I'm surprised at the 12% figure for the Catholic proportion in the Southern population...I would have guessed it was less than that. It may be right given the Hispanics in Florida and Texas, the Cajuns in Louisiana, and the people from other regions of the country who have moved to the South in recent decades.
The Catholic population in the South has exploded in growth over the last 15 years, mostly due to Yankees (midwest, northeast, all types) and partly due to Hispanic immigration.