An "Aging Boom" for American Catholicism
More Catholics on the way
They're likely to be gray-haired, healthy and rich
By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
National Catholic Reporter Issue Date: February 2, 2007
"There’s a common lament in Catholic circles and it has to do with the number of “gray heads” that show up for church events. A room full of older Catholics is universally understood to be a bad thing, whereas a room full of young people would, presumably, be interpreted as a godsend.
Such reactions pivot on the common sense assumption that youth equals growth, while old age means decline. Yet given the “through the looking glass” demographic situation in which the world today finds itself, in many ways the exact opposite is the case. In the United States, the current total of 35 million Americans who are 65 or older, according to U.S. Census data, will more than double to 71 million by 2030.
That reality, combined with the sociological fact that the elderly are much more likely to take religion seriously and to practice their faith, suggests that the “graying” of the population -- far from being something to lament -- actually represents a potential “boom cycle” for the churches, if they know how to react."
Although the above article is no longer available online, John Allen has continued his optimistic viewpoint on the "greying" of American Catholicism, now at his own publication Crux.
"ROME – When he addressed an international congress on the pastoral care of the elderly yesterday, Pope Leo laid out the demographic premises for an honest assessment of Catholic life these days, but he didn’t quite draw out the logical pastoral consequences – in part, perhaps, because there’s only so much you can do in a brief 900-word address."
The Pope listed these premises as follows: