Black Catholic Census: By the Numbers

By Ana Rodriguez Soto - The Archdiocese of Miami

Following are some of the key results of the 2008-2009 Black Catholics Survey Report.



The questionnaire asked people who self-identified as black Catholics � African-American, black African, black Hispanic, black West Indian or black � to list their place of origin and describe their own and their family�s sacramental history as well as pattern of Mass attendance.

The census findings will be made available to all pastors and directors of religious education in the archdiocese. Among those findings:

� Black Catholics born in Caribbean countries account for the largest number of Catholics in the survey, with those born in Haiti accounting for 41 percent of the black Catholics registered in the archdiocese.

� Black Catholics born in African and Asian countries are heavily concentrated in Broward County. Nigerians are the most active African-born Catholics in the archdiocese in terms of attendance at Mass and volunteerism.

� Panama has the highest number of self-described black Hispanic Catholics (24 percent), followed by Costa Rica (16 percent), Brazil (12 percent), Honduras (10 percent) and Peru (9 percent).

� The average black Catholic in the archdiocese often travels more than 30 miles to attend Sunday Mass at a specific church where they feel comfortable. �Many stated that at particular churches they did not feel welcome; they felt like an intruder,� according to the census report.

� Masses in churches frequented by black Catholics normally last 15-20 minutes longer than those in other parishes and are followed by some form of socializing among parish families.

� Black Catholics tend to live much longer in the homes of their children and grandchildren; relatively few are in nursing homes. Even elderly black Catholics with major disabilities attend Mass at least twice a month.

� Among middle age and senior black Catholics, the most popular response to �number of years Catholic� was �all my life.� Those born in the U.S. (76 percent), Haiti (71 percent) and Nigeria (70 percent) have the highest rate of adults who are Catholic since birth. The average in all other countries was 32 percent.

� Divorce rates are highest among black Catholics born in Haiti (35 percent) and the U.S. (13 percent).

� Black Catholics had one of the highest rates of married heads of households (nearly 45 percent) compared to general population trends in the archdiocese.

� Rates of home ownership were highest among black Catholics born in the U.S. (63 percent) followed by those born in Panama (39 percent), Haiti (37 percent) and Nigeria (35 percent).

� About 39 percent of black Catholics are active in music ministry, followed by 26 percent who serve as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion and 10 percent who teach religious education.

� Those who answered the survey question about what they need from the Church � 68 percent did not � listed the following: more involvement and communication in Church issues 36 percent; more continuing Catholic spiritual educational activities such as Bible study and advanced catechism, 23 percent; greater participation in parish decision-making, 19 percent; more accountability in parish financial matters, 12 percent.

Click here to download pdf file with complete Black Census 2009

To read more about the Black Catholic census click here.