October 19th is an important Sunday in churches. But not because of the religious holiday.

• On October 19, the annual count of Catholics attending mass and receiving communion will take place.
• The Statistical Yearbook of the Catholic Church in Poland indicates the stability of the dominicantes and communicantes indicators
• The Tarnów diocese has the highest communicantes rate, while the lowest was recorded in the archdioceses of Szczecin-Kamień and Sosnowiec

The counting of the faithful in the country traditionally takes place once a year, on one Sunday in October.

- This year, in accordance with the resolution of the Polish Episcopal Conference, the annual examination of Sunday religious practices (dominicantes and communicantes) will take place on Sunday, October 19 - announced the Archdiocese of Warsaw .

The Statistical Yearbook of the Catholic Church in Poland "Annuarium Statisticum Ecclesia in Polonia" of the Institute of Catholic Church Statistics SAC for 2023 stated that:

• the dominicantes rate - people attending Sunday Mass - was 29.2% (2022 - 29.5%, 2021 - 28.3%),
• indicator of communicantes - those receiving communion - 14.2% (2022 - 13.9%, 2021 - 12.9%).

The highest communicantes rate in 2023 was recorded in the diocese of Tarnów - 24.4% (2022 - 25.6%), Zamość-Lubaczów - 21.1% (2022 - 19.6%) and Białystok - 20.01% (2022 - 20.5%). In turn, the lowest - in the archdioceses of Szczecin-Kamień and Sosnowiec (8.5%).

Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church

The Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church (SAC) named after Father Witold Zdaniewicz was founded in 1972 by the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers) as the Department of Sociology of Religion. The ISKK is the oldest independent research center in Poland conducting research on religiosity, Catholicism, and its social contexts. It collaborates with, among others, the Central Statistical Office.

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