The North Carolina Catholicism Project
The North Carolina Catholicism Project (NCCP) is being conducted by Christopher Born as the primary research for a doctoral dissertation through The Catholic University of America (Washington, DC). The NCCP seeks to examine the explosive growth and changing complexion of Catholicism in the Diocese of Raleigh, NC. In 1980, only 1.6 percent of the population in the counties making up the Diocese of Raleigh were registered Catholics. In 2008, 4.8 percent of the population in the Diocese were registered Catholics.
The NCCP Survey was distributed in the spring and summer of 2009 to selected parishes in high growth areas of the Diocese of Raleigh, NC. Parishes selected to participate in the study did not include any in the city or suburbs of Raleigh itself. Instead, parishes in regions with high concentrations of retirees were contacted to seek their cooperation in the study. Fifteen parishes were initially contacted; some declined the request and others were ruled out due to their size or proximity to other participating parishes. In total, six parishes in three distinct regions of the Diocese participated in the study.
