church.

According to the Pew report, only 19 per cent of Americans self-identify as Catholic. That’s down from 24 percent in 2007. That 19 per cent includes anyone one who listed “Catholic” as their religion in the survey, meaning it counts not only people who go to Mass at least semi-regularly but also those who haven’t darkened the door of a church in years or even decades.

It has taken roughly three generations to reach this point – a good while in secular terms, but a rapid decline for an institution that thinks in centuries. So it is fair and even necessary to acknowledge how the Catholic Church has seen a massive decline in the United States since the Vatican Council II ended in 1965.

In 1965, there were an estimated 60,000 Catholic priests serving a Catholic population of 45.6 million Catholics. By 2022, the number of priests had dropped to around 35,000 serving a Catholic population of roughly 72 million.

So beyond that levelling off of the “precipitous decline”, there’s really no other way to spin the numbers from the latest Pew report in an encouraging light.

Continued below.

Pew’s new research on US Catholics shows ‘invasive’ action needed to fill church pews - Catholic Herald

The Pew Research Center released a new survey on religion in the United States last week, the first such major study since 2014. While it revealed that the precipitous decline in the Catholic share of the US population experienced in the early 2000s through to the early 2010s has more or less...

thecatholicherald.com

"Encouragement " in this decline cannot be found in the numbers: God does not need the strengths and successes of men. The logic of men cannot save; He does not need many. Jesus chose only 12, and one was a traitor. God told Gideon he had "too many" soldiers, when he had thousands: he needed to send most of them home before he could attack and have victory over his enemy. He needed to reduce his army to only 300 men in order to have victory over the enemy who had many thousands. Gideon obeyed, and was victorious. (Judges chapter 7).

Judges 7:2 The LORD said to Gideon: You have too many soldiers with you for me to deliver Midian into their power, lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, “My own power saved me.”
3 So announce in the hearing of the soldiers, “If anyone is afraid or fearful, let him leave!c Let him depart from Mount Gilead!”* Twenty-two thousand of the soldiers left, but ten thousand remained.
4 The LORD said to Gideon: There are still too many soldiers. Lead them down to the water and I will test them for you there. If I tell you that a certain man is to go with you, he must go with you. But no one is to go if I tell you he must not.
5 * When Gideon led the soldiers down to the water, the LORD said to him: Everyone who laps up the water as a dog does with its tongue you shall set aside by himself; and everyone who kneels down to drink raising his hand to his mouth you shall set aside by himself.
6 Those who lapped up the water with their tongues numbered three hundred, but all the rest of the soldiers knelt down to drink the water.
7 The LORD said to Gideon: By means of the three hundred who lapped up the water I will save you and deliver Midian into your power. So let all the other soldiers go home.

Gideon obeyed; the enemy was defeated.

Mere numbers make men confident for the wrong reasons. God wants men victorious with the right and righteous Truth: obedience to God.

We have too many "Catholics", with too much money, holding too much property, with too many clergy - too many priests, deacons, bishops, monsigniors, archbishops and cardinals. We don't need more of what would appear to be success in the eyes of the world; the Church needs what pleases God who is True and whose Word is Truth, whose Life is eternal. We need men and women who are obedient to His Truth, living His perfect Love with one another, witnesses to the One Lord Jesus Christ whatever the cost. Such Catholics for now would be few, but the final harvest would be - will be - overwhelming.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

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Pew’s new research on US Catholics shows ‘invasive’ action needed to fill church pews

Michie

Well-Known Member