Don’t Talk to the Divider!
1st Sunday of Lent (A); February 22, 2026 Gn 2:7-9, 3:1-7. Ps 51. Rom 5:12-19. Mt 4:1-11 Deacon Jim McFadden Each year, the Gospel of the 1st Sunday of Lent presents us with the narrative of Jesus in the…
Category: FYI/Trends
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Catholic Trends-Winter 2012
Catholics Show Changes in Attitudes and Behaviors—Core Beliefs Remain. We’re becoming a younger Church in America, which reflect changes in attitudes and behaviors, according to a study conducted by the National Catholic Reporter. Adult Catholics who were of the pre-Vatican II generation (born 1940 or before) constitute 10% of the Catholic population. The Vatican II…
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“Latinos Transforming U.S. Catholic Church”
A new book, Latino Catholicism: Transformation in America’s Largest Church, focuses on the impact that Latinos are having on the Catholic Church in the United States. The book’s author is Timothy Matovina, professor of theology and executive director of the Institute for Latino Studies at the University of Notre Dame. The books introduction frames the…
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75% of Americans Say They Are Christians
The Gallup Organization came to that determination following their poll covering 2011. 52% of Americans identified themselves as Protestant/Other Christian and 23% identified as Catholic. Other affiliations included Mormon (1.9%), Jewish (1.6), and Muslim (0.5%). One of the fastest growing group is those who identify themselves as non-affiliated/atheist/agnostic (15%). According to the study, 92% of…
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Most Catholics Favor Increasing Minimum Wage
A strong majority of Americans favor raising the minimum wage from the present $7.25 to $10.00 an hour, according to the Public Research Institute’s 2011 American Values Study. The largest religious group favoring the increase were black Protestants (87%) followed by Catholics (73%). — “Research Note: Overwhelming Support for Increasing the Minimum Wage,” released November…
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Why Young Adults Stop Attending Church
It’s no news-alert that young adults, who once were regular churchgoers, have stopped attending–a trend that typically begins in their teen years. Consequently, the religious group that is having the most expansion is labeled “Non-affiliated.” The percentage of young adult Catholics who regularly practice their faith hovers around 25%. Since young people are our future,…
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Student Loans Derailing Dreams of Religious Life
While the precipitous decline in vocations to religious life seems to have bottomed out, student loans, a serious and growing problem in our society (a $ One trillion debt, which exceeds credit-card debt), may be seriously impeding future vocations. Many who are inquiring about religious life find that their negative wealth prevents them from pursuing…
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Just Over Half of U.S. Adults Married… Catholic Church Weddings Down
“Barely half of all adults in the United States–a record low–are currently married, and the median age at first marriage has never been higher for brides (26.5 years) and grooms (28.7),” according to a recent analysis of U.S. Census data by the Pew Research Center. Compared to 72% of Americans aged 18 and older who…
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Church is good for women’s health.
According to a recent report in the Journal of Religion and Health, “Measures of religiosity are linked to health outcomes, possibly mediating effects of associated psychological and social factors.” The researchers examined data from more than 90,000 postmenopausal participants of the Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study who answered questions on religious attendance, psychological characteristics, and…
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Black Catholics More Engaged
According to a survey commissioned by the National Black Catholic Congress (NBCC), African American Catholics experience their religion more deeply than either their white Catholic or black Protestant counterparts. Some of the findings include the following: * 48% of African American Catholics said they attend Mass at least weekly, compared to 30% of white Catholics…
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The CARA Report: Catholic Trends
Dear Folks, Below are some gleanings from the recent CARA Report (Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate; Georgetown University).Peace and good will, Deacon Jim “ Catholic Trends-(February) (The following are gleaned from The CARA Report (Winter ’12)) What’s Important to American Catholics? Several core aspects of Catholicism are considered “very important”…
homilies
Ash Wednesday: A Time for pruning
Jl 2:12-18. Ps 51. 2 Cor 5:20-6:2. Mt 6:1-6, 16-18 Deacon Jim McFadden People of God, we come once again, to that great season of Lent, which is a great opportunity to prune away falseness, superficiality, and indifference to…
Respect a Person’s Dignity!
6th Sunday of Ordinary Time (A); February 15, 2026 Sir 15:15-20. Ps 119. 1 Cor 2:6-10. Mt 5:17-37 Deacon Jim McFadden It can begin with the smallest gesture: an interested glance across a classroom, the brushing of a hand,…
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