I often say, when people attack The Catholic Church, “They are biting the hand that feeds them”!

That’s right! Ungrateful, ignorant people continue to attack the one organization that without it the world would be a much darker, hopeless place to live!

Let me give you just some figures for The Catholic Church in the US for the year 2006.

Catholic Education

Total Catholic elementary and high school student enrollment: 2,310,540
•Elementary Schools: 6,197 schools educating 1,638,114 students

•High Schools: 1,350 schools educating 672,426 students

•Colleges and Universities: 236 institutions educating 785,619 students

•Non-residential Schools for Handicapped Persons: 82 schools educating 8,659 students

•Public School Students Receiving Religious Education:
?Elementary school students: 3,387,142

?High school students: 732,917

Catholic Health Care9
•Hospitals: 556 Catholic hospitals treated 84,736,305 patients

•Other Health Care Centers: 429 centers treated 6,517,561 patients

•Specialized Homes: 1,517 assisted 653,719 residents

•Residential Care of Children: 986 locations assisted 60,861 residents

Catholic Charities
Social Services10
More than 1,735 local Catholic Charities agencies and institutions provided services to 7,854,104 unduplicated individuals in need of help in 2004.
Provided Services that Build Strong Communities to 3,618,993 people

•Social support services 1,698,047
•Education and enrichment 747,021
•Socialization and neighborhood services 609,149
•Health-related services 234,635
•Services to at-risk populations 331,141
Provided Food Services to 6,360,939 people

•Food banks and food pantries 2,373,087
•Soup kitchens 1,826,738
•Congregate dining 1,232,217
•Home delivered meals 279,345
•Other food services 649,520
Provided Services that Strengthen Families to 1,093,339 people

•Counseling and mental health services 468,844
•Immigration services 341,087
•Addiction services 97,980
•Refugee services 77,801
•Pregnancy services 65,718
•Adoption services 41,909
Provided Housing Related Services to 474,999 people

•Housing services 171,787
•Temporary shelter 139,938
•Supervised living 102,297
•Permanent housing 41,424
•Transitional housing 19,553
Provided Other Basic Needs Services to 1,384,101 people

•Emergency Financial Assistance (not rent, mortgage, etc.) 154,637
•Clothing Assistance 533,828
•Utilities Assistance 167,510
•Medication Assistance 47,136
•Additional Other Basic Needs Assistance 480,990
Provided Disaster Services to 567,334 people
(Back to me – just an afterthought, think about this… all you who try to tear down The Church! Without The Catholic church doing all these beneficial things, the US taxpayers would have to pick up the tab!)

Christ Our Hope