Study finds US Catholic parishes growing larger, more complex

A new nationwide study of Catholic parish life has found that U.S. parishes continue to get bigger, more complex and more diverse. It reinforces earlier studies on the growth of lay ecclesial ministries and confirms that parish life is increasingly multicultural.

In just the past 10 years the average number of registered parishioners per parish has grown 45 percent, from 2,260 in 2000 to 3,277 in 2010, said the study, titled “The Changing Face of U.S. Catholic Parishes.”

Half of U.S. parishes celebrate four or more Masses each weekend, the study found, while 28 percent celebrate five or more. The average number of weekend Masses per parish has increased from 3.5 in 2000 to 3.8 in 2010. The number of diocesan priests celebrating these Masses has declined by 11 percent in the past decade.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, in collaboration with five national Catholic organizations, conducted the research as one phase of a larger long-term project begun in 1992, “Emerging Models of Parish Leadership.” The Lilly Endowment has been funding the study as part of its program to enhance ministerial effectiveness in the Catholic church and other Christian churches.

CARA is an independent Catholic research organization based at Georgetown University in Washington.

The study said the significant increase in the size of the average Catholic parish was due to a combination of U.S. Catholic population growth and the closing or consolidation of many parishes, especially smaller ones. [more]

SOURCE

National Catholic Reporter