I had a similar experience when I lived in Redmond, WA and the church there seemed composed of mostly converts. I felt like I was in a Pentecostal Church! I left that parish for a more toned down one in Kirkland.
The cradle to grave Catholics in the Northeast are merely Episcopalians who lie about using birth control. This New Yorker knows tons of people who refer to themselves as "Catholic" even though they can't explain the doctrine of transfiguration and know NOTHING about the bible.