U.S. Catholics Comprise 22% of Population

WASHINGTON, D.C., JUNE 5, 2009 (Zenit.org).- There are one million more Catholics in the United States than the previous year, the 2009 Official Catholic Directory statistics indicate.

A press release from the U.S. Catholic bishops' conference affirmed Wednesday that the total number of Catholics in the country equals 68,115,001, or 22% of the population.

The directory, compiled from information collected from the dioceses, notes 41,489 priests in the country, both diocesan and religious.

The 189 seminaries nationwide are training 4,973 students.

There are 60,715 religious sisters on record, and 4,905 religious brothers.

The past year witnessed the launching of 91 new parishes, putting the total number at 18,674.

Some 85,293,351 patients were served by 562 Catholic hospitals.

Infant baptisms equaled 887,145, and adult baptisms numbered 42,629. Those people who were already baptized Christians but came into full communion with the Catholic Church numbered 81,775.

Catholic organizations in the nation provided an estimated $28.2 billion in service through the Catholic Health Association, and the National Catholic Educational Association Catholic Charities.