I OUR NUMBERS INCREASE BY 28,000-1947 Directory I

The Catholic population of England and Wales showed an increase of 28,172 from 1944 to the end of 1945 : the increase in marriages is 5,607, in baptisms is 1,746, and in conversions is 1,045 for the same period. These are the latest figures available and are given in the Catholic Directory for 1947, just published by Messrs. Burns, Oates. The total Catholic populanon is now estimated at 2,443,600, The Directory is an absolute mine of information. tracing in statistics the progress of the Church in this island, and listing every priest, mission, school, convent and religious establishment. It also supplies valuable data on the Church in the whole English-speaking world.
Liverpool, the most thickly-popu
lated archdiocese, with 405.000 Catholics, about one-sixth of the teem catholic population, has the largest number of conversions and baptisms. Westminster has the largest number of marriages. In the Northern diocese the latest figures of converts returned for the year is 1,069; of baptisms, 10,493; of marriages. 4.087. In Westminster. where the total population of Catholics is 300.000, there were 4.907 marriages, 984 conversions and 5,111 baptisms. Worked out proportionately, Westminster has made greater progress numerically than any other diocese in the country.
During the year commencing October, 1945, and ending October, 1946, according to the directory, 102 priests, including one Arehbishop,
Mgr. Williams of Birmingham, and three biAiips died in England and
Wales. This includes both secular and regular clergy. During 1946, 190 new priests were ordained. Of these, 113 were secular and 77 regular,
The largest number of ordinations was for the Society of Jesus, which recorded 20 new priests. The Salesian Fathers and the Archdiocese of Liverpool came second with 19 each. The Archdiocese of Westminster and the Archdiocese of Birmingham had II and 12 respectively.
The total number of Catholics in the British Empire is estimated by the directory as 20,566,295. Of these the largest number by far are, according to Government returns of 1931, in Canada, which has 4,285,388
Catholics of the Western Rite and 300,000 of the Greek Ruthenian Rite, a total of 4,585,388 Catholics in communion with the Holy Sec. The total number of Catholics in British Africa is given as 2,659,657.
Only two dioceses, Westminster and Northampton. show an increase in the number of elementary schools
over the year. The archdiocesan number increased front 110 to 120. and Northampton increased by one, from 31 to 32.
On one point the directory is not quite up to date, no doubt due to the time lag between London and Rome. The new and revised list of the Popes published recently by the Vatican has not been used : the list of the Popes in the directory is therefore inaccurate and out of date.