Didja know? Catholic stats and other such stuff

So.

One minute ago I sent in my fifteen page Research Project, known throughout the Santa Croce communication halls as the dreaded "Ricerca." (Ree.Cherk.Ah.) It wasn't pretty. It wasn't the best. But it's done. We had to look up a ton of data for the Pope's upcoming visit to the United States. Some of it was absolutely fascinating.

For instance, did you have any idea that Catholics constitute 23.9% of the United States Population? Or that roughly 10% of all Americans are former Catholics? That's sad, considering that 31% of Americans were raised in the Catholic Faith.

Some other interesting tidbits:

41% of American Catholics are aged 30-49.
58% are married
61% have no children at home
There were 58,632 priests in 1965; in 2005, there were 42,528.
There were 8,325 graduate-level seminarians in 1965; in 2005, there were 3,308

81% of Americans believe in Heaven, but only 69% believe in Hell.

Virginia's population is 14% Catholic; New York's is 39%; New Jersey is at 42%.

USA Today has the highest circulation in the United States, followed by the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times.

So that's it: I'm done! Easter break has officially started for me, starting NOW. The parents and one of the awesomest nephews in the world will be arriving here for Holy Week (Santa Settimana) on Wednesday. In between planning tour routes and buying groceries, I'm planning on reminding myself what Rome feels like without a bookbag on my shoulder. A presto - until the next post!