Hi

I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I could find the numbers of converts to Catholocism over the past ten years or so. I tried looking on the internet but I couldn't find anything.

Thanks! Anne

-- Anne (razberrycordial@yahoo.com), December 30, 2003

Answers

Anne, every year after Easter, dioceses publish numbers of those who joined the Church...maybe you would find something on-line with the US Conference of Catholic Bishops? Or something by diocese? Good luck! Cindy Brown

-- Cindy Brown (cindybrown@gorge.net), December 30, 2003.

This article doesn't really answer your question directly, but has relevant information ...

http://www.ourholyredeemer.btinternet.co.uk/converts.htm

-- Paul M. (PaulCyp@cox.net), December 31, 2003.

I was wondering if anyone could tell me where I could find the numbers of converts to Catholocism over the past ten years or so. I tried looking on the internet but I couldn't find anything.

We don't track converts, as far as I know. The best indication would be a sample of the total number of Catholics spread over a period of time. For the US you can get such a sampling here:
http://www.adherents.com/rel_USA.html

World-wide we have grown:
1958: 484,000,000
1999: 1,100,000,000
see: http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_126.html

Compaired to Islam:
1958: 455,000,000
1999: 1,000,000,000
see: http://www.adherents.com/Na/Na_345.html

Looks like about the same growth rate.

Hope this helps

In Christ
Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), December 31, 2003.

Hi, Bill

What does Islam have to do with the orginal question of the poster in this thread? I am lost?

Thanks in advance,

-- - (David@excite.com), December 31, 2003.

Dave, Anne is interested in Islam, and I was using it as a comparison.

In Christ, Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), December 31, 2003.

This information, from the U.S. Bishops' site, is a bit old, so the yearly numbers have no doubt increased, but ...

From 1998 to 1999 Catholics worldwide increased by 16 million, according to data made public today at the presentation of the "Annuario Pontificio 2001" -- the Vatican's yearbook issued each February.

Among the data: Catholics in the world increased from 1.022 billion in 1998 to 1.038 billion in 1999, an increase of 1.6%. World population grew by 1.4% during the same time. Catholics' share of the world population remains essentially unchanged at 17.4%.

The American continent has about half the world's Catholics, while Europe has 27.3%. Africa has 12%; Asia, 10.4%; and Oceania, 0.8%.

There are 3.86 million people dedicated to the apostolate, including 2.44 million catechists. There are 4,482 bishops, 405,009 priests (of whom 265,012 are diocesan), 26,629 permanent deacons, 55,428 religious who are not priests, 809,351 professed nuns, 31,049 members of secular institutes, and 80,662 lay missionaries.

In the United States, the 2001 Official Catholic Directory reports that in 2000 there were 83,234 Adult Baptisms and 95,299 received into full communion with the Catholic Church.

Note that the last item -- on about 180,000 adult conversions -- pertains only to the U.S., and there is no way to extrapolate that to the whole world. I don't know if the "Annuario Pontificio" enumerates worldwide adult baptisms and "receptions into full communion."

-- (stat@man.org), December 31, 2003.

Forgot to say that the 16,000,000 new Catholics added between 1998 and 1999 include
(a) newly baptized children of people who were already Catholic PLUS
(b) newly baptized former non-Christian converts PLUS
(c) previously baptized former non-Catholic converts.

-- (stat@man.org), December 31, 2003.

2002 numbers are out for US Catholics. See:
Catholic Information Project

In Christ,
Bill

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45@hotmail.com), January 05, 2004.

How many Catholics are there in Europe? More importantly is Catholicism declining in Europe? Any statistics on this would be incrediby helpful.

Thanks!

-- Kris (moonsierra@aol.com), February 16, 2004.

Kris, go here and scroll down.

-- (@@@.@), February 19, 2004.