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	Survey Finds Rhode Island Has Become a Little Less Catholic By Richard C. Dujardin Providence Journal March 11, 2009 http://www.projo.com/news/content/RI_CATHOLICS_DIMINISHING_03-11-09_56DK6D4_v13.3787ef2.html A recent nationwide survey suggests that the nation's most heavily Catholic state is not as Catholic as it used to be. The study, the third in a series known as the American Religious Identification Survey, indicates there has been a steep decline in the percentage of Rhode Islanders who identify themselves as Catholic, down from 62 percent in 1990 to 46 percent in 2008. Those numbers conflict with the those of the Diocese of Providence, which even today acknowledges only a slight decline in the percentage of Catholics, from about 62 percent to 59 percent over the last decade. But the results — which point to a stunning decline in the number of Catholics in New England — do appear to be in line with a separate study by the Association of Statisticians of American Religious Bodies. That study, which drew on reports from parishes and data on baptisms and funerals, said there were 91,000 fewer self-identified Catholics in Rhode Island than the diocese had reported and that the percentage of Catholics here had dropped to 52 percent in 2002. Though some diocesan officials reacted to the new survey numbers with skepticism, many consider the study, conducted by Professors Barry Kosmin and Ariela Keysar, of Trinity College in Connecticut, to be the most accurate portrait of American contemporary religion because it is based on 54,461 interviews with adults nationwide, with a margin of error of less than one-half of 1 percentage point The survey shows that while Rhode Island is still the most Catholic state, edging out New Jersey by 4 percentage points, it no longer commands the allegiance of the majority of the state's citizens. The study indicates a steep nationwide decline in the number of people claiming to belong to one of the mainline Protestant denominations, such as Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, Presbyterian and United Church of Christ., from 18.7 percent of the population to 12.9 percent. Rhode Island's mainline Protestant churches have increased slightly, from 26 percent to 28 percent, according to the study. Other non-Christian religions including Jews and Muslims did not do as well, declining from 3 percent to 2 percent combined. The survey shows a startling increase in the percentage of Rhode Islanders who claim allegiance to no religion, moving from 6 percent in 1990 to 19 percent in 2008. Kosmin, who conducted the two previous surveys, in 1990 and 2001, said the study shows that there has been a dramatic shift of the Catholic population in the United States away from the Northeast to the Southwest — particularly from New England, where the number of Catholics dropped by more than 1 million. While 29 states saw a decline in the number of Catholics, the overall percentage of Catholics nationwide has held steady at about 25 percent. Among the big gainers were California, which saw its percentage grow from 29 percent to 37 percent; Texas, which went from 23 percent to 32 percent; and Florida, from 23 percent to 27 percent. There are various theories about the plummeting numbers in New England, from the fallout of the sexual abuse scandal by priests that may have caused some Catholics to question their faith, to younger Catholics leaving the state to search for better jobs. The Rev. Marcel Taillon, pastor of St. Thomas More Church in Narragansett, said he finds it hard to believe the survey results, given that his own parish and other parishes in South County continue to see large crowds. He said he thinks the reluctance of many Spanish-speaking immigrants, some of whom may be illegal, to respond to questions over the phone may have distorted the results and may have made it seem there are not as many Catholics as there really are. "That is not to say there isn't a lot of secularization going on," Father Taillon said. "No question, this is a challenging time for religion. People have forgotten how to pray. The grace in this current economic downturn is that people are reassessing their lives and coming back to the church, not only for financial assistance, but consolation." The Rev. Maurice Brindamour, pastor of Our Lady Queen of Martyrs Church, in Woonsocket, however, said his sense is that there has been a decrease in the number of people practicing their faith, even if they are registered on the rolls. "The number has not been going up. But if you asked me how many parishioners I have now compared to when I arrived six years ago, I'd be guessing." Generally, diocesan officials have put the percentage of Catholics who attend weekly Mass at 25 percent to 33 percent. Anthony Gwiazdowski, executive director of the Catholic Charity Fund Appeal, said contributions to the fund have gone up since 1990 but there is no question that the number of individual contributors has gone down, but leveled off in the last three or four years. Contact: rdujardi@projo.com
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