Since the first round of pastoral planning in 2017, Sunday Mass attendance across the Diocese of Erie has shifted significantly, reflecting broader changes in participation over time. At the same time, data from 2022 through the present suggests that attendance has begun to stabilize, with totals holding more steadily across the diocese in recent years.
Individual deaneries show similar patterns, pointing to widespread demographic and participation changes rather than isolated local trends. Even within this environment, the faithful continue to gather each weekend across the diocese’s 13 counties — a visible sign of ongoing commitment to parish life and the Eucharist.
Participation in Sunday Mass remains at the heart of Catholic life, grounding parish communities in worship, sacramental grace and shared mission. Recent years suggest a period of greater stability as the Diocese of Erie continues to serve its people, sustain parish communities and look toward the future with faith and resolve.
We report primarily at the deanery level rather than focusing solely on individual parishes or churches, recognizing the pressures that Mass schedules and availability place on parishioners and their decisions on where to attend Mass. This reality can cause fluctuations within a specific parish that do not necessarily reflect the overall health, engagement or vitality of the broader deanery.
At the same time, the following graphs provide a parish-level view within each deanery, illustrating how individual parish attendance has either increased or declined from the previous year. Each line represents a single parish, offering additional context to the broader trends while still reflecting the shared, collaborative nature of parish life across each region.
Across the Diocese of Erie, deaneries are showing a generally positive year-over-year trajectory. Erie West (+5.3%), Bradford (+5.0%), Greenville (+4.1%) and Erie East (+3.6%) are demonstrating the strongest gains, with St. Marys (+2.2%) also reflecting measured growth. Oil City (+0.1%) remains stable, while DuBois (0.0%) held even year over year.
The graph below illustrates increasing stabilization and growth across multiple deaneries — a continued movement away from post-pandemic decline. Should this steady pattern continue over the next several years, the diocese is positioned to move closer to — and potentially exceed — pre-pandemic Mass attendance levels, reflecting a strengthening participation trend consistent with broader national patterns.
