“The Catholic population in the 12-county Rochester Diocese fell from 362,000 in 1965 to 339,000 in 2007 (about 60 percent of those Catholics are in Monroe County), according to the diocese. In 1995, 162 parishes existed; today there are 139. Sunday Mass attendance has fallen from an average of 107,489 in 2001 to 84,087 last year.” From yesterday’s Democrat and Chronicle.

As a favorite priest of mine said yesterday (about this piece): “Everything is just hunky dory! It’s as if we’re living in a nut house!” I couldn’t have said it better myself.