Catholic Missionary Society Receipts
The Society for the Propagation of the Faith (the greatest and principal missionary society among Roman Catholics) reports a falling off of $46,120 in its receipts of 1895 below those of 1894; the total amount for the year being $1,364,030. Of this France gave $827,375; Belgium, the next, gave only one-tenth as much. America gave $62,177, of which $34,763 came from the United States. Not a very liberal sum for 8,000,000 or more Catholics. At 7,000,000 it is only about one-half a cent apiece. The Catholics of Mexico were more liberal. They gave $25,312. About $16,800 is returned to the United States for needy missions. It is said that there are 250,000 colored Roman Catholics in this country.