More than 40 parishes report increase in attendance at or near pre-COVID levels
Mass attendance in the Archdiocese of St. Louis has increased by more than 2% in 2022 over the previous year, according to a report from the archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning.
Mass attendance counts were conducted over three weekends in October at 178 parishes and worship sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
Other results from the Mass attendance counts in October 2022 included:
• 22.3% of registered Catholics were in attendance on the three weekends that Mass counts took place in October.
• 78% of parishes experienced an increase in Mass attendance this year.
• 41 parishes, primarily small and/or rural parishes, reported Mass attendance returning to or near pre-COVID levels.
For the past 12 years, the Archdiocese of St. Louis has conducted Mass attendance counts in October at parishes and worship sites. This year’s parish participation was the highest ever, according to the Office of Pastoral Planning.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted Mass attendance. In 2020, Mass counts included in-person attendance and online livestream views. More Catholics in the archdiocese worshipped live and online that year than worshipped in person in 2019.
In 2021, Mass counts also included in-person attendance and livestream views. However, the number of online worshippers declined significantly, as many parishes stopped offering livestreamed Masses, or parishioners began to opt out because of online fatigue. In-person Mass attendance increased significantly in 2021, making up more than half the loss experienced in 2020.
In 2022, the Office of Pastoral Planning discontinued counting livestream views as part of the Mass attendance counts.
To read the full report, visit https://stlreview.com/3ijLe9l
