Catholic Diocese will count number of parishioners attending Mass

Officials with the Catholic Diocese of El Paso want to offer parishioners better pastoral services and help churches with their planning efforts. But to do so, the diocese needs to know how many people are attending church.

From Oct. 15-16, the diocese will conduct a Mass attendance count at all of it’s parishes. It is asking every church to count how many parishioners celebrate the English, Spanish and bilingual Masses.

The head count will also help gauge long-term trends in church attendance, said Karina Sandoval, the Stewardship Coordinator for the Foundation for the Diocese of El Paso, which is conducting the Mass attendance count.

Mass attendance counts are a common and standard practice among dioceses in the United States, the diocese said.