2023 Parish Survey Results

In October of 2023 the parish pastoral council conducted a short survey of Mass attendees at the weekend Masses at all three parish churches.  The purpose of this survey was to get a better understanding of the people attending Masses in our parish and to help the council to develop a vision for where the parish should be heading in the next 10-15 years.

The results of this survey are available in a PDF report that you may download here.

Below are some key points identified in the full survey report.

• The people who attend Masses at St. Catherine parish tend to be older and female. 
  The vast majority attend Mass weekly or even more often. 
  About 20% attended St. Catherine school at some point in the past. 
  About a quarter are visitors.
  
  
• 90% of the students who were attending St. Catherine school at the time of the survey did not attend Mass in the parish.
  
  
• Church attendance is declining - 38% since 2013. 
  Projections indicate attendance will be down 50% by 2030 and 60% by 2038 (compared to 2013).
  
  
• St. Sylvester stands out in maintaining a consistent attendance since 2016 (ignoring the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021).
  
  
• The administration of sacraments of initiation (baptism, first eucharist, confirmation) at St. Catherine is declining.
  
  
• St. Catherine Mass attendees are older than...
  ... people in the nation as a whole
  ... people living within the boundaries of the parish
  ... church-goers in the nation
  ... those who answered the 2015 St. Catherine survey.
  
  
• The proportion of St. Catherine Mass attendees who are old and very old is projected to increase.
  44% of attendees surveyed are over 65 today.
  In 5 years, that number will reach 50% and continue at about that level through 2038.
  4% of attendees surveyed are over 85 today.  This number will jump to 7% in 5 years, 10% in 10 years, and 12% in 15 years.
  
  
• The number of Kauai residents who attend Mass at St. William is small and older.  In 10 years, all but 2 will be over 75.

Some of this information is sobering.  But the trend towards declining attendance by  increasingly aged parishioners is not inevitable.  The pastoral council has begun to consider what our parish should be like in the future, and what practical steps we should take to get there.  We need your help.  Please share your thoughts, ideas, and concerns with a pastoral council member or send us a message by clicking the button below.