SINGAPORE (UCAN) -- The results of the first-ever census of Singapore's Catholic community paint a varied picture.

According to a recently released report from Singapore archdiocese's Catholic Research Centre of Singapore (CRCS), which conducted the census, eight in 10 Catholics said they attend Mass every weekend. This is high compared to some other places, but involvement in Church activity is low, with nearly half the people saying Mass attendance is their only Church-related activity.

Seven in 10 also said they have never been involved in a small prayer group or community, although 30 percent of this group said they would like to be part of such groups. Another hopeful indicator is that teenagers outpace adults in Mass attendance and are active in other Church activities.

This snapshot of the Catholic population is the result of a census conducted over two weekends in August 2007. Sociology professor Stella Quah spearheaded the development of the questionnaire.

In all, 94,447 people aged 12 and over, including foreigners, took part in the survey. Of these, 80.5 percent say they attend Mass every weekend.

In general Catholics appear to feel a sense of belonging to their parish church, with 76 percent agreeing that there is one church in Singapore that they feel is their parish church.

However, only 12.9 percent spend more than four hours a month in Church activities or ministries besides Mass. Another 15.7 percent spend less than an hour a month on such activities, and nearly half -- 47.8 percent -- spend no time on Church activities beyond Mass.

The highest rate of regular weekly Mass attendance, 89 percent, was among those in the 12-14 age group, with the 15-19 group close behind at 85 percent. Young Catholics also show the greatest attachment to their respective parish churches and take part in more Church activities than adults.

Quah attributes this to the catechism program, according to the CRCS report. "It is likely that many years of catechism in Catholic churches can claim credit for this. It is true that youngsters are more gregarious and more open to activities in church for social reasons," she said.

The census results indicate that most Catholic families do not pray together much as a family, with two in three saying they seldom or never pray together.

Still, the Catholic family appears to remain strong, says the report. Six in 10 Catholics come from families where all members are Catholic. Among married respondents, 83.5 percent are married to Catholics.

Most Catholics also attend weekend Mass with their family, with 64.6 percent saying they attend with one or more family members. Members of this group also are most likely to attend regularly, with 86 percent saying they attend Mass every weekend. According to the CRCS report, this suggests that Catholic families support each other in church attendance.

On the other hand, one in five Catholics attends Mass alone. This proportion increases to 29 percent, nearly one-third, among older parishioners.

Language also appears to be an issue. One in five parishioners does not speak English and speaks only one Asian language at home. According to the CRCS report, this suggests the need for more services and ministries to cater to Catholics who do not speak English.

A large minority of foreigners took part in the census, with the largest group from the Philippines. Other groups include Catholics from Malaysia, Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

The CRCS report said the census findings "highlight areas of concern, such as the need to engage more Catholics beyond Mass, the need to grow small Christian communities ... and the need to strengthen the prayer lives of families."

It adds that "at the same time, emerging trends -- such as more older parishioners attending Mass alone, and the growing numbers of foreigners -- should alert the church to cater better to these groups."

Singapore archdiocesan statistics record 174,109 registered Catholics in 2007. They made up about 4 percent of the total population of 4,483,000, the government census figure for that year.

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