About 12% of Native Americans are Catholic, and 51 dioceses
offer liturgies which integrate their symbols, says a report released by a U.S.
bishops' committee.
The findings contained in "Native American Catholics at the
Millennium" were presented to the full assembly of bishops at their
semiannual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, last week by Bishop Donald Pelotte
of Gallup, New Mexico, and chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee on Native American
Catholics.
According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 4.1 million people identify themselves as
Native American. Dioceses reported that 493,615 Native Americans, or 12% of
their total population, are Catholic. Because of the demographic shift of Native
Americans to urban areas, the report suggests that large numbers of Native
American Catholics are uncounted.
The report says that within the ranks of Native Americans there are 27 priests,
8 seminarians, 74 deacons, 34 women religious and 65 ecclesial ministers who
serve the Church.