RSS
News


Home Page > News > New study illustrates the drop-off of Irish in the U.S. Catholic Church

New study illustrates the drop-off of Irish in the U.S. Catholic Church

Study shows Latino population have strong faith

By
CATHY HAYES,
IrishCentral.com Staff Writer
Published Friday, February 4, 2011, 8:13 AM
Updated Friday, February 4, 2011, 8:13 AM

print this article Print
email this articleE-mail
comment on article 7 Comments
 

Study shows Irish numbers are declining for mass attendance
Study shows Irish numbers are declining for mass attendance


The author of “American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us” has said that 60% of Catholic Mass goers under 30 in the United States are Latinos.

David Campbell said, “It’s an interesting story because having diverse ethnic groups within the Catholic Church — that’s nothing new. The Catholics have welcomed immigrants from around the world for generations. What’s new is that it used to be the Poles, the Lithuanians, the Italians and the Irish.”

Campbell spoke to “Catholic San Francisco” about the phenomenon, and said the number of Latinos entering U.S. Catholic life was “sudden” and “dramatic.” He said it highlights the shifting of the U.S. religious landscape.

He continued, “Of those Catholics under 30 who were at Mass last weekend -- pick any weekend -- but last weekend, 60% of them were Latino. Sixty percent. And that group is only going to grow.”
 

​
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail


7 Comments

See all comments

eiriamach | Feb 08, 2011, 04:35 PM EST
OK, Thereserita, I've clicked through 3 "Walk for Life" web sites and seen photos that show seas of white Anglo faces on lots of people carrying anti-choice signs. Where'd you say your group's diversity is?

Report abuse

eiriamach | Feb 08, 2011, 12:35 PM EST
Thereserita, I live in the USA, and I see the rapidly emptying Catholic churches here. I have listened to middle-aged men tell me that the Vatican's threat to excommunicate women who seek ordination or anyone who seeks a sacrament from any of the hundred-or-so ordained women priests was, for them, the "last straw," as they sadly bid farewell to the churches they had associated with all of their lives. I have had many Hispanic women students, and I sympathize with their struggles to achieve self-esteem while remaining faithful Catholics. I have also seen both men and women of Hispanic culture achieve moral autonomy as they use the critical thinking skills they acquire with American education. Most of all, I continue to read in the news (and in IC comments by a few) the pope and bishops speaking to women in words that are insulting and not Christlike. When I hear such words, I am morally compelled to respond to reaffirm the dignity of women. Why aren't you? Are you so inured to abuse of women and children by churchmen, your conscience so deadened by the news of cover-ups, that you fail even to notice the sexism, really? It's good of you to welcome newcomers to your church, but you'll need to become inclusive to keep them with you. Considering the way you snarl at "hippy verb[i]age" and those whose ideas differ from your own, I suspect you are far from inclusive now. It's not a question of "how tyrannized *I* am," but a question of how wrong, how harmful to all human nature, tyranny is.

Report abuse

thereserita | Feb 06, 2011, 11:45 AM EST
It seems odd to me that the previous comboxers here are apparently experts on the Catholic Church in the USA and yet none of them live here. Since I do, I'd like to politely disagree. Most American Catholics love their Church, their priests and above all, Jesus present in the Eucharist. Because all of us have been "acculturated", we are generally happy to welcome anyone who wants to worship with us. This is evident by looking around any routine Sunday Mass. While there are those who no doubt feel "tyrannized by the Vatican", I have to LOL at that worn-out old-hippy verbage because most young people don't feel that way at all. Again, don't take my word for it: Look at the online photos of March & Walk for Life a couple of weeks ago etc. May I suggest that you stop worshiping at the Altar of How-Wronged-and-Tyrannized-I-Am and move on??

Report abuse

eiriamach | Feb 05, 2011, 08:13 AM EST
No, that group is not "going to grow." The current surge of RC Latinos will last less than one generation. As soon as their children are educated, they will be gone from the church too. As acculturated Americans, few of them will tolerate tyranny by the Vatican or Bishops over contraceptive use, political elections, continued exclusion of women and gays, or even the sordid English of the new missals. Tension between church "authority" and democratic practices is clear to anyone in a high school civics course. It's worth the time to revisit R.B. Kaiser's August talk in Castlebar: "Those bishops [who began to reverse the reforms of Vatican II] were John Paul II--bishops, more Roman than Catholic. They did what John Paul told them to do: they silenced independent voices in the Church, tried to make women who felt they had priestly vocations into heretics, and used the threat of excommunication to intimidate Americans in political life. "And they drove people out of the Church. Some 80 percent of American Catholics do not go to Mass much any more. I understand the numbers are pretty close to that in Ireland, where almost all of your young people and many of your women of all ages say they have 'left the Church.'” Kaiser gave suggestions for "fixing" the church. Of course, he was selling his book, but in order to write it, he did research and came to understand the depths of the corruption in church structure. It's a humorous speech with a serious point, and you can find it with Google: "Catholic Church Reform: No More Thrones," Robert Blair Kaiser keynote address at the Humbert Summer School, Castlebar Co. Mayo, August 19, 2010.

Report abuse

mlawless | Feb 04, 2011, 06:55 PM EST
muy bien!

Report abuse

cinish30 | Feb 04, 2011, 03:41 PM EST
Does this really surprise anyone? Look at the headlines! I for one am amoung the many that have stopped going to my Catholic church. It's sad really!

Report abuse

Derrylass627 | Feb 04, 2011, 12:14 PM EST
Unfortunately many, many people have been turned off by the deceit and cover-up of the Catholic church regarding pedophiles. It's hard not to paint the clergy with one brush and many resent giving money when it's probably going to pay off the victims of clerical sex crimes. Very sad state of affairs!

Report abuse

 


IrishCentral logo
"Like" IrishCentral
IrishCentral Mobile QR code


Connect to IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or Sign-Up directly

Already Registered? Sign-In!

Welcome to IrishCentral!
Please provide the following information in order to create your account

Username:
E-Mail Address:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy


Already Registered? Sign-In!
Forgot my password

Welcome to IrishCentral!
All we need is the following information and you will be part of the #1 Irish community in the US

E-Mail Address:
First select a unique username:
Username:
Now choose a password:
Password:
Confirm Password:
I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Thank you!

Just one more step and you will be part of the largest Irish community in America! Tell us a little more about you to start enjoying all the features of IrishCentral.

Additional Information:

First Name:
Last Name:
Date of Birth:
Zip:
Gender: Male  Female 
Country:
Degree of Irishness:
Household Income:
Level of Education:

Subscribe to our newsletters:

The Best of IrishCentral - Daily Newsletter
Special Offers from our sponsors

or
Skip

You can edit your information at any time, just go to "my account" when you're logged in.

Log into IrishCentral with your Facebook account

or sign-in directly

E-Mail:
Password:
 Remember me Forgot my password
Not a member? Register Now!
submit to reddit
print this article Print
email this articleE-mail