www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News 2004 Statistics

So, if the numbers are clearly inaccurate, what do they really mean?

Thanks for the concern, Dan. I was and still am quite calm.

Fr Deacon Lance,

My guess is that the Archeparchy filed the survey for the Annuario Pontifico in the early summer of 2003 before any of you were ordained to the diaconate. Van Nuys reflects 3 deacons (there are currently 8, one of whom is a seminarian), which was accurate in early summer.

Stats are very hard to read given that the method of census taking relies upon the accuracy of the parish. One would think that the numbers would reflect registered members, (which it probably does) but I wonder how many parishes update registration when someone moves, stops attending, or dies?

In the case of the Eparchy of Van Nuys the census was overstated. When Bishop George instituted the annual "Bishop's Appeal" during his first year as eparch, then the parishes provided a more accurate census. Parish contributions to the eparchy were based upon the number of households the parishes reported to the eparchy, so the parish had to report accurate numbers, lest it be "responsible" for a contribution that would be grossly inflated. Thus you see a "loss" of the number of faithful in the Eparchy of Van Nuys from 1990 to 1995. Bishop George took a courageous step in the early years of his episcopacy that would be followed throughout the Metropolia.

What actually caught my eye were the stats for the Maronites in South America. The Eparchy of Nossa Senhora do Libano em Sao Paulo reports a census of 468,000 among 8 parishes served by 10 priests. The Eparchy of San Charbel en Buenos Aires, Argentina reports a census of 700,000 among four parishes served by 20 priests. I wonder if the Eparchy of San Charbel has considered establishing more parishes. ISTM that an average of 5 priests per parish is a luxury.

Slava Isusu Christu!

Thinking about the 2004 Statistics data and other comments, I started wondering if the OCA also has data regarding the membership, based upon the dioceses?

I think it would be interesting to compare the data and see if some pattern could be gleaned from the information.

Michael (a sinner)

Michael, I am hoping to not see that OCA gains exactly mirror our losses!

If memory serves, I recall that the OCA is actually losing members nationwide as well. Missions via "merger" with non-canonical groups are added, then some of them disappear a few years later, while older churches' memberships remain somewhat static- at least that's what I see happening out west in Arizona. What is less noticed, but maybe more significant, is that as the population out west increases, the eastern faithful overall does not seem to increase proportionally. Locally, GOA seems to do well, but there appears to be less growth by others, except perhaps the Chaldeans. The Ruthenians fare better than the OCA here. Rhetorically, who can really rely on the numbers? Mark Twain had something to say along those lines, but I won't go there.