What makes a Catholic parish boom in the Bible belt?

Some answers, from Gainesville, Georgia. A reporter there picked up on this story from the national wires, and gave it a local twist:

Being in the middle of the Bible belt means Christian churches of all denominations can be found on every corner of the city or on the outskirts of the rural county.

However, only two Catholic churches operate in Hall County: St. Michael Catholic Church in Gainesville and Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch. And both churches appear to be bucking a national trend.

In 2007, 23.9 percent of Americans identified as Catholic, according to a nationwide survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. By 2014, that share had fallen to 20.8 percent.

Those figures do not ring true for the two Catholic churches. According to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Atlanta, the number of Catholics in the Gainesville area is estimated at 29,000. And it is increasing, said Jenny Miles, who works in planning and research at the Archdiocese of Atlanta.

“We have seen growth in the Catholic population over the last decade,” she said in an email to The Times.

Eric Hill, pastor of Prince of Peace Catholic Church in Flowery Branch, agreed.

“We are adding parishioners each week,” he said via email to The Times. “We are also in the midst of a major endeavor with ALPHA with some 4,000 members of the parish walking this journey this fall.”

…St. Michael Catholic Church in Gainesville offers Mass in three languages: English, Spanish and Vietnamese, according to its website, www.saintmichael.cc. Prince of Peace conducts Mass in Spanish and English, according to its website, popcatholicchurch.org. Both churches use English and Spanish translations on their websites.

“We are actively working at reaching out and growing our parish family and sharing the good news of Jesus Christ,” Hill said.

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Photo: Prince of Peace Catholic Church Facebook page