So the figures you see here are probably pretty accurate.
Assumng they don’t use Democrat polling techniques when the numbers are rolled up....
That is a good idea but we’d need to count in September because we get a lot of snowbirds who attend Mass but aren’t registered in our parish.
We have a small parsh and we go through the register every year and say, this person died, this person moved.... Then if we haven’t personally seen someone in church and they haven’t put an envelope in the collection plate we call them.
We probably have more than we report because a lot of people don’t register and they aren’t required to unless they are seeking baptism, 1st Communion, confirmation or marriage.
I would go with the directory being closest and as far as reporting more than you have if you knew the Catholic hierarchy you would go the other way because they might up your bishop’s assessment, ha ha.
We count every weekend Mass, every week, every year.