Is New York a tough place for a serious Catholic to live?

[Colorad007]

I appreciate all of the responses. They are enormously helpful. I’ll answer a few of them that I found most interesting:

1.) We actually don’t have kids yet. We’re a 20-something couple more or less “fresh out of school.” We do, however, hope to have a large family, which we’ll likely homeschool. So that’s a major consideration.

2.) Somebody mentioned Boston. That’s what I’m hoping to avoid. I read recently that the Mass-attendance rate (weekly) in that archdiocese is about 15%. That’s not good, at all. That’s an area that strikes me as spiritually anaemic, and not a place where I’d want to raise a big, passionate Catholic family.

3.) NYC is not our only option. We currently live in Denver, but we’re also considering various areas throughout the country. I have always loved New York, and that’s why it’s on the radar. But neither of us have lived there, so who knows? I’ve heard that the south–places like Atlanta and Dallas–are also developing a strong Catholic presence, and it’s a fairly orthodox one, too. I’ve lived in St. Louis, and found it to be deeply Catholic and somewhat intense about it.

We’re also thinking about Chicago and perhaps following our old archbishop (Chaput) to Philadelphia. Most of those big eastern cities, though, are quite liberal, have a lot of financial problems within the archdioceses, are closing parishes and schools, and just seem like the whole spiritual infrastructure is crumbling. That’s what I want to avoid. Yet, they are all great cities, and big cities, and I feel as though it would almost be easier to find a dynamic Catholic parish in a place like NYC or Chicago than it would be in a place like St. Louis, if only because the sizes are so vast and there are so many people.

I appreciate your thoughts.

 

[austenbosten]

I appreciate all of the responses. They are enormously helpful. I’ll answer a few of them that I found most interesting:

1.) We actually don’t have kids yet. We’re a 20-something couple more or less “fresh out of school.” We do, however, hope to have a large family, which we’ll likely homeschool. So that’s a major consideration.

2.) Somebody mentioned Boston. That’s what I’m hoping to avoid. I read recently that the Mass-attendance rate (weekly) in that archdiocese is about 15%. That’s not good, at all. That’s an area that strikes me as spiritually anaemic, and not a place where I’d want to raise a big, passionate Catholic family.

3.) NYC is not our only option. We currently live in Denver, but we’re also considering various areas throughout the country. I have always loved New York, and that’s why it’s on the radar. But neither of us have lived there, so who knows? I’ve heard that the south–places like Atlanta and Dallas–are also developing a strong Catholic presence, and it’s a fairly orthodox one, too. I’ve lived in St. Louis, and found it to be deeply Catholic and somewhat intense about it.

We’re also thinking about Chicago and perhaps following our old archbishop (Chaput) to Philadelphia. Most of those big eastern cities, though, are quite liberal, have a lot of financial problems within the archdioceses, are closing parishes and schools, and just seem like the whole spiritual infrastructure is crumbling. That’s what I want to avoid. Yet, they are all great cities, and big cities, and I feel as though it would almost be easier to find a dynamic Catholic parish in a place like NYC or Chicago than it would be in a place like St. Louis, if only because the sizes are so vast and there are so many people.

I appreciate your thoughts.

May I ask why is it that you seem to be troubled by the liberalism but want to live in a big city? I hate to burst your bubble but no matter which city you move to, you are going to rub elbows with liberals. Even if it’s in Birmingham, Alabama you are going to experience liberalism, that’s just the way cities operate. If you are worried about family-life and community so much but love the city…why not live in a smaller town close to the big city like somewhere in Jersey and just commute?

You get the best of both worlds doing that, an hour from the big city but a small community.

If you insist on living in NYC the hoods I suggest would be Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope, UWS, UES (but those places will bankrupt you), and Grand Army Plaza seemed up-in-coming when I was there. I heard parts of Queens is good Jackson Heights, Astoria.

But like I said if it’s conservatism, close-knit communities, and financial affordability you are looking for you will be sorely disappointed living in a big city. You can find those things in smaller cities but your Los Angeles, Chicagos and New Yorks aren’t going to offer those…if you want those things and the city I strongly suggest you find a small town outside and commute.

 

[boymama]

3.) NYC is not our only option. We currently live in Denver, but we’re also considering various areas throughout the country. I have always loved New York, and that’s why it’s on the radar. But neither of us have lived there, so who knows? I’ve heard that the south–places like Atlanta and Dallas–are also developing a strong Catholic presence, and it’s a fairly orthodox one, too. I’ve lived in St. Louis, and found it to be deeply Catholic and somewhat intense about it.

I appreciate your thoughts.

I live in Atlanta and attend the Cathedral of Christ the King. CtK is a great parish, but I loved St. Jude the Apostle in the suburbs (Sandy Springs). We changed just because we bought a new house in town. CtK is a bit weird in that after 5:00 Mass all of the 20 somethings go out to the bar together. However, it is a VERY devout young adult group. No one leaves together after a few drinks. It is more just a social hour.

 

[coachdennis]

2.)** Somebody mentioned Boston. That’s what I’m hoping to avoid. I read recently that the Mass-attendance rate (weekly) in that archdiocese is about 15%. That’s not good, at all. That’s an area that strikes me as spiritually anaemic, and not a place where I’d want to raise a big, passionate Catholic family.**

Well, you certainly know how to win friends and influence people! On behalf of all the practicing Catholics in Boston, we welcome you anytime to our “anemic” churches for Mass. :banghead:

**Most of those big eastern cities, though, are quite liberal, have a lot of financial problems within the archdioceses, are closing parishes and schools, and just seem like the whole spiritual infrastructure is crumbling. That’s what I want to avoid. **

Quite seriously, demographics will show that 60% of the population of the US lives in the South and the West. That changes the demographics of any area. There are many complex reasons for the decline in attendance in Boston and in many of the large urban cities. You will find in the Boston area, places of growth and renewal, And there are people actually raising Catholic families here!

I agree with a previous poster that you express a strange duality – a “fear” of liberal places, but want to live there. I am not sure why you would want to move to a place where you would feel so uncomfortable in the first place, especially when you have options?

 

[Baelor]

I think you can find that in any city, it is not unique to nyc

So? Why is that relevant to whether NYC is a good place for a Catholic family?

2.) Somebody mentioned Boston. That’s what I’m hoping to avoid. I read recently that the Mass-attendance rate (weekly) in that archdiocese is about 15%. That’s not good, at all. That’s an area that strikes me as spiritually anaemic, and not a place where I’d want to raise a big, passionate Catholic family.

It is not clear to me how you can link Mass attendance to the spirituality of those who actually attend or even to the morality of the population more broadly. Furthermore, will you be interacting with every citizen? If not, then I fail to see why Mass attendance is relevant. You would gain more info by checking cultural sites about what is going on and looking at the local politics.

3.) NYC is not our only option. We currently live in Denver, but we’re also considering various areas throughout the country. I have always loved New York, and that’s why it’s on the radar. But neither of us have lived there, so who knows? I’ve heard that the south–places like Atlanta and Dallas–are also developing a strong Catholic presence, and it’s a fairly orthodox one, too. I’ve lived in St. Louis, and found it to be deeply Catholic and somewhat intense about it.

Having lived in most areas of the US, I highly recommend the West or South. I cannot wait to get off the East Coast from a spiritual perspective.

 

[Franciscanguy]

Hey,

Lived in NYC for a year. (180th and Broadway waaaaaay up in Wash Heights) The City is what you make it. Maybe another way to look at the “liberal city” thing is to think about culture. If you were anti-culture (museums and theatre for instance) you can simply not go. You can avoid the “liberal” parts of NYC for the most part. You can’t avoid “liberals”, though. And even if you could why would you? It is unreasonable to expect everyone to think, act, and generally be like you (or me).

Living in the city is insanely liberating if you embrace what it means to live there (no car, ect.) You will know what simplicity and humility is. When you sit on the subway on the way to work next to the homeless guy and the woman headed to work on Wall Street, the world becomes very very small.

If you keep your head up and eyes open saftey, for the most part, isn’t really a problem. (as previously stated, crime is pretty low) Wash Heights can be pretty skechy but I never felt threatened. Your potential family would be the biggest problem I think. Rasing a family would be hard (i was single).

If you are invested in becoming a New Yorker- understanding that you are one of 8 million people and the other 799,999,999 dont really want to smile at you and take public transport everywhere, wait for just about everything, and can find a way to pay for rent, then go for it. There’s no place quite like it. The liberals you will meet may even teach you a thing or two.

 

[ThyKingdomCome]

I would be curious to find a survey that compares the family sizes of NYC homeschooling Catholics vs. those in other areas. And also the percentages of 2 income families. I suspect that the crowded mass transit setup is prohibitive of having large numbers of young children, as is having a mom who has to work so the family can pay the mortgage. If you know you want to have a large family, then I would recommend you researching home prices (don’t forget property taxes, which are MUCH higher in NY state than in CO), and salaries of the jobs you might get, and also recommend your wife (are you the husband?) getting to homeschooling functions with a large brood of young children and the supplies needed for those activities. Have you been on the subway before? I can’t imagine trying to keep track of several little ones, plus our packages, while trying to get in and out of those cars. I’m sure people do it, and find ways to work around those issues. But heck, here in upstate NY (nowhere near NYC), I have trouble getting my 4 and our supplies to the homeschooling functions we go to, and I drive a minivan in the suburbs.

 

[taylormcbee]

I appreciate all of the responses. They are enormously helpful. I’ll answer a few of them that I found most interesting:

1.) We actually don’t have kids yet. We’re a 20-something couple more or less “fresh out of school.” We do, however, hope to have a large family, which we’ll likely homeschool. So that’s a major consideration.

2.) Somebody mentioned Boston. That’s what I’m hoping to avoid. I read recently that the Mass-attendance rate (weekly) in that archdiocese is about 15%. That’s not good, at all. That’s an area that strikes me as spiritually anaemic, and not a place where I’d want to raise a big, passionate Catholic family.

3.) NYC is not our only option. We currently live in Denver, but we’re also considering various areas throughout the country. I have always loved New York, and that’s why it’s on the radar. But neither of us have lived there, so who knows? I’ve heard that the south–places like Atlanta and Dallas–are also developing a strong Catholic presence, and it’s a fairly orthodox one, too. I’ve lived in St. Louis, and found it to be deeply Catholic and somewhat intense about it.

We’re also thinking about Chicago and perhaps following our old archbishop (Chaput) to Philadelphia. Most of those big eastern cities, though, are quite liberal, have a lot of financial problems within the archdioceses, are closing parishes and schools, and just seem like the whole spiritual infrastructure is crumbling. That’s what I want to avoid. Yet, they are all great cities, and big cities, and I feel as though it would almost be easier to find a dynamic Catholic parish in a place like NYC or Chicago than it would be in a place like St. Louis, if only because the sizes are so vast and there are so many people.

I appreciate your thoughts.

Atlanta is great though I recomend a suburb as downton is expensive .
I live on the westside of Atlanta and have a great parish that welcomed me with open arms. Saddens me to be away from them and at a different parish now that I am in school, I am still in the Archdiocese of Atlanta just in the extreme northeast section. My home is in the western part. The Catholic school that most people on the west side of town go to is near the airport it is a commute but the school is a blue ribbon school of excelence. A lot of Family’s at my home parish homeschool.
God Bless
Taylor