CATHOLICS IN AMERICA- SURVEY

 

Some interesting new surveys from the Pew Research Center regarding Catholics in the USA, including priests. 

Twenty % of Americans identify as Catholic (a stable number since 2014), which is roughly 52 million people, 24% of U.S. adults. 57% are white, 33% Hispanic, 4% Asian, and 2% Black. Catholics tend to be older than Americans overall, but Hispanic Catholics are younger. 

These numbers may look great, but only 3 in 10 (28%) say they attend Mass weekly or more often, yet 52% say religion is very important in their life. Where is devotion to the Eucharist in this picture?

 About a third have a bachelor’s degree. 28% have some college experience but not a bachelor’s degree, and 40% have a high school education or less, a distribution similar to that of the general adult population.

 About 6 in 10 U.S. Catholics say abortion should be legal, in contrast to the Church’s teaching.  This includes 39% who say it should be legal in most cases and 22% who say it should be legal in all cases. Catholic Democrats, who number 78%, say abortion should be legal in most or all cases, while 43% of Catholic Republicans say this. 

One wonders what being Catholic means.

On a brighter side, the typical ordinand regularly took part in Eucharistic adoration (77%) and prayed the Rosary (71%) before entering seminary, according to a survey conducted for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate.  392 of the 475 men slated to be ordained to the priesthood in the United States were questioned.  

The typical member of the priestly ordination class of 2023 is a 34-year-old cradle Catholic, according to a survey.  43% attended a Catholic elementary school, 32% a Catholic high school or college.13% were home schooled, typically for eight years. 82% of the time, both parents were Catholic.

60% had earned their undergraduate degree before entering seminary, and 15% had earned a graduate degree. Unlike days gone-by, men do not enter seminary as young as in past:3% entered seminary in high school, 35% in college, 52% at a pre-theology level, and 10% at a theology level.

And who influenced these young men? 63% were encouraged by a parish priest to consider a vocation; 41% were encouraged by a parishioner, 41% by a friend, 32% by their mother, and 23% by their father. So while the family is definitely important for a stable influence and prayer life, outsiders had a greater % of influence. A large % took part in some Catholic outside activity, such as youth group, campus ministry, Knights of Columbas.

38% of the men attended seminaries in the Midwest, 28% in the South, 17% in the Northeast, 12% in the West, and 5% abroad.