Best City to Raise Catholic Family

[tarboy]

I am using Bishop Sheen’s analogy. He said that it was better to have your children defend their faith in a secular school than to lose it completely in a Catholic school.

I like this analogy from B Sheen, provided you have strong home catechism.

I suggested SLC as it probably has decent demographics, but is highly LDS, which means that one’s family will learn to defend and live their Catholic faith - when surrounded by “hostile forces”, if you catch my drift

I disagree with this suggestions. I’ve visited SLC and it was anything but secular.

 

[MrsDDD]

Ya, people always look at me weird because I actually like the bus. I’m a big reader, so I’d much rather spend a bit longer on a bus and be able to read instead of a shorter drive in a car, but actually have to pay attention to the road. Add that to the MUCH lower cost of the bus, and I’m all for public transportation.

Yes, I grew up in DC and loved riding the metro- so relaxing! I wish I knew more about public transit here. We lucked out with an express bus that goes from our house to my husband’s work downtown. I’ve taken the metrolink when I lived in Ucity but worked in East St. Louis. I had to transfer and it wasn’t too bad but one of my co-workers had a lot of trouble getting to and from work. Lucky for me, I had the option of driving when the weather was bad.

BTW don’t let people freak you out when it comes to East St. Louis. Most people that are afraid of it, have never been there. I worked with special needs kids and was often in public housing alone (I’m a white woman, for reference) and had no problems. There are a ton of great people in East St. Louis

 

[KarenElissa]

BTW don’t let people freak you out when it comes to East St. Louis. Most people that are afraid of it, have never been there. I worked with special needs kids and was often in public housing alone (I’m a white woman, for reference) and had no problems. There are a ton of great people in East St. Louis

Ya, I tend not to worry too much when I hear about the “bad” parts of town. I’ve traveled a lot and spent a fair amount of time in “bad” parts of town and never really felt unsafe.

 

[MrsE1022]

We live in Northern VA and I’ve more than once thought of moving up North to be in a more Catholic culture. Although we have SO many Catholics around here, they certainly aren’t the norm and its a very transient area and being so close to DC EVERYTHING is political unfortunately. I feel like a crazy person down here sometimes. I’d love to live somewhere where CCD and CYO and Knight of Columbus are things everyone knows about, Catholic or not.

 

[hwriggles4]

For those who like the South:

Someone mentioned Houston. I have family in Houston and two of my brothers attend the same parish. In the past 10 years, I have seen that parish go from a “social hall mentality” to a vibrant parish where people are interested in the Catholic faith. My perception and observation is that had to do with a new pastor, a new adult faith formation coordinator, and the ACTS retreat. I find it more pleasant to attend if I am visiting. I am also impressed with Daniel Cardinal DiNardo, and the amount of seminarians there has doubled in the last 10 years.

Dallas is pretty good too. You may have to do some “shopping” for a parish, but you will eventually get comfortable somewhere. Dallas also has a very active pro-life apostolate, and there are many Catholic activities to find here. My observation of the Diocese of Fort Worth is with Bishop Vann at the helm, the orthodoxy there has greatly increased.

I enjoyed the parish I attended when I worked in Oklahoma City. I was there for a few months on a work assignment years ago, and I found Catholics there to be friendly and knowledgeable. I think that had something to do with the amount of Protestants who challenged the Catholics, which forced Catholics to learn their faith. Oklahoma is only 3% Catholic. I’m told Tulsa has a similar story.

Someone here mentioned the Raleigh-Durham area. Part of the success there (IMHO) is due to Bishop Burbidge. Raleigh has gone from 8 seminarians to 20 in a short time. I’ve heard Charlotte is a good place to be Catholic too, as is Greenville, South Carolina.

Generally, the amount of Protestants in the South (IMHO) has helped force Catholics to learn their faith. I also find my Southern Baptist friends and Non-Denominational friends to be very knowledgeable about the Bible, and interested in family life, as well as support for the Pro-Life Movement.