What's it like being Catholic in the South?

[mary_bobo]

Thanks for that. We’re also looking at Dallas or Houston, although I don’t really consider either of those cities the South, per se, and they are far more Catholic than, say, Atlanta or Nashville.

We Southerners don’t consider Dallas and Houston as part of the “South”, but then neither do we consider Florida a part of the South.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Thanks for that. We’re also looking at Dallas or Houston, although I don’t really consider either of those cities the South, per se, and they are far more Catholic than, say, Atlanta or Nashville.

OK, FWIW…

Dallas is a lot more like Denver in terms of climate, but the lack of scenery/topography is startling. That part of Texas is just about completely flat, and can look pretty desolate, IMO. You really need to visit Dallas before making a move there. I do not like Dallas at all, myself. The people who like Dallas, don’t like Houston, and vice versa.

I’m surprised you didn’t include Austin…It’s more like Denver (or even Boulder) than any city in Texas. Dry climate, lots of hills if not mountains, a very outdoor lifestyle, liberal college town grown into a city through industry and government (Austin is the capital of TX). It’s got a similar culture to Denver although with a Texan influence. Now, if you are trying to escape some of the more liberal influences in Denver, such as legalized pot, you might not want to move to Austin, because out of all the cities in Texas, it’s the MOST liberal. But in terms of a similar climate and atmosphere to Denver, Austin has the trophy, hands down. The traffic in Austin can be horrendous, so if you do consider it, take that into account. It can affect your lifestyle considerably. I do not know anything about the Catholic Churches in Austin.

Houston has a difficult climate to adjust to. If you’re sick of cold and snow, you will enjoy being able to wear shorts most of the year. The fall is probably the most problematic time of year for me. As a native Denverite, I will probably never adjust to running the AC all the way through October and into November (as a matter of fact it has been on the last 2 nights!). We can’t open our windows very often, because even if it’s cooler outside, there is still humidity and if not, there are allergens (Houston has TONS of trees of all kinds). My kids, however, love the mild weather, and we do get lots of sun down here, which you will be accustomed to. And the humidity is very good for your skin - we tend to age well! But budget for high electric bills especially in the summer.

We’re an Arch-Diocese with our own Cardinal, who is FANTASTIC, IMO. Lots and lots of churches, from traditional to orthodox to heterodox, depending on the parish and the pastor. Not as orthodox in general as St. Louis, for example, whose Bishop is very outspokenly against abortion, but individual parishes may be quite orthodox. We even have a Catholic Charismatic Center (not my thing but they’ve been great about helping work against Planned Parenthood).

ArchDiocese Galveston-Houston

You see, even now, with the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade just a few weeks away, there is NOTHING on the website about this event…There’s a memorial Mass for Martin Luther King, who was NOT a Catholic, on January 20. But no mention of Roe v. Wade or the 50 million precious children who have been murdered since 1973… I will admit that I am continuously disappointed by this failure…

 

[Colorad007]

I live in the south, in an area that is largely protestant with a low Catholic population. I would recommend not moving to an area such as this. If you are looking in the south, I would seek out areas with higher Catholic populations. My husband and I talk/dream about moving to an area with a higher Catholic population but it’s not possible right now due to his commitment with the military. Having lived here all my life, I recently realized how much of a negative effect living in such an area has had on me. I didn’t realize how I let the strong Protestant mentality erode my own beliefs. Thankfully, I’ve been able to have my beliefs restored! But the hard part now is just having support and reinforcement from those around me who ‘get it’. It would be nice to know anyone who doesn’t think contraception is no big deal, would never abort but thinks they should support a woman’s choice, and that homosexuals deserve to be married too.

My husband and I have not a single Catholic family for friends. All of our friends are Protestant. It’s ok, we love our Protestant friends and even have Christian fellowship with them once a week but we really feel we also need the regular influence of Catholics too. Our church is far away and it’s hard to make friends there. We attend church events regularly but unfortunately, such events don’t lend themselves to developing friendships with other other families at similar places in life. My kids go to faith formation but then everyone leaves immediately after the structured class and because the church is not close by, they do not see these kids during the week at school or around the neighborhood. Our area is large and densely populated but there is only one Catholic school and it is very expensive compared to other Catholic schools. Yesterday, I saw a post on a catholic group asking other parents how they decide which Catholic school to choose and I though, ahh, that must be nice!

Also, I find that the Catholic churches we do have here, tend to be “liberal” as CAFers would say. The tabernacle is not inside the sanctuary, our church doesn’t have kneelers, excessive announcements before Mass, clapping in every Mass, the music is that which is heavily criticized on CAF, etc. There is one Catholic church closer to me but they don’t even have a permanent set-up (they use folding chairs and have for many years) and are founded on the idea of having Mass at homes in small groups. They call themselves “progressive” and their motto is about every family being a tithing family. They will come after you and let you know if you “owe” money for tithing.

I’ve heard two disparate accounts of Catholicism in the south. I’ve heard that Catholics there can be more traditional and devout, and I’ve also heard that the dioceses of Nashville and Charleston are more liberal. So I have no idea what to think.

If we made the move, it would be to a city with multiple Catholic churches and schools (although we’ll likely homeschool), so I"m not too worried about being around zero Catholics.

 

[KellyPalmer]

I’ve heard two disparate accounts of Catholicism in the south. I’ve heard that Catholics there can be more traditional and devout, and I’ve also heard that the dioceses of Nashville and Charleston are more liberal. So I have no idea what to think.

If we made the move, it would be to a city with multiple Catholic churches and schools (although we’ll likely homeschool), so I"m not too worried about being around zero Catholics.

Both are true ! There’s quite a bit of variety in the south. I started out homeschooling my children but ran into problems also associated with living in an area with so few Catholics.

 

[Colorad007]

OK, FWIW…

Dallas is a lot more like Denver in terms of climate, but the lack of scenery/topography is startling. That part of Texas is just about completely flat, and can look pretty desolate, IMO. You really need to visit Dallas before making a move there. I do not like Dallas at all, myself. The people who like Dallas, don’t like Houston, and vice versa.

I’m surprised you didn’t include Austin…It’s more like Denver (or even Boulder) than any city in Texas. Dry climate, lots of hills if not mountains, a very outdoor lifestyle, liberal college town grown into a city through industry and government (Austin is the capital of TX). It’s got a similar culture to Denver although with a Texan influence. Now, if you are trying to escape some of the more liberal influences in Denver, such as legalized pot, you might not want to move to Austin, because out of all the cities in Texas, it’s the MOST liberal. But in terms of a similar climate and atmosphere to Denver, Austin has the trophy, hands down. The traffic in Austin can be horrendous, so if you do consider it, take that into account. It can affect your lifestyle considerably. I do not know anything about the Catholic Churches in Austin.

Houston has a difficult climate to adjust to. If you’re sick of cold and snow, you will enjoy being able to wear shorts most of the year. The fall is probably the most problematic time of year for me. As a native Denverite, I will probably never adjust to running the AC all the way through October and into November (as a matter of fact it has been on the last 2 nights!). We can’t open our windows very often, because even if it’s cooler outside, there is still humidity and if not, there are allergens (Houston has TONS of trees of all kinds). My kids, however, love the mild weather, and we do get lots of sun down here, which you will be accustomed to. And the humidity is very good for your skin - we tend to age well! But budget for high electric bills especially in the summer.

We’re an Arch-Diocese with our own Cardinal, who is FANTASTIC, IMO. Lots and lots of churches, from traditional to orthodox to heterodox, depending on the parish and the pastor. Not as orthodox in general as St. Louis, for example, whose Bishop is very outspokenly against abortion, but individual parishes may be quite orthodox. We even have a Catholic Charismatic Center (not my thing but they’ve been great about helping work against Planned Parenthood).

ArchDiocese Galveston-Houston

You see, even now, with the 40th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade just a few weeks away, there is NOTHING on the website about this event…There’s a memorial Mass for Martin Luther King, who was NOT a Catholic, on January 20. But no mention of Roe v. Wade or the 50 million precious children who have been murdered since 1973… I will admit that I am continuously disappointed by this failure…

Excellent advice. Thank you.

I’ve heard that the Austin area is probably more like Boulder, which is even more liberal than Denver, so I doubt it would be quite what we’re hoping for.

We’re definitely still thinking of just staying in Denver, where I have family and where I also grew up. I’m not convinced that it’s significantly more secular or liberal here than it is in most other cities, including ones in the south/southwest like Houston or Atlanta. So that’s a part of the analysis. It just seems like cities are growing more and more similar to each other. So, in some respects, it feels like if I’m going to get the real southern experience, whatever that even is, I’m going to have to do it outside of the major cities. But then you’re in an area with a very, very low Catholic population and all of that problems that that might create.

I’ve got family that moved from here to suburban Atlanta, and they love it. But my sense of the area was that it wasn’t really a southern city at all. I remember riding MARTA and the train when the Braves were playing the Red Sox. The train was packed with Red Sox fans–most of whom, I imagine, had transplanted from the northeast down to Atlanta. It was symbolic for me of what’s happened in a lot of these cities. I think it’s made them better cities in some ways–nice housing, jobs, etc., but it’s really taken the southern, Bible-loving flavor out of those places. I might be wrong, but that’s just my impression. Who knows?

 

[Colorad007]

I can tell you about the Diocese of Knoxville. We have a variety of churches to choose from–very traditional and less so. One of the churches has a EF mass every Sunday and several have masses in Spanish and one Korean mass. There are several Catholic schools and a terrific Catholic high school. There is a thriving community of Catholics here and a good place to live. I had the pleasure of living in Denver for ten years and I know the great weather there (also the great skiing). Have also lived in two places in Florida, Atlanta, New Orleans and Toronto. The South is a great place to live.

Thanks a lot for that. Since you’ve lived in Denver, how would you compare Knoxville and Denver? I’ve heard many good things about Knoxville.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

We Southerners don’t consider Dallas and Houston as part of the “South”, but then neither do we consider Florida a part of the South.

Well, you’re right - we are rather unique, having been a nation unto ourselves! But most people still think that Texas is a Southern state, although technically we are considered South Central.

 

[TheRealJuliane]

Excellent advice. Thank you.

I’ve heard that the Austin area is probably more like Boulder, which is even more liberal than Denver, so I doubt it would be quite what we’re hoping for.

We’re definitely still thinking of just staying in Denver, where I have family and where I also grew up. I’m not convinced that it’s significantly more secular or liberal here than it is in most other cities, including ones in the south/southwest like Houston or Atlanta. So that’s a part of the analysis. It just seems like cities are growing more and more similar to each other. So, in some respects, it feels like if I’m going to get the real southern experience, whatever that even is, I’m going to have to do it outside of the major cities. But then you’re in an area with a very, very low Catholic population and all of that problems that that might create.

I’ve got family that moved from here to suburban Atlanta, and they love it. But my sense of the area was that it wasn’t really a southern city at all. I remember riding MARTA and the train when the Braves were playing the Red Sox. The train was packed with Red Sox fans–most of whom, I imagine, had transplanted from the northeast down to Atlanta. It was symbolic for me of what’s happened in a lot of these cities. I think it’s made them better cities in some ways–nice housing, jobs, etc., but it’s really taken the southern, Bible-loving flavor out of those places. I might be wrong, but that’s just my impression. Who knows?

I’d suggest you just travel to areas in the Deep South, like New Orleans, if you want that “real Southern experience.” I’m not sure you want to relocate to one of those Deep South areas…It’s not all “Fried Green Tomatoes,” and “Driving Miss Daisy.”

You’re right about many cities losing their individual character due to the influx of residents from other areas…It’s certainly been true down here. As I said, we resemble The Frozen North more all the time…manners and hospitality being one noticeable change for the worse.

As outwardly nice as folks down here can be, they can also be nasty behind your back. Ask a Southerner what the phrase “Bless your/his/her heart” means and see what I mean.

 

[Aggie414]

I second what others have said about it depending on where you move – places like Louisiana there is a Catholic church literally on every corner. At one time it was against the law to NOT be Catholic in Louisiana.

 

[Sarcelle]

Texas and Louisiana have a thriving Catholic community, however I heard that Catholics are quite rare in Oklahoma.

There is also a small but growing population of Catholics in Alabama.

 

[mary_bobo]

Thanks a lot for that. Since you’ve lived in Denver, how would you compare Knoxville and Denver? I’ve heard many good things about Knoxville.

I loved the time I lived in Denver especially the skiing and the year 'round weather. But Knoxville does have beautiful mountains and great lakes and you can get to a beach in a day. The schools are good and Oak Ridge, a bedroom community, has a Catholic school with Dominican nuns. Knoxville no longer has a Catholic hospital but the Diocese has just started a mobile clinic for all faiths which is headed by a Sister of Mercy who is also a physician. They are staffing it with volunteer Catholic healthcare workers from the area around Knoxville.

Knoxville also has a vibrant university with sports of all kinds. There is a symphony and living downtown seems to be the thing these days. The resurgence of the downtown area has really been an asset to the city.

If I can answer specific questions, you can PM me. Both cities get a thumbs up from me, but they are different. I think you would find Knoxville a very friendly place.

 

[mary_bobo]

Well, you’re right - we are rather unique, having been a nation unto ourselves! But most people still think that Texas is a Southern state, although technically we are considered South Central.

True, but you know where all the original Texans came from, don’t you And they mightyly supported the Alamo too. Texas is a great state with some earned attitude.

 

[HollyDolly]

I live in the south, in an area that is largely protestant with a low Catholic population. I would recommend not moving to an area such as this. If you are looking in the south, I would seek out areas with higher Catholic populations. My husband and I talk/dream about moving to an area with a higher Catholic population but it’s not possible right now due to his commitment with the military. Having lived here all my life, I recently realized how much of a negative effect living in such an area has had on me. I didn’t realize how I let the strong Protestant mentality erode my own beliefs. Thankfully, I’ve been able to have my beliefs restored! But the hard part now is just having support and reinforcement from those around me who ‘get it’. It would be nice to know anyone who doesn’t think contraception is no big deal, would never abort but thinks they should support a woman’s choice, and that homosexuals deserve to be married too.

My husband and I have not a single Catholic family for friends. All of our friends are Protestant. It’s ok, we love our Protestant friends and even have Christian fellowship with them once a week but we really feel we also need the regular influence of Catholics too. Our church is far away and it’s hard to make friends there. We attend church events regularly but unfortunately, such events don’t lend themselves to developing friendships with other other families at similar places in life. My kids go to faith formation but then everyone leaves immediately after the structured class and because the church is not close by, they do not see these kids during the week at school or around the neighborhood. Our area is large and densely populated but there is only one Catholic school and it is very expensive compared to other Catholic schools. Yesterday, I saw a post on a catholic group asking other parents how they decide which Catholic school to choose and I though, ahh, that must be nice!

Also, I find that the Catholic churches we do have here, tend to be “liberal” as CAFers would say. The tabernacle is not inside the sanctuary, our church doesn’t have kneelers, excessive announcements before Mass, clapping in every Mass, the music is that which is heavily criticized on CAF, etc. There is one Catholic church closer to me but they don’t even have a permanent set-up (they use folding chairs and have for many years) and are founded on the idea of having Mass at homes in small groups. They call themselves “progressive” and their motto is about every family being a tithing family. They will come after you and let you know if you “owe” money for tithing.

You might consider moving to San Antonio after he gets out.What branch is he? We have the army at Fort Sam Houston, and the airforce at Lackland and Randolph AirForce Bases.We have the VA at Audie Murphy and there is Brook Army Medical Center at Fort Sam. There is also Camp Bullis and Camp Stanley as well.Summers do get hot here,but it’s nice in spring and fall.There are various state parks and lakes to go around the Austin and San Antonio area. Corpus Christi and the Texas Gulf Coast aren’t that far away from here.Port Lavaca on the gulf is about 100 miles from here.And you can drive to Dalla-Fort worth and Houston too. There are various museums and this whole area is growing with people moving here.My dad retired from Randolph in 1975 after 33years in the Airforce.
Lots of catholics around here due to hispanic as well as Belgians,Germans,Poles ,Czechs and Hungarians. There is in San Antonio St.Sophia’s Orthodox Church which has the Greek Funstival and the Lebanese Catholics at St. George Maronite Church also put a festival on.You can also visit the old spanish missions here in town which are still active parishes.

 

[tortilla5]

People greet you with “Have a Blessed Day!”
They also openly carry their Bibles and speak about faith in God.

I love this about where I live! We live in a heavily Southern Baptist area. The Catholic community is very small but very close knit, devout and active. The whole community is also very patriotic. I love that we are able to to love God and our country out loud. I am originally from a liberal state and I clearly see a difference.

I have not experienced too much negativity about us being Catholic. I have gotten that “You’re Catholic? Oh that’s ok, my mom once knew a Catholic. She was nice. Do you know her?” and the funny thing was I did know her!

 

[maltmom]

I was born and raised in New Orleans. I left when I was 42 to live in northern Louisiana. New Orleans and the surrounding areas are about 30 - 35% Catholic. I was Protestant while living there so I can’t attest to how conservative or liberal the churches are there. A lot has changed since Katrina. Where I’m at now is very Southern Baptist and non-denom. In spite of this we have 6 Catholic churches within a 15 mins drive.

Please don’t underestimate the heat and humidity. They are brutal!!!

 

[dixieagle]

Texas and Louisiana have a thriving Catholic community, however I heard that Catholics are quite rare in Oklahoma.

There is also a small but growing population of Catholics in Alabama.

I’m in Mobile, AL, and there are numerous parishes and excellent Catholic schools. Catholics are a very substantial percentage of the population here; coastal areas seem to have larger Catholic populations than farther inland.

OP - I’d move to Nashville in a heartbeat. It’s a very vibrant area, with plenty to do, many Catholic parishes and schools, and with 4 seasons (unlike us down here.) I find the area quite beautiful, as well. Tennessee is a lovely place.

Birmingham is an interesting place…more missionary in nature than Mobile with regard to Catholicism, though there are a number of parishes. The traffic can be awful, the county has had financial problems and the racial history is problematic. It also has some outstanding medical facilities (UAB) and great shopping.

We have some experience with Austin. Our daughter and SIL lived there for 7 years, and were very active in their downtown parish, which had glorious music and very active ministries. Austin is quite different from most of the rest of the state, kind of wacky, lots going on, great food, and on the edge of Texas Hill Country, which I love.

Our younger daughter and her husband lived in Denver while working with Americorps, and we liked it there very much, as well. You have lots of great choices!

 

[KellyPalmer]

You might consider moving to San Antonio after he gets out.What branch is he? We have the army at Fort Sam Houston, and the airforce at Lackland and Randolph AirForce Bases.We have the VA at Audie Murphy and there is Brook Army Medical Center at Fort Sam. There is also Camp Bullis and Camp Stanley as well.Summers do get hot here,but it’s nice in spring and fall.There are various state parks and lakes to go around the Austin and San Antonio area. Corpus Christi and the Texas Gulf Coast aren’t that far away from here.Port Lavaca on the gulf is about 100 miles from here.And you can drive to Dalla-Fort worth and Houston too. There are various museums and this whole area is growing with people moving here.My dad retired from Randolph in 1975 after 33years in the Airforce.
Lots of catholics around here due to hispanic as well as Belgians,Germans,Poles ,Czechs and Hungarians. There is in San Antonio St.Sophia’s Orthodox Church which has the Greek Funstival and the Lebanese Catholics at St. George Maronite Church also put a festival on.You can also visit the old spanish missions here in town which are still active parishes.

Thank you for the information. We will definitely look into it as we are always looking for good options. He is in the Navy and works in the nuclear field. So we are probably looking for an area near water, a shipyard or any nuclear power plant.

 

[maltmom]

4 seasons (unlike us down here.)

4 seasons??? What is that??? I know, I know…shrimp, crab, crawfish and KINGCAKE!!!

 

[Rolltide]

I’m in Mobile, AL, and there are numerous parishes and excellent Catholic schools. Catholics are a very substantial percentage of the population here; coastal areas seem to have larger Catholic populations than farther inland.

Birmingham is an interesting place…more missionary in nature than Mobile with regard to Catholicism, though there are a number of parishes. The traffic can be awful, the county has had financial problems and the racial history is problematic. It also has some outstanding medical facilities (UAB) and great shopping.

I live in Tuscaloosa. Alabama has a rapidly increasing Catholic population, but it depends on where you live. Catholicism in most major cities is growing and vibrant, and in the countryside, almost non-existent. Birmingham is very interesting because it has not one, but two Eastern Catholic parishes (Maronite and Greek Melkite) within a three block radius of each other, and Irondale, a suburb, is the home to EWTN. Cullman, Alabama has a nice set of monasteries, and the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament is located in Hanceville. The Catholic population of Tuscaloosa was 3% when I moved here in 1994. It is now approaching 9%. Some of that is due to the expansion of the University of Alabama. One of our parishes recently underwent a huge expansion, and the Catholic parish on campus is undergoing a huge expansion as we speak.

I’m originally from Minnesota, and I have had no trouble adjusting to living here.

The coastal areas of Alabama (esp. Mobile) have a larger Catholic population because they were originally settled by the Spanish and French. The Cathedral of Mobile was built by the Spanish in 1702 and is quite beautiful.

 

[jwinch2]

My wife and I are a young couple in our 20s, and we’re considering a move to one of a handful of southern U.S. cities from the Denver area. I have heard, from time to time, that Catholics are such a small minority in the south (although I’m sure it is less so in the big cities), that it is a constant challenge to maintain Catholic identity. I doubt there’s much discrimination or anything, but I do imagine that it feels like you’re the oddball out in an overwhelmingly Protestant culture, right? There are two things I worry about:

1.) The whole megachurch culture isn’t terribly substantive, and I fear that if the country grows more secular, the evangelical culture will be the first to evaporate and leave a super-hedonistic secular culture in its wake. That assumes that, of course, the south will secularize, and it may not, but my worry is that a lot of the religion in the south is more cultural than an intense devotion and love for Christ. I know that there are tons of wonderful, devout Christians in the south–but I just wonder if a lot of it is the whole come-to-church-hungover kind of culture you sometimes hear about.

2.) I also worry about the influence of Protestantism on the overall mindset of the region. Usually I think that Protestant influence is way better than, say, MTV influence. But I know that southern evangelicalism can create a kind of dualism in thinking that leads people to kind of have a “fun life” and a “faith life” which are somehow separate. Any thoughts about that?

On the other hand, the south is a wonderfully conservative, church-going part of the country. People are kind, community-oriented, faith-filled, and family-loving. And I also know that Catholicism tends to be especially vibrant and growing in the region, too. That’s exciting to be around.

We’re coming from Denver, which is a tremendous archdiocese that really is a crown jewel of the American New Evangelization. Catholicism is a very exciting thing, here, and it makes me nervous to leave. On the other hand, I imagine that the overall culture of the south is probably easier and maybe better to raise a family in.

Any thoughts about all of this are greatly appreciated.

It depends on where you are thinking of going, I suppose. In Louisiana, there are tons of Catholics, so that would be a good option if that is important to you. We have lived there, as well as Tennessee, Virginia, and now Texas and have never had any problems. I do not some parents with younger children who have had issues of their kids being told they are not Christian by other kids at school, etc. but we have had no problems at all.

Peace,