What's it like being Catholic in the South?

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Rolltide said:
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.
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I’m a Tuscaloosa native as well! When I went home over Christmas I went up to Birmingham and went to confession/Mass at St. George and St. Elias, and then went to Latin Mass at Blessed Sacrement. For a southern city Birmingham sure does have a good Catholic variety.

For the OP (in case Tuscaloosa interests you)
Holy Spirit is a good parish, this is the one I got to when I go home. The priest here is a really nice guy, hes from somewhere in ireland i believe. I’ve never been to St. Francis though.
Tuscaloosa has grown A LOT since I was a little kid though it still seems small. The traffic seems to be getting worse though.
As for weather, be prepared for hot, humid summers with thunderstorms. We get pretty mild winters. And watch out for tornadoes! My family always jokes that we’re the Oklahoma of the south lol, our house has been hit twice, once in 2000 and again in 2011…don’t let that scare you off though 🙂
The topography is going to be a lot different. If you want mountains you will have to go up to NE Alabama, or the smokies, Gatlinburg is a good place to visit.
People here are really friendly. You can stand in line with someone and find out about their grandmas arthritis lol, point is they will tell you their life story if given the chance lol.

Btw I go to school near Dallas now and do not consider this area “the south” in the way I view it
 
My home parish is in NC. I moved there from WI, which is strongly culturally Catholic, and the first place I lived where businesses closed for First Friday observances.
In NC, people more openly speak about their faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. It would be after several minutes of discussions that they would ask me where I go to church and learn that I am Catholic. While my non-Catholic friends might call one particular church home, they are surprised that Catholics can worship in any of the different Catholic churches that are scattered throughout the city.
In WI, I lived in a small town, and drove 50 miles to the nearest retreat center that provided a weekly Charismatic prayer group. The Catholic Church had 1,000 registered families and there were several smaller churches that provided services for members of other denominations.
In my NC city of 200,000, I was registered in the mother church for the city. It is a small parish located downtown that provides daily Mass and confession, except Thursday. There are several larger parishes in the city. The diocesan bishop is actively pro-life. Every year, the parishes line the streets of the city in a prayer chain for life. Many business men and others meet weekly in the back of the Catholic bookstore for the weekly noon Mass on Wednesdays. The Franciscan store also provides days of renewal and talks on a regular basis. Each parish has active groups so there is something for a person who wants to grow in his/her faith including, but not limited to the Charismatic Renewal, Cursillo, and the Marian Movement of Priests; although not every parish has every group.
The main event to look forward to each year is the Eucharistic Conference in Charlotte when all the diocesan parishes gather to celebrate the “source and summit” of our Faith.
I would say that Catholics in the South have a greater tendency to live their Faith rather than simply be members of the Catholic Church simply as a matter of family tradition. This might not be that much different than Denver, although I have never spent any time there. I do have family in Colorado Springs, and I noted the depth of the homily when I visited my sister last summer, and the discussions that took place afterward.
In the South, you may not see the discussion as much as the simple expression of Faith from Catholics and non-Catholics alike openly offering to pray for you, even publicly.
Have a Blessed Day.
 
NorthTexan88 said:
I’m a Tuscaloosa native as well! When I went home over Christmas I went up to Birmingham and went to confession/Mass at St. George and St. Elias, and then went to Latin Mass at Blessed Sacrement. For a southern city Birmingham sure does have a good Catholic variety.

For the OP (in case Tuscaloosa interests you)
Holy Spirit is a good parish, this is the one I got to when I go home. The priest here is a really nice guy, hes from somewhere in ireland i believe. I’ve never been to St. Francis though.
Tuscaloosa has grown A LOT since I was a little kid though it still seems small. The traffic seems to be getting worse though.
As for weather, be prepared for hot, humid summers with thunderstorms. We get pretty mild winters. And watch out for tornadoes! My family always jokes that we’re the Oklahoma of the south lol, our house has been hit twice, once in 2000 and again in 2011…don’t let that scare you off though 🙂
The topography is going to be a lot different. If you want mountains you will have to go up to NE Alabama, or the smokies, Gatlinburg is a good place to visit.
People here are really friendly. You can stand in line with someone and find out about their grandmas arthritis lol, point is they will tell you their life story if given the chance lol.

Btw I go to school near Dallas now and do not consider this area “the south” in the way I view it
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The two Eastern Catholic parishes hold AWESOME Middle Eastern food and cultural festivals twice a year. St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church holds one in April, and St. George Greek Melkite Catholic Church holds one around the first weekend of October. They should not be missed! You know the food is good when virtually everyone in Birmingham (Catholic AND Protestant) knows about it and shows up! You can even place food orders for your workplace! St. Elias still has last year’s menu up on their website.
 
Rolltide said:
The two Eastern Catholic parishes hold AWESOME Middle Eastern food and cultural festivals twice a year. St. Elias Maronite Catholic Church holds one in April, and St. George Greek Melkite Catholic Church holds one around the first weekend of October. They should not be missed! You know the food is good when virtually everyone in Birmingham (Catholic AND Protestant) knows about it and shows up! You can even place food orders for your workplace! St. Elias still has last year’s menu up on their website.
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The Greek Orthodox Church in my town in NC also holds a great festival once a year.
 
I live in Arkansas (born and raised here). We live in the northwest part of the state which is not so rural as other parts of Arkansas, but still most cities here have only one Catholic church. They tend to be giant parishes since there’s only one per town, though. There is not a Catholic elementary school in our city, though there are a few in neighboring cities. No Catholic high school anywhere in the area, though there are other private Christian schools.

Most people here go to one of the Southern Baptist mega-churches or to the non-denominational strip-mall churches, which seem to be some type of spin off of Southern Baptist. I’ve never personally encountered any negative reaction for being Catholic, though I know I’ve heard it. For example, a co-worker of my mother’s was talking about being appalled that their niece was going to marry a gasp Catholic!!
 
I was born and raised in Louisiana. I am also 28 years old.

Yes, it can get hot and humid, but the humidity keeps you looking young. 🙂 I’m currently in the process of convincing my girlfriend from Colorado how great a place this is to raise a Catholic family.

As for the Catholic culture, it is thriving in South Louisiana. Many young and orthodox communities are developing and building upon the strong Catholic history this area has (it was settled by Catholics before the United States was a nation). Heck, we do not have counties in Louisiana; we have Parishes, a good number of which are named after saints of the Church. New Orleans is great, but if you want to raise a devout Catholic family anywhere in the nation, the best place is Lafayette, Louisiana. You are practically expected to be Catholic there. Not only does it have a deep Catholic history, its culture is thriving with numerous vocations coming from the diocese.

If you come down for a visit, make sure you see the Cathedral in New Orleans, St. Patrick’s in New Orleans, St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinsville, and St. Peter’s in Carencro. Look at this website for more: neworleanschurches.com/

Also there are great Catholic schools. I recommend John Paul the Great Academy in Lafayette. jpgacademy.org/

God bless.
 
Rockules said:
I was born and raised in Louisiana. I am also 28 years old.

Yes, it can get hot and humid, but the humidity keeps you looking young. 🙂 I’m currently in the process of convincing my girlfriend from Colorado how great a place this is to raise a Catholic family.

As for the Catholic culture, it is thriving in South Louisiana. Many young and orthodox communities are developing and building upon the strong Catholic history this area has (it was settled by Catholics before the United States was a nation). Heck, we do not have counties in Louisiana; we have Parishes, a good number of which are named after saints of the Church. New Orleans is great, but if you want to raise a devout Catholic family anywhere in the nation, the best place is Lafayette, Louisiana. You are practically expected to be Catholic there. Not only does it have a deep Catholic history, its culture is thriving with numerous vocations coming from the diocese.

If you come down for a visit, make sure you see the Cathedral in New Orleans, St. Patrick’s in New Orleans, St. Martin de Tours in St. Martinsville, and St. Peter’s in Carencro. Look at this website for more: neworleanschurches.com/

Also there are great Catholic schools. I recommend John Paul the Great Academy in Lafayette. jpgacademy.org/

God bless.
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My wife and I used to live in Baton Rouge and would very much like to get back to Louisiana, Lafayette in particular, someday.
 
By the way, feel free to contact me if you come for a visit. I’d be glad to show you around.
 
KellyPalmer said:
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.
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Oh,you’re welcome.They do have the South Texas nuclear Plant,it’s down by the coast but not sure where.
 
TheRealJuliane said:
Mind your grammar, it’s “All y’all!”

LOL
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:whackadoo: I was born and raised in New Orleans and I don’t say y’all…it’s you guys. I’ve lived in NE Louisiana for over 10 years and still won’t say fixin to… The green patch of grass between two opposing lanes of traffic is still the neutral ground.
 
I live in Raleigh, NC and there are many Catholic churches here. Some are liberal and some are conservative. NC has one of the most rapidly growing populations of Catholics in the country.

Speaking of megachurches, we have a Catholic church with 18,000 parishioners! I go to a much smaller parish and it is wonderful.

Our Bishop has plans to build a new cathedral and it will be built in a traditional style with antique stained glass windows. 🙂

There is a nuclear power plant nearby if that’s where you will be looking for work.

The only thing I dislike about NC is the weather. I HATE hot weather, and it’s hot and humid here.

I dream of moving out west when I retire and Denver is one of the areas I have considered.
 
This is really good (below). I grew up southern and am still southern and CAtholic. I can tell you that yes things have changed; but in some places maybe not so much. Ther is stil a large contingent of evangelical protestants who stil hate, yes hate, Catholics and think all the boogy man stuff - you know, we worship statues and want the Pope to run the world. And forget about convincing a Baptist about transubstantiation. Learned the hard way. But mostly, it really does not matter what you are in most places. Anywhere you go you will find ignorance, and anywhere you go you will find kindness and acceptance.
Auntie_A said:
This may not answer your question since I am not from the South but nonetheless it may be of interest: My Buddhist-raised nephew moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Georgia and commented to me in a letter that the Catholics in the South were “much nicer” and “less snobby” than the Catholics he knew from his school days. I remarked to him that the snobs were the exception to the rule since he had gone to a rather wealthy private school. But he nevertheless found the southern Catholics charming, generous, friendly.

I also reminded him that the Ku Klux Klan had had three groups that they wanted to annhilate: Blacks, Jews, and the “Papists”. (I don’t know if we are still in such good company on that list these days) But that is evidence that Catholics must have had an interesting place in the South.

The history of the Catholics in the South is a very layered history. And, in understanding our differences, I agree that the question of where? and what town? and which Catholics? are important questions to ask in your pursuit: A Catholic with deep roots in St Augustine, Florida? A black Catholic in North Carolina? An ex-Cuban Catholic in Miami? A Mexican, Lebanese or Irish Catholic in Texas? A Louisiana Cajun Catholic with French roots? A Vietnamese Catholic outside the City of New Orleans also with some French roots? (See the documentary “Mr Cao goes to Washington” about a Southeast Asian, Jesuit-trained lawyer who served a term in the U.S. Congress and followed his conscience, not the lobbyists.) Mother Angelica lives in the South, doesn’t she? And what about the more orthodox Latin mass communities that breach many different cultures and backgrounds?
We all go to mass and take Christ at the Eucharist. And, admittedly, some Catholics need re-education and evangelization all over this country!

Good luck in your travels. Denver’s evangelization needs to expand to the rest of the country. Bring your catechism and apologetics books, along with your Catholic bible, of course. I am sure you will find some good solid Catholics wherever you go if you just look around. The secularism is getting old and out of hand and many Catholics are longing for the Real and True again. The devil wants us to feel isolation and division, but with a Christ-centered faith we will find our way back together.
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maltmom said:
:whackadoo: I was born and raised in New Orleans and I don’t say y’all…it’s you guys. I’ve lived in NE Louisiana for over 10 years and still won’t say fixin to… The green patch of grass between two opposing lanes of traffic is still the neutral ground.
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I live in Mobile and know plenty of New Orleans natives; it has always struck me that many of them sound as if they grew up in Brooklyn!!! 😉

Our daughter and SIL live in Baton Rouge, in the Garden District. There are certainly plenty of Catholic parishes, Catholic schools, etc. Then traffic is pretty awful, as there are far more vehicles on the road since so many folks moved there - and stayed - after Katrina, but we have very much enjoyed getting to know the area. Louisiana has lot of good people, great food, festivals, music. Many problems, too, but it’s quite a unique place.
 
I’m in the SE LA area - St. Bernard Parish is SE of New Orleans - we have 3 Catholic Churches following Katrina - before we had 8 but with a lower population only 3 were re-opened. I’ve lived in other areas - Amarillo, TX in the 60s – only one person knew I Catholic - when Kennedy was elected it was not a good thing to be Catholic - fortunately she didn’t tell anyone - it took us over 2 years to find the Catholic Church. Following Katrina I stayed in Dover, DE for a few months - 1 large Catholic Church with one small Catholic book/gift store. Then we moved to Conway, AR - St. Joseph is a large parish (close to 2,000 families) the school is K-12 – friendly but when the non-Catholics find out you are a Catholic they tend to leave you alone. They had a large Christian Bookstore when we got there - anything Catholic was in the Cult Section - they closed up before I left 2 years later. AR has a Catholic Church in every county with the larger ones have more - St. Joseph’s was about 2.5 miles from my house and there was another about 8 miles and my favorite one was about 22 miles away. I researched the areas close to Little Rock AFB and decided on St. Joseph’s before we moved there. It would have been hard living there if I had not liked or had a Catholic Church close by - it does make it easier to be close to a good Catholic Church. If you move in the southern LA area there will be many to select from. God bless in your decision.
 
Anne1964 said:
I live in Raleigh, NC and there are many Catholic churches here. Some are liberal and some are conservative. NC has one of the most rapidly growing populations of Catholics in the country.

Speaking of megachurches, we have a Catholic church with 18,000 parishioners! I go to a much smaller parish and it is wonderful.

Our Bishop has plans to build a new cathedral and it will be built in a traditional style with antique stained glass windows. 🙂

There is a nuclear power plant nearby if that’s where you will be looking for work.

The only thing I dislike about NC is the weather. I HATE hot weather, and it’s hot and humid here.

I dream of moving out west when I retire and Denver is one of the areas I have considered.
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:eek::eek:

Wow! Now THAT is one big church!!! holy moly…
 
Anne1964 said:
I live in Raleigh, NC and there are many Catholic churches here. Some are liberal and some are conservative. NC has one of the most rapidly growing populations of Catholics in the country.

Speaking of megachurches, we have a Catholic church with 18,000 parishioners! I go to a much smaller parish and it is wonderful.

Our Bishop has plans to build a new cathedral and it will be built in a traditional style with antique stained glass windows. 🙂

There is a nuclear power plant nearby if that’s where you will be looking for work.

The only thing I dislike about NC is the weather. I HATE hot weather, and it’s hot and humid here.

I dream of moving out west when I retire and Denver is one of the areas I have considered.
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NC is divided into 3 distinct areas and so is the weather. The weather in the Piedmont is ideal, especially after 15 years of living in WI. I definitely don’t miss the cold weather. The weather in the mountains is much cooler than the Piedmont.
I spend much of my year in the Middle East, so I know about humid weather. My overseas parish has over 40,000 registered families.
I do like the intimacy of small parishes like my home parish in NC.
 
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