BY DCN. KEN BENNETT, OFFICE OF WORSHIP

The annual September Mass count report is complete, and the trend is positive. Despite continued COVID-19 disruption and December 2021 tornado impact, Mass attendance is trending upward. The percentage of registered parishioners throughout the diocese who attended Mass in September was 44.6 percent.

The percent of parishioners attending Mass in September 2022 represents a 5.3 percent increase from the same period in 2021. This year’s percentage represents a healthy 15.88 percent increase over first-year pandemic numbers of 2020.

In comparison to pre-pandemic numbers, the year’s 2019 and 2018 Mass attendance were 51.59 and 51.51 percent, respectively. Coming off the pandemic, the Diocese of Owensboro is within 7 percent of our pre-pandemic Mass attendance numbers.

This positive upward trend indicates that, despite continuing struggles with COVID-19 and natural disasters, the Catholics of western Kentucky are returning to our parishes. Likewise, this upward trend points to the devotion western Kentucky Catholics have for the Mass, the Eucharist, the Word of God, and the community found in our parishes.

This upward trend gives us reason to celebrate and reason to be thankful. We continue to pray as the faithful return to our parishes. We especially ask Our Lady, St. Stephen, and all our patron saints throughout the diocese to intercede on our behalf.

Click the image below to view the Mass counts full-size.

Dcn. Ken Bennett is the co-coordinator for the Office of Worship. Questions and comments may be sent to [email protected].

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Originally printed in the November 2022 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.