Catholic Mass Attendance in England and Wales Rises to About 554,000 in 2023

The number of Catholics attending Sunday Mass in England and Wales has risen for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted religious life, according to the latest figures from the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. About 554,000 Catholics attended Sunday Mass in 2023, an increase of around 50,000 from the previous year.

The figure remains below pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, before closures and restrictions, Sunday attendance was over 700,000. The source describes the slow but steady return of worshippers as gaining momentum.

Some observers had assumed that those who wished to return had already done so by 2022. The new increase suggests otherwise, according to the ZENIT report. Stephen Bullivant, a professor of theology and sociology of religion at St Mary’s University in Twickenham, said he was “cautiously hopeful” about the trend. He had previously estimated that only about two-thirds of pre-pandemic congregations had returned by 2022, and he had feared that many families had permanently disengaged from church life.

The report notes that rising numbers, rather than continued decline, indicate that new individuals or families are finding their way into Catholic parishes. It describes growth, rather than loss, as appearing to be the dominant trend for the first time in years.

Church leaders acknowledge that more work remains. A spokesperson for the Bishops’ Conference cautioned that the reported attendance figures may be slightly underestimated, because not all parishes provided their data. Even with the increase, Mass attendance remains significantly lower than it was five years ago. Acknowledging the limits of the count is a matter of honest dealing with the figures (Proverbs 11:1).

Catholics make up about 10% of the population of the UK, so the Church remains a minority faith there. The source notes, however, that the Catholic community has had moments of unexpected strength. In 2009, the number of practicing Catholics (861,000) briefly surpassed the number of practicing Anglicans (852,000), a milestone in a country historically dominated by the Church of England.

Source: Read the original report