Interesting Catholic Trivia For Catholics And Non-Catholics

Everyone loves a little bit of trivia. Trivia of any form is interesting whether it is religious or not. I know personally for me, I’m a sucker for it. Having said that. here are some of my favorite Catholic trivia questions I’ve found online from various sources that I thought would be of interest to the Catholic and non-Catholic a like. Links to sources are at the bottom for more research and fun.

How many Catholics are there in the world? – 6.3 Billion people
What country has the highest Catholic population? – Brazil with 151,244,00 Catholics. Mexico is #2 with 89,664,00
What other Christian church is similiar to Catholics? – The Orthodox Church. They have all the seven sacraments, a valid priesthood, Sacrifice of the Mass. Their bishops also have apostolic succession like the Catholic bishops. Catholic and Orthodox leaders are working hard for future reunification.
What should be the most revered instrument in the church? The pipe organ. In the Latin Church the pipe organ should be held in high esteem for the traditional sound and how it can uplift minds to God. However, other instruments can also be revered in the context of the liturgical service such as wind, strings or percussion instruments.
How many Catholic priests are there in the world? There are at least 405,00. However those are Roman Catholic ones. You need to include the number of Orthodox, Anglican, and other priests.
Who was the young priest the founded the Knights of Columbus? – Father Michael J. McGivney. He was an assistant pastor at St. Mary’s Church in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded mainly to help families in need.
Who became the patron Saint of ecology? – Saint Francis of Assisi. In 1979, Pope John Paul II promoted him as this patron because of how he devoted himself to all creation during his lifetime. It’s also why you can see statues of him surrounded by nature and animals.
When you are in a Catholic Church, where do you normally see the pictures of the Stations of the Cross? – Around the church on the walls. This way you can mediate in private or you can walk around and reflect during a Stations of the Cross service.
In the song, the “Twelve Days of Christmas”, what do the two turtle doves represent? – The Old and New Testament. While not officially accepted, it is a theory that many people have because of how the doves look to each other with love and respect…plus on how much they compliment each other.
What is the Catholic prayer “Hail Mary” based on? Luke 1:28 and Luke 1:42. They both have words that you can see in the prayer today.
What is the name given to the teaching of the Church on social issues? – Catholic Social Teachings. They are used by many Peace and Justice groups in churches around the world.
What is the largest religious order in the Catholic Church? – The Jesuits. They are known as the teaching arm of the Catholic church, especially among its priests.
What is the difference between a cathedral and a basilica? – A Cathedral is a Bishop’s church. A basilica is a church that has been given special privileges by the pope, such as a church that has relics of a saint, etc.