Special to The Message
According to The Catholic World Report, the Diocese of Evansville recently ranked 15th among the most fruitful dioceses in the United States when analyzing seminarians, weddings, infant baptisms and non-infant receptions into the Church.
J.J. Ziegler, a reporter for The Catholic World Report, analyzed data published in the 2024 edition of “The Official Catholic Directory,” which chronicled statistics for the preceding year. Ziegler compiled data into a table that includes the ranking of each of the nation’s 175 territorial Latin-rite dioceses based on the following four categories: the ratio of seminarians, weddings, infant baptisms, and non-infant receptions to Catholics. Ziegler reported that the four categories were weighted equally in determining the ranking of overall diocesan fruitfulness.
According to Ziegler’s analysis, the Diocese of Evansville ranks ninth in the U.S. for diocesan seminarians, with one seminarian for every 4,149 Catholics; the diocese ranks 16th for weddings, with one wedding per 269 Catholics; 29th for infant baptisms, with one for every 78 Catholics; and 61st for non-infant reception, with one per 296 Catholics.
Bishop Joseph M. Siegel noted that this ranking reflects the vitality of the Church in Southwest Indiana.
“We are blessed to have a faith-filled Catholic community with engaged lay faithful, hardworking priests and deacons, and dedicated lay leaders and staff at the parish and diocesan levels,” Bishop Siegel said. “As a Diocese, we remain focused on fostering missionary disciples in our parishes by inviting them to more deeply Encounter Christ, to Deepen their relationship with Him and the Church, and then to actively Engage others in Becoming One with Christ.”
According to the data analyzed by Ziegler, the median Latin-rite diocese in the United States has one infant baptism per year for every 113 Catholics, one non-infant reception into the Church per year for every 413 Catholics, one wedding per year for every 453 Catholics, and one diocesan seminarian for every 14,473 Catholics, according to data published in the 2024 edition of “The Official Catholic Directory.”
For more information on America’s most fruitful dioceses, according to Ziegler’s analysis, visit: https://bit.ly/4q6cSUU.