The Irish standard., 1917-03-10
Catholic Directory
Shows an Increase
Continued from page ~

(COnLlnueQ from page ~
page of the 1917 issue.
According to the Centenary Edition |
of "The Official Catholic Directory"
there are 17,O22,879 Catholics in the
United States (not including our Is-
land possessions). With sixty-four
Archdiocese and Dioceses reporting
increases, four showing decreases, thir-
ty-three Archdiocese and Dioceses
making no change in the population
figure the increase in the number of
Catholics during the year 1916 is
shown to be 45S,770 1t must be re.
membered in this connection, how.
ever, that the great Archdiocese such
as New York, Chicago and Boston do
not take new census each year.
According to Joseph H. Meier the
Directory compiler, the figure 1902.
$40 is very conservative including, as
it does, only the figures submitted by
the Chancery Officials Taking into
consideration the floating" Catholic
population and the fact that some i'm.
portant Archdiocese and Dioceses take
up census only at intervals of ten
years, Mr.. Meier feels that he is safe
in saying that the Catholic population
of the United States is at present near
| ly 100000.
There are, under the United States
flag, including our Island possessions,
25,436, 1856 Catholics divided as follows:
Continental United States 17,O22,S79;
foreign possessions of the United
States S,413,257.
The Centenary Edition bristles with
facts and figures showing the progress
of the Catholic church. According to
the 1917 volume there are fourteen
Archbishops, ninety-six Bishops and
1888 Catholic clergymen in continent
al U. S. OF these 1888 clergymen
1862 are Secular Priests and 1881
are Priests of Religious Orders Com
pairing the 1917 and 1916 editions it is
seen, therefore, that the number of
Catholic clergymen has increased by
All. The Directory further shows that
there are $500 Catholic parishes in
this country of which 1O,19O have resi-
dent clergymen, $3.50 being mission
parishes, that is, the churches being
supplied from neighboring parish. It
is seen from these figures that 357 new
parishes were organized last year.
Other figures taken from the 1917
publication show that there are 1O2
Seminaries in the States with 6,S9S
young men studying for the priest
hood; PIG Colleges for boys; 676 AGA
denies for girls; 293 Orphan Asylums;
LOG Homes for the Aged as we'll as
5,6S7 Parochial schools with an en-
rollment of 1,537,644 children.
Further delving into the new edition
reveals the fact that there are twenty
seven states in the Union having a
Catholic population of 100000 or over
The state of New Jersey has been gain
ing steadily in recent years and during
1916 passed Michigan in the list of
banner" states. New Jersey is now
comfortably located in sixth place,
: Michigan being seventh. Wisconsin
has passed from ninth to eighth place
overcoming the lead formerly held by
Louisiana. and Missouri, also, takes a
step forward going into tenth place and
! crowding California into the eleventh
row.
, A table showing the position of the
, twenty-seven states having Catholic
, population of over 100000 has been
specially prepared for the Catholic
: Press and is herewith appended:
New York, 2,962,971; 2-Pennsyl-
vania, 1,S65,OOO 3-Illinois, 1,4S2,5S7;
Massachusetts, 1,406,913; 5-Ohio,
S32,S94; 6-New Jersey, $4,000; z
: Michigan, 631, 900; 8-Wisconsin, 58e.-
, S57; 9-Louisiana, $4,000; 1O--Mis-
: souri,, 531 900; 11-Californ;a, 524, 1888;
: 12-Connecticut, 5OS,49S; 13-N1inne-
sofa, 47S,335; 14-Texas, 411,790; Is
, Maryland Incl. Dist. of COLI, 27S,000:
16-Rhode Island, 275,000;. 17-Iowa,
263,431; 1S-Indiana, 255.255; 49,
: Kentucky, 1866; 2O-New Mexico
150,573; 21-New Hampshire, 134,009;
22-Maine, 1852; 23-Kansas, 49,.
1923; 24-Nebraska, 115,433; 25-Colo.
RADIO, 110,9S7; 26-North Dakota, 104..
81; 27-Montana, 101 200.
!, Order for Hearing Final Account and
Petition for Distribution.