[Hermann the Cherusker]

Secondly: are they counting all the illegal aliens from Central & South America who are overwhelmingly Catholic? In NYC the number of legal US citizens who are church going Catholics is frighteningly small, compared with the vast numbers of the illegals from south of the border

Just 37% of Hispanics are registered Catholics (thus, about 14 million of them, or about 20% of all Catholics). Your perceptions are not congruent with reality.

Without registration, no baptisms or Church weddings or first communions or funerals, so the number is pretty accurate.

The number of registered Catholics in parishes in Hispanic neighborhoods in major cities bears out this assesment.

[thor76]

Your perceptions are not congruent with reality.
Oh really? Well, as any mass-goer in the NYC area can tell you, I am quite correct. The white catholic is a vanishing species - either he moved to the "burbs", or is staying home! Very few modernist priests actually care or bother to check if the applicant for baptism, marriage, funerals, etc. are actually registered parishioners. All the care about is the stipend! The Hispanics are the majority of pew sitters here. Now, perhaps you are quite correct that even though they come from "Catholic" countries, there are a lot of Hispanics who are not practicing Catholics here in the USA.
Perhaps one should consider the reality that many illegal aliens will not officially "register" with a local parish - or anything else - because they don't want to be deported!!!
I can think of quite a few parishes where the English masses (3 of them) get perhaps 100 people a piece, and the Spanish mass gets 300. We also have many parishes where the total Sunday mass attendance is 1500 or better, and virtually all of those are a) Hispanic, and b) most are illegal aliens.
If I were an illegal alien - working off the books for cash, why would I register with the parish for an annual tax deduction statement of my contributions........when I don't pay taxes in the first place???

[dangus]

Thanks for the stats on Hispanics. It confirms my observations: that a small portion of Hispanics are practicing Catholics. That said, I do think there are strong regional variations.

[dangus]

Thanks for the stats on Hispanics. It confirms my observations: that a small portion of Hispanics are practicing Catholics. That said, I do think there are strong regional variations.