{"id":262193,"date":"2025-06-16T13:52:32","date_gmt":"2025-06-16T17:52:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?p=262193"},"modified":"2026-05-01T11:45:51","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T15:45:51","slug":"catholic-practices-and-devotions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/06\/16\/catholic-practices-and-devotions\/","title":{"rendered":"2. Catholic practices and devotions"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<details class=\"wp-block-details is-style-plus-icon has-border-color has-ui-gray-light-border-color has-ui-beige-very-light-background-color has-background has-sans-serif-font-family is-layout-flow wp-container-core-details-is-layout-61b01db2 wp-block-details-is-layout-flow\" style=\"border-width:1px;padding-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--20);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);font-size:clamp(0.875em, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 0.2em) * 0.009), 0.88em);\"><summary>How we define Catholics in this chapter<\/summary>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This chapter exclusively explores views and experiences among U.S. Catholics (i.e., the 20% of U.S. adults who say they are Catholic when asked about their present religion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Many Americans who are <em>not<\/em> Catholic are still connected to the faith in other ways. Read more about these \u201ccultural Catholics,\u201d former Catholics, and people with other Catholic connections (i.e., those who have &nbsp;a Catholic parent, spouse or partner, or say \u201cyes\u201d when asked if they ever attend Catholic Mass) in <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/06\/16\/catholic-connections\/\">Chapter 7<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/06\/16\/47-of-us-adults-have-a-personal-or-family-connection-to-catholicism\/\">Overview<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There is a wide spectrum of religious observance among U.S. Catholics. Some are quite devout by a variety of traditional measures:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>50% of U.S. Catholic adults in our 2025 survey say they pray daily.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>28% say they go to Mass weekly.[7. numoffset=&#8221;7&#8243; According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/flipbooks\/catechism\/529\/\">Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/a>, Catholics are \u201cbound to participate in the Mass\u201d on \u201cSundays and other holy days of obligation\u201d unless there is a serious reason for not attending, such as illness or \u201cthe care of infants.\u201d]<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>23% say they go to confession at least once a year.[8. The Catechism also says Catholics are \u201cbound by an obligation faithfully to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/flipbooks\/catechism\/366\/\">confess serious sins<\/a> at least once a year.\u201d Although it is not \u201cstrictly necessary,\u201d the church \u201cnevertheless strongly\u201d recommends that Catholics should confess \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.usccb.org\/sites\/default\/files\/flipbooks\/catechism\/368\/\">everyday faults (venial sins)<\/a>\u201d as well.]<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-310-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262317\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efefef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efefef;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-01.png?resize=480,503 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-01.png?resize=620,650 620w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"325\" width=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-01.png?w=620\" alt=\"Table showing 13% of U.S. Catholics go to Mass weekly and go to confession yearly and pray daily\" class=\"wp-image-262317 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In total, <strong>13% of U.S. Catholics say they engage in <em>all three<\/em> of these practices. An additional 15% say they do two of them.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, 31% say they do just one of these things. And 40% <em>don\u2019t do any of them<\/em> \u2013 they do not go to Mass each week, do not go to confession at least once a year, and do not pray every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Read on for additional information about Catholic practices such as:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"#going-to-mass-and-receiving-communion\">Receiving Communion at Mass<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#confession\">Confession<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#wearing-religious-symbols-devotions-and-other-practices\">Wearing religious symbols, devotions and other practices<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#traditional-latin-mass\">Traditional Latin Mass<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"#anointing-of-the-sick\">Anointing of the sick<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;going-to-mass-and-receiving-communion&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"going-to-mass-and-receiving-communion\">Going to Mass and receiving Communion<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, about three-in-ten U.S. Catholics say they go to religious services at least once a week, according to Pew Research Center\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/02\/26\/decline-of-christianity-in-the-us-has-slowed-may-have-leveled-off\/\">2023-24 U.S. Religious Landscape Study (RLS)<\/a>. An additional 11% say they attend Mass once or twice a month.[9. Respondents in the survey were asked, \u201cAside from weddings and funerals, how often do you attend religious services in person?\u201d Though the question asked about religious services broadly and did not ask specifically about \u201cchurch attendance\u201d or \u201cMass attendance,\u201d we assume that Catholic respondents answered this question with reference to how often they attend Mass.] And roughly six-in-ten U.S. Catholics say they go to Mass a few times a year or less often (50%) or not at all (9%). (For details on how rates of Mass attendance vary across subgroups based on data from the RLS, refer to the <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/15on1X_aIX78hLWQc2b1Jl2iPVvSTTLaCxPvGBz1jq_4\/edit?usp=sharing\">accompanying detailed tables.<\/a>[10. This discussion (and the accompanying <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/spreadsheets\/d\/15on1X_aIX78hLWQc2b1Jl2iPVvSTTLaCxPvGBz1jq_4\/edit?usp=sharing\">detailed table<\/a>) rely on estimates of Mass attendance from the 2023-24 Religious Landscape Study (RLS) because the RLS had a much larger sample than the survey of Catholics conducted Feb. 3-9, 2025. The two surveys produce similar estimates of the share of Catholics who attend church weekly or a few times a month. The RLS finds somewhat higher estimates of the share who attend a few times a year, while the 2025 survey finds somewhat larger numbers saying they seldom or never attend.])<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262318\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e7edf0\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e7edf0;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-02.png?resize=480,170 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-02.png?resize=782,277 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-02.png?resize=960,341 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-02.png?resize=1200,426 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-02.png?resize=1280,454 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"227\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-02.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Bar chart showing mass attendance among U.S. Catholics\" class=\"wp-image-262318 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Center\u2019s Feb. 3-9, 2025, survey finds that half of U.S. Catholics say they receive Communion every time (36%) or most of the time (15%) they attend Mass. Roughly one-in-five say they receive Communion about half the time (6%) or less than half the time (13%). An additional 16% say they never receive Communion when they go to Mass, and 14% of Catholics in the survey say they never attend Mass in the first place (and thus were not asked how often they receive Communion).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262319\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f1f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-03.png?resize=480,318 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-03.png?resize=782,518 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-03.png?resize=960,636 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-03.png?resize=1200,795 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-03.png?resize=1280,848 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"424\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-03.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing half of American Catholics say they receive Communion most or all the time when they attend Mass\" class=\"wp-image-262319 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Roughly eight-in-ten weekly Mass attenders receive Communion all or most of the times they go (82%). Lower shares of less frequent attenders say they receive Communion all or most of the time. Still, even among those who go to Mass a few times a year or less often, 43% say they typically receive Communion when they go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Catholics typically have the option at Mass to receive Communion either in their hand, or placed directly onto their tongue. More Catholics say they prefer to receive Communion in the hand (44%) than on the tongue (14%). An additional 11% say they have no preference. The remainder either don\u2019t receive Communion or don\u2019t attend Mass (and thus were not asked this question).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262320\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-04.png?resize=480,254 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-04.png?resize=782,414 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-04.png?resize=960,509 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-04.png?resize=1200,636 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-04.png?resize=1280,678 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"339\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-04.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing more Catholics prefer to receive Communion in the hand than on the tongue\" class=\"wp-image-262320 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;confession&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"confession\">Confession<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, 23% of U.S. Catholics say they go to confession at least once a year, while 30% say they go less often. About half of Catholics (47%) say they never go to confession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Catholics who go to Mass weekly also tend to go to confession more frequently than those who don\u2019t attend weekly Mass; 53% of weekly attenders say they go to confession at least once a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262321\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f2f2f2\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f2f2f2;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-05.png?resize=480,292 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-05.png?resize=782,475 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-05.png?resize=960,584 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-05.png?resize=1200,729 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-05.png?resize=1280,778 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"389\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-05.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing 23% of U.S. Catholics say they go to confession at least once a year\" class=\"wp-image-262321 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;wearing-religious-symbols-devotions-and-other-practices&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"wearing-religious-symbols-devotions-and-other-practices\">Wearing religious symbols, devotions and other practices<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey asked Catholics how often they engage in practices such as wearing or carrying religious items; practicing devotions to Mary or a favorite saint; praying the rosary; reading the Bible; and lighting candles or incense for spiritual or religious reasons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The most common of these practices is wearing or carrying religious items, which 44% of Catholics do monthly. Meanwhile, 36% say they practice devotion to Mary or a favorite saint that often. The least common of these practices is lighting candles or incense for spiritual reasons, which 17% of Catholics say they do monthly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262322\"><img data-dominant-color=\"f1f1f1\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #f1f1f1;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-06.png?resize=480,272 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-06.png?resize=782,444 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-06.png?resize=960,545 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-06.png?resize=1200,681 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-06.png?resize=1280,726 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"363\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-06.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing 59% of weekly Mass attenders say they regularly practice devotion to the Virgin Mary or a favorite saint\" class=\"wp-image-262322 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Weekly Mass attenders are generally more inclined than Catholics overall to engage in these practices. For example, around six-in-ten Catholics who attend Mass at least once a week (62%) say they regularly wear or carry religious items with them, compared with 44% of Catholics overall. Meanwhile, 59% of weekly attenders say they practice devotion to Mary or a favorite saint, compared with 36% of Catholics overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The survey also finds that several of these practices are far more common among Hispanic Catholics than White Catholics. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>56% of Hispanic Catholics say they <strong>wear or carry religious items<\/strong> with them at least monthly, compared with 39% of White Catholics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>46% of Hispanic Catholics <strong>practice devotions to the Virgin Mary or a favorite saint<\/strong> at least monthly, compared with 31% of White Catholics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>37% of Hispanic Catholics <strong>pray the rosary<\/strong> at least monthly, versus 22% of White Catholics.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>26% of Hispanic Catholics say they <strong>light candles or incense <\/strong>for spiritual or religious reasons at least monthly, compared with 11% among White Catholics.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Refer to <a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/religion\/2025\/06\/16\/profile-of-hispanic-catholics-in-the-us\/\">Chapter 4<\/a> for additional details about the distinctiveness of religious practices among Hispanic Catholics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;traditional-latin-mass&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"traditional-latin-mass\">Traditional Latin Mass<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Overall, 13% of U.S. Catholics (including 22% of those who attend weekly Mass) say they have attended a Traditional Latin Mass (TLM) at least once in the last five years. To help avoid confusion and ensure respondents understood what we meant by \u201cTraditional Latin Mass,\u201d the survey described it as a Mass where \u201cthe entire Mass is said in Latin and where the priest faces the altar with his back to the people in the pews.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">People who say they have attended at least one TLM in recent years were then asked how often they attend one \u201cthese days.\u201d Very few Catholics report regularly attending a TLM today.[11. In July 2021, Pope Francis issued <em>Traditionis Custodes<\/em>, which \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/latin-mass-pope-francis-restrictions-benedict-6f50b9bc219d423f99267fddcdf23cf6\">reimposed restrictions on celebrating the Latin Mass<\/a>.\u201d The Center has not previously asked about attendance at the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM). It is possible that the share of Catholics who attend a TLM may have declined in recent years because the TLM is less widely available now than before <em>Traditionis Custodes<\/em> took effect.] Overall, 2% of Catholics say they do this at least weekly, 1% do so once or twice a month, and 2% do so a few times a year. An additional 8% say they either seldom or never attend a TLM \u201cthese days,\u201d while 87% of U.S. Catholics have not attended one at any point in the last five years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-640-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262323\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efefef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efefef;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-07.png?resize=480,310 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-07.png?resize=782,505 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-07.png?resize=960,620 960w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-07.png?resize=1200,774 1200w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-07.png?resize=1280,826 1280w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"413\" width=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-07.png?w=1024\" alt=\"Table showing 87% of Catholics haven\u2019t attended a Traditional Latin Mass in the last 5 years\" class=\"wp-image-262323 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 data-is-section=\"true\" data-wp-context=\"{&quot;id&quot;:&quot;anointing-of-the-sick&quot;}\" data-wp-interactive=\"{&quot;namespace&quot;:&quot;prc-block\\\/table-of-contents&quot;}\" class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"anointing-of-the-sick\">Anointing of the sick<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Most Catholics, including 84% of those who attend Mass at least once a week, say it would be \u201cextremely important\u201d or \u201cvery important\u201d to them to receive the sacrament of the anointing of the sick if they were seriously ill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-420-wide\"><a href=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/?attachment_id=262324\"><img data-dominant-color=\"efefef\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #efefef;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  srcset=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-08.png?resize=480,534 480w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-08.png?resize=782,870 782w, https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-08.png?resize=840,934 840w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 480px) 480px, (max-width: 782px) 782px, 640px\" height=\"467\" width=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/alpha.pewresearch.org\/pewresearch-org\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/20\/2025\/06\/PR_2025.06.16_catholic-life-in-us_02-08.png?w=840\" alt=\"Table showing most Catholics say it would be important to them to receive the anointing of the sick if they were very ill\" class=\"wp-image-262324 not-transparent\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The importance Catholics attach to this sacrament seems to rise with age. Among Catholics who are ages 65 and older, 64% say it would be extremely or very important to them to receive this element of what is commonly known as last rites, compared with 50% among Catholics ages 18 to 34.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>U.S. Catholics\u2019 religious observance varies widely. 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