Catholics holding on!

More religious statistics are out showing what most Catholics are experiencing. Because of demographic shifts, some areas of Catholicism are experiencing tremendous growth, but overall, we are losing ground as a percentage of the U.S. population. We're holding on for dear life! We've gone from 26% to 25% of the population. We have so much evangelization to do! We are losing the most Catholics in the northeast and among the young. At the St. Lawrence Center, our Masses are mostly full, but there is room for more. Our Mass numbers are up for this academic year. We certainly see an increase as well, however, in the number of apathetic/agnostic students. It is still true that more students regress in their Catholic faith during the college years than grow in the practice of their faith. St. Lawrence has done a lot this year to continue to be more present on campus and to invite, invite, invite. We are fighting against a trend across the United States that shows the number of Americans who are completely free of religious affiliation has grown from 8% to 15%. If these trends continue for the next 15 years, you will be just as likely to meet someone who is not religious at all as you are to meet a fellow Catholic.