Some interesting Catholic-specific statistics from CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, at Georgetown University illustrates the impact of fading Catholic influence in the United States. In addition, it calls us to a greater need for a “new and improved” mode of communicating the eternal-life saving messages of the Church.

• Since 1970, Catholic weddings in the U.S. have dropped by 69%, going from 426,309 in 1970 to 98,354 in 2020. At a recent wedding anniversary Mass at Hartford’s St. Joseph Cathedral, which used to be full at this event, it was only half filled. And the total number of years represented by the married couples normally equalled 10,000 – this past weekend it only added up to 3,000 years;
• Belief in Spiritual Entities (God, angels, heaven, hell and the devil), are also in decline. The most recent survey, May 2023, found that since 2001 the levels of belief in the following are: God, 90 to 74 percent; angels, 79 to 69 percent; heaven, 83 to 67 percent; hell, 71 to 59 percent; and, the devil, 68 to 58 percent;
• Some “good news,” when a Catholic child is raised by two Catholic parents nearly 81% of the children identified as Catholic. However, when one parent was Protestant and one was Catholic, only 38 percent of the children identified as Catholic;
• In 1965 there were 58,632 total priests in the U.S., both Diocesan and Religious, in 2022 the total number of Catholic priests is 34,344 Total Catholic population in 1965 was 45.6 million, in 2020 the number increased to 66.5 million; that’s 193,629 Catholics per priest;
• Total number of Catholic parishes in 1965 was 17,637, and in 2022 it is 16,429
• Worldwide Catholic population by role: Bishops (5,340); Priests (407,872); Permanent deacons (49,176); Religious brothers (49,774); Religious sisters (608,958); and, Catechists (2,877,652).
• Current total Catholic global population: 1,375,852,000

The above statistics point to the many—and sad—outcomes in our culture and American society today. Perhaps this is something we, as a Church, should also be praying for the healing of the divisions in marriages, the strengthen of families, and the hope of the excellence of love; a love that unites and bonds us as one—and One with Him who is, was and shall ever be. “What a wonderful world it would be…