Study: Hundreds of U.S. parishes help poorer sister parishes

Published: 2004-04-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) - About 1,350 U.S. parishes say they support a poor parish in the United States or abroad, said a report by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Of the parishes supported abroad, 83 percent are in Latin America, said the survey. It added that parishes in 55 foreign countries receive support from U.S. parishes. The report was based on responses from a survey of 5,831 parishes across the United States conducted in 2001 by the center, known as CARA, which is based at Georgetown University in Washington. It specializes in social science research for Catholic organizations. Of the parishes CARA surveyed, 4,670 responded to questions about supporting another parish. Of that number a total of 1,350, or about 30 percent, reported such partnerships. There are about 19,000 parishes in the United States.

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