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WASHINGTON (February 3, 2005): The United State's Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has distributed to media the 2005 Source Book, a media research tool produced annually by the USCCB media relations staff.
The Source Book includes a listing of USCCB staff able to provide expertise to media covering the Church. It also includes an explanation of the USCCB structure and data on church personnel and activities.
The 2005 Source Book notes, for example, that in the United States there are
- 67,259,769 Catholics (23% of the U.S. population)
- 44,212 priests
- 4,330 seminarians
- 14,693 permanent deacons
- 71,486 religious sisters
- 5,504 religious brothers.
- 985,141 Infant Baptisms
- 76,829 Adult Baptisms
- 75,429 persons received into Full Communion from another Christian Church
- 3,319,454 students educated in Catholic schools and colleges
- 83,898,575 patients treated in Catholic hospitals
- 4,251,107 patients treated in other Catholic healthcare institutions
- 7,134,551 individuals in need of help who were assisted by Catholic Charities.