www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News 2005 stats for the world's Eastern Rite Catholics

http://www.cnewa.org/source-images/Roberson-eastcath-statistics/eastcatholic-stat05.pdf

Most interesting.

Pavel,

These stats are wholly inadequate as we've discussed before but they do show a downward trend in America. I think I know why our stats in the Byzantine Church are down from 1990 to 2000 in America. Note how they rose sharply in Europe during that period. Most of the American Byzantines went back to Europe.

It's a joke. It's a joke.

CDL

Dan, Christ is Risen!

A reverse migration, interesting theory :rolleyes: .

In the Risen Christ,
Father Anthony+

Gluttons for punishment hey

I was interested in the figures for Slovakia, Czech Rep. and Podkarpatska. Still plenty happening there I think they made the wrong diocese the metropolitan one based on the populations.

Pavel,

you realize that your post is going to rile up the party faithful and the cries of 'bogus numbers' are coming on this thread because of what is shown in the charts for the Byzantine Church of America:


Overall 268,161(1990) 99,381 (2005) -62.939801%

Pitts 143,784(1990) 60,100 (2005) -58.201190%

Parma 22,202(1990) 12,401 (2005) -44.14467%

Passaic 85,050(1990) 24,031(2005) -71.744856%

Van Nuys 7,125(1990) 2,849(2005) -83.365036%

Let's see, how would we get more people in our churches? Answer: Live births and evangelization.

Live Births:
Even with the advances in science, older people aren't reproducing too much. And by the look of our congregations, there's a lot of grey hair. Guess what, we haven't been and aren't growing in this area. The stat I would like to see is funerals vs. baptisms. Gee, I wonder why we never see that stat? Another important stat would be a breakdown of the age demographics. What percentage of our 99,381 (which is now called the correct number, that is until 15 years from now when another dramatic drop will cause this to be called an inflated number) is 55+.

Evangelization? yeah right, like that's going on.

Without these two ingedients, does anyone expect the next 15 years to be rosy? Doesn't dramatic action have to take place to at least stop the bleeding? Bogus numbers or no bogus numbers, it just doesn't look too promising does it?

Even the party faithful and those trying to get a good seat at the next clergy meeting have to wonder how in the world did we get to the point where we have below 100,000 members in the U.S.

mc

Michael,

I'm not sure who the party faithful are supposed to be but many of us have posted many times about this subject because we realize that we are dying and have no plan to stop the death. There are ways of growing as you have pointed out. But it is probably not going to happen until the handful of healthy Churches go on and grow and the remainder just simply die out.

CDL

Michael Cerularius:

Care to share with us how you evangelize?

Anyone can certainly bemoan the graying of our Churches, but it the disciple of Christ who is bold enough to evangelize the lost. The disciple need look no further than his own sphere of influence.

Christ is Risen!

While looking at all the stats for all the different Eastern Catholic Churches in the USA, a few have held steady or have grown. Two examples are the Romanians who have held basically steady, and the Melkites who have actually grown. Do you think what they are doing needs to be looked at more closely?

In the Risen Christ,
Father Anthony+

Is it possible that some of the figures for the BCCs that are down might reflect the creation of new Eparchies along the way. Just thought I would make some feel good while I have my morning coffee.

If there is a Major Archdiocese created it definately needs to be in the 'old country' and not in America. They have the numbers.

Here in Australia we do head counts a few times a year in Church over all masses acrss the country. We have the census figures provided by the Commonwealth Government but need to know how many actually attend Church. The figures here vary and one Archbishop is still sitting on the figures for his Archdiocese which makes some feel it might be lower than the last average of 20%.

Thats the one number that really matters not births and funerals. People get baptised only to turn up again to get married and to be buried with the odd special occasion in between. Attendance rates are a very important demographic in order to do anything in a parish or Eparchy. Planning is impossible without this figure.
Now to second coffee :p

This is a touchy subject. As a convert to EO-dox I came back to the Traditional Church for several reasons. For one, the fact that I felt 'burned' by the fickleness of the 'self-governed' Prots, after attending them for amost 30 yrs was a big factor. The Antiochians are most evangelical in the EO realm, by observation the Jesuits in the Latin rite. Growing up in Pennsylvania, I only learned that my Mother's lineage came from the GC area of Poland later in life.
But, she and Dad moved to a Presbyterian/Lutheran area in Pa, and I had no training in the EO/Byz Rite of my forebears...more's the pity.!!! Several EO/Byz Rite people that I have met, have lost even their children to the 'do-it-yourself" Prot groups working the ways in this area.
We could commisurate till the cows come home, but this is not profitable. S Bohom, mikhail

Evangelize, Evangelize, Evangelize!!! Need we say more?
Stephanos I

Perhaps enough of us don't want the church to survive?

Pavel,

Amen! (To both your point and the coffee.) The Church is made up of living stones...so what happens when the living stones don't show up and become virtual "Roamin' Catholics"?

I will only say that Jesus started with twelve. A firery grace comes to those who show up in the Upper Room.

Is there any tracking of attendance at the Eparchy levels?

Gordo

I'm not so sure that it is a conscious decision. I think it is that some think it is better to spend the remaining years in the comfort of the familiar...

I love it when the older folks become evangelists, though! There is no stopping their enthusiasm!

Gordo

It all goes back to vision.