Mass attendance in the Archdiocese of St. Louis increased for the fourth year straight in 2024, according to a report from the Archdiocesan Office of Pastoral Planning. Mass attendance counts were conducted over three weekends in October at 140 parishes and worship sites in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.
More than 25.5% of Catholics registered in parishes attended Mass, up from 24.3% in 2023. The actual number of Catholics at Mass also increased by more than 2,000 worshippers over 2023, and 85 parishes and worship sites saw an increase in Mass attendance over the last year. The increase in Mass attendance comes despite fewer Mass times overall. In 2024, 35 parishes offered fewer weekend Masses than in 2023. And in 2023, following the All Things New pastoral planning announcements, 10 merged or subsumed parishes no longer offered weekend Masses, and 57 parishes or churches offered fewer weekend Masses than the previous year.
Mass attendance is still below pre-COVID rates, however. In 2019, 29.6% of registered Catholics were counted at Mass. In 2020, the number dipped to 13.5% in the midst of lockdowns and closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Since 2021, Mass attendance has been steadily increasing each year, with the attendance rate projected to surpass pre-covid levels prior to 2030.
These findings are from a St. Louis Review article published here.