When asked “what being Catholic means to them?” the most common answer among United States Catholics was “having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”
This question was one among many in a Pew Research Center study conducted this February given to a representative sampling of Americans. What stood out in this study, published this month, is just how many people in the United States are connected to Catholicism and what exactly that means to them.
The study reported that 1 in 5 Americans are Catholic, a designation which the study defines as saying they are Catholic when asked. Another 9% consider themselves not religiously Catholic, but culturally Catholic. This can mean a myriad of things, including that they have ethnic or family ties to Catholicism. Another 9% identify as formerly Catholic, raised in the faith but no longer practicing. An additional 9% don’t fall into the above categories, but are connected to the faith through a Catholic parent, spouse, or other relationship and have attended Mass at some point.
That’s 47% of Americans who have a connection to the Catholic faith.
This study was conducted before Pope Francis’ death. Given that Pope Leo was born in the United States, it is to be expected that these figures are already somewhat changed.
Essentials
The Study considered what Catholics consider "essential" to their faith.
American Catholics were given 14 elements of Catholicism and asked which ones they considered essential. Across the entire demographic, the top five were:
- Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ
- Devotion to the Virgin Mary
- Working to help the poor and needy
- Receiving the Eucharist
- Getting married in the Church
Other options included the leadership of the pope, being part of an unbroken tradition going back to the apostles, opposing abortion, taking care of the environment, being part of a Catholic parish, caring for immigrants, celebrating feast days or festivals that are part of your national heritage or ethnic heritage, opposing the death penalty, and going on pilgrimages.
In every one of those categories, regular Mass attendees (attending at least once per week) were more likely to say that these beliefs are essential. Pew Research Center shares,
Roughly three-in-ten Catholics say they attend Mass weekly. Compared with Catholics who go less frequently, they are more likely to express support for the church’s teachings on a variety of issues, more involved in their parishes, and more likely to say they participate in a variety of distinctively Catholic practices, such as praying the rosary or practicing devotions to Mary or the saints.
So, spending more time with Jesus in the Eucharist during Mass seems to lead to a greater embrace of the pillars of faith, starting with a relationship with the Lord, a love for his Mother and a heart for serving others.
And with so many others (“former” Catholics, “cultural Catholics”, and people who have been to Mass) connected to the faith in some way, that’s almost half of Americans who are being exposed to the heart of the Catholic faith.
